NEW YORK, NY—June 26, 2012— NBC News is bringing “Education Nation” to the Aspen Ideas Festival, co-presenting a series of panels focused on uncovering education solutions. Moderated by NBC News journalists Andrea Mitchell and Rehema Ellis, the panels will be featured throughout the various program tracks at the Festival and will bring together education thought leaders to spark dialogue about one of the most critical issues facing the nation. NBC News’ co-presented panels will be available for either live stream or delayed viewing on EducationNation.com. For more on the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival, follow #AspenIdeas on Twitter or visit: aspenideas.org/festival/tracks.

Co-Presented Panels include:

Will Technology Disrupt the Way We Learn? (June 29)
The onset of courseware, tablets, and social media sites is being addressed cautiously in some educational environments and ravenously in others. Will mobile devices, iPads, and social platforms truly transform the way students learn and teachers teach? Will new technology platforms revolutionize classrooms across the country? Moderated by NBC News’ Chief Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis.

Is College For Everyone? (June 30)
Is college what it’s cracked up to be in this troubled economy? We know a high school education is imperative for basic job skills, but does a liberal arts education match? Moderated by NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.

Arts in Education (July 1)
In recent years, a focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based curriculum and standard metrics has taken hold in schools across the country, but a growing chorus has argued that this focus is too limiting to foster an engaged and enlightened citizenry and a creative workforce. How can arts education best contribute to building the successful schools and minds we need? Are the arts key to creativity? Moderated by NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.

Can Character Be Taught? (July 2)
Can schools teach character? Should they? And what do we mean by “character,” anyway? Three school leaders discuss the theory and practice of character education and debate whether failure is an essential stop on a child’s road to success. Moderated by NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.

To continue the conversation, please join NBC News on-air and online for the 2012 Education Nation national summit. The summit will take place in New York City from Sept. 23-25, when once again, NBC News will convene educators, policymakers, elected officials, parents, thought leaders, members of the business community and engaged citizens in a national discussion about education. Built around solutions, the 2012 “Education Nation” summit will showcase real-life examples of communities and classrooms that are closing the skills gap and educating students so they can compete for the jobs of the future. For updates on how you can get involved, visit EducationNation.com.