Leon Botstein, a Swiss-American conductor, educator, and the President of Bard College, speaks about the education crisis in America. Botstein starts his lecture by providing contextual information and delving into the contributing factors of the education crisis. He discusses the tendency of older generations to hold nostalgic views of past education systems and the rise of cultural pessimism, as well as a degression in secularism. Botstein talks about declining literacy rates, the changing notion of identity and equality in education, and shares his criticism of the SATs. He notes that all these factors have led to a precarious moment in American schooling, especially for a democratic society. Using the imagery of a snake to describe the spectrum of students, Botstein suggests that education should focus on "pushing the head forward and the tail up," with special attention paid to disadvantaged groups. In the second part of his lecture, he provides pointed strategies to positively affect the education crisis, such as starting children in school at an earlier age, abandoning high school while expanding the community college system, and changing teacher training and income. The talk concludes with audience questions. This event is part of a commemorative lecture series, and is held in memory of Mena W. and Harold L. Rosenthal.