In this plenary session, Marty Strange, Director of the Rural Trust's Policy Program, presented a brief history of the ways in which education in the United States has served the economic interests of the powerful.  As the economy is undergoing significant change public education is being pressured to prepare students for the "global economy" and to ensure they have "21st Century Skills."  The session provided an overview of current economic data and trends with an analysis of the rhetoric related to education's role in the national economy. 

See the power point of this presentation.