Learning from Libraries

Charlie Irish, who is a statewide leader of the Ohio Public School Advocacy Network, recently participated in the 2021 National Issues Forum sponsored by the Kettering Foundation where he serves as an educational partner.  In reporting on the forum, he said he was especially struck by a presentation from the Hamilton County Library System which is hosting deliberative conversations about COVID and other pressing issues:  “Libraries exist to support freedom of speech and expression.  So deliberation is a natural extension of their institutional mission.  But schools aren’t too far from that.  They are about education and the pivotal role education plays in supporting civic life and our democracy.  Maybe schools could learn something from libraries.”