The symposium preceded the finals of the International Public Policy Forum high school debate competition, founded and managed by the Brewer Foundation.
Left to right: Florencia Lopez Boo, Larry Aber, Faith Abiodun, Lindsay Brown
On April 17, NYU Steinhardt and Global TIES for Children brought together leading voices in global education for a timely and thought-provoking symposium called “Educating the World: Obligation, Opportunity, or Overreach?” Held at the NYU King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, the two-hour event underscored Steinhardt’s commitment to advancing equitable education worldwide while directly engaging the next generation of global thinkers.
The event’s theme reflects a growing urgency around the global learning crisis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where educational access and quality remain uneven. According to Human Rights Watch, 272 million children are currently out of school worldwide.
Left to right: Alex Eble, Angela Minor
The symposium was timed to occur one day before the finals of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF). The IPPF competition—founded by the Brewer Foundation Chair William A. Brewer III—is managed by the Brewer Foundation and jointly administered with New York University. This year, NYU School of Law served as the venue for the eight finalist teams from high schools around the world. Both the symposium and the competition revolved around a pressing question: should G20 nations implement a 1 percent tax to fund free and equitable primary and secondary education worldwide?
“Tomorrow, the students in the audience will debate to either defend this resolution or dismantle it based on its merits,” said Jack H. Knott, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt, in his opening remarks at the symposium. “Tonight, we all have the opportunity to hear from people who have spent their careers wrestling with exactly these questions—not as a debate exercise, but as their life’s work.”
In addition to remarks from Brewer Foundation President Ian Shaw and Professor of Occupational Therapy and Counselor to the NYU President Kristie Patten, the symposium panel featured five distinguished experts who explored the complexities of education financing, weighing both the potential benefits and risks of large-scale global investment:
- Larry Aber, Paulette Goddard Professor of Psychology and Public Policy
- Faith Abiodun, Executive Director, United World Colleges
- Lindsay Brown, Senior Research Scientist, Global TIES for Children, New York University
- Alex Eble, Associate Professor, Economics and Education at Columbia University
- Angela Minor, Associate Professor, Department of Strategic Legal and Management Communication; Director of Speech and Debate, Howard University
The panel was moderated by Florencia Lopez Boo, director of Global TIES and professor of economics and applied psychology at NYU Steinhardt.
Jack H. Knott
“The stakes of the global education crisis extend well beyond classrooms,” says Lopez Boo. “Without an investment in basic education, we have people in the most conflict-affected regions of the world who cannot read or write even later in life—and that affects health, stability, peace, and opportunity.”
Lopez Boo also served as a judge for the IPPF finals, alongside former NYU President John Sexton.
“I was amazingly impressed by the level of preparation of these students,” says Lopez Boo. “They are so young but so well-prepared, and they did an amazing job in presenting their arguments.”
North Allegheny Senior High School from Wexford, Pennsylvania, ultimately emerged as the winning team of the debate finals, taking home $10,000 and the Brewer Cup.
Together, the symposium and the IPPF finals highlighted the power of connecting academic expertise with student inquiry. By creating a space where research, policy, and debate intersect, NYU Steinhardt and NYU Law continue to foster meaningful dialogue on some of the most urgent challenges facing global education today.
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