‘Education Wars’ authors coming to URI to discuss ‘What’s “Public” about Public Education?’
KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 17, 2025 – With debate about curriculum, changes to the federal Department of Education, and nearly half of states now enacting private school voucher plans, public education is at a critical moment.
Podcasters Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider will examine the debate around public education, as they continue the 2025 University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium Tuesday, Sept. 30, with “What’s ‘Public’ about Public Education? (And Will It Still Exist In 2028?).”
Schneider, a historian, and Berkshire, a journalist, co-host the education podcast “Have You Heard” and also co-authored “The Education Wars” in 2024. They’ll discuss how we got to this moment and what we stand to lose if public schools disappear. They’ll also outline an ambitious vision of what the “public” in public education can and should mean.
Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, this year’s edition of URI’s premier lecture series examines the evolving landscape of public education. Schneider and Berkshire will speak at 5:30 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus for the second lecture in the fall colloquium series, “Education, Behind the Curtains,” which will also be streamed live (links will be available on the day of each event on the colloquium website).
Their lecture will be followed on Oct. 7 by Heather Shotton, president of Fort Lewis College in Colorado, speaking on “Becoming Indigenous-Serving Institutions.” For the full roster of colloquium speakers and sponsors, visit the 2025 Honors Colloquium site.
In addition to the speaker series, this year’s colloquium topic includes an education-focused art exhibit, “Revelations!”, in Green Hall, the Higgins Welcome Center and Lippitt Hall, which includes artwork and voices of more than 20 area educators, including several URI alumni.
This year’s program is led by Daniel Kelley and Lazaro Camacho Jr. ’02 ’06 in URI’s Feinstein College of Education. They hope to foster dialogue at this year’s colloquium, to bring the larger community into conversation on how schools, colleges, and universities can best serve students and society in today’s world.
The series concludes on Dec. 2, with a panel on the “State of Education in Rhode Island.”
Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, the annual URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. To see recordings of last year’s speakers, or past colloquiums, visit the Honors Colloquium Archives. Sign up here for more information and reminders for colloquium events or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.
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