Res Publica: Latin for “public affairs” or “public issues”; root for the English word “republic”

Covenant College is an agency of the Presbyterian Church in America. Years ago, another agency of the PCA—formerly known as “Women in the Church”—endowed funds that allowed Covenant to establish an annual lecture series that was charged with the task of building up the church and bolstering an informed lay leadership, among both men and women, by addressing serious contemporary issues facing our world.

These spring semester lectures are intended to challenge and equip students to address public issues thoughtfully and faithfully. They give us a chance to tap into the wisdom of top scholars from around the world who are tackling big issues that we as members of Christ’s body should know about and be willing to discuss.

2026 Res Publica Lectures: The Future of American Schools

Dr. Nathaniel Malkus '97
January 15-17, 2026

Education is fundamental to a flourishing society. In America, education has long been hailed as a critical component of our democracy, our economy, our national security, equal opportunity, and the pursuit of the American dream. For more than a century, public schools have been the primary institution for delivering and improving the American education system, and America’s public schools--and American education writ large—are in crisis.

Or are they? Lines like those above have been leveled at America’s schools for decades. As waves of reform have ebbed and flowed, change has been slow, and progress and regress have been incremental.

The 2026 Res Publica Lectures will examine the future of American education by tackling several questions. How is America’s K-12 education system structured? What forces produce, or inhibit, change within it? What is the current trajectory of America’s schools, and what are potential drivers of that trajectory? What arguments currently dominate today’s debates over improving American education? And how, as citizens and Christians, should we care for American education?

Our lecturer will be Dr. Nathaniel Malkus (Covenant Class of 1997), Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute, Washington D.C.

Nathaniel Malkus '97

Nat Malkusis a senior fellow and the deputy director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and an affiliate of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies. He is the creator of AEI’s Return to Learn Tracker, which tracked pandemic school closures and masking policies and currently tracks post-pandemic chronic absenteeism, and the host of the podcastThe Report Card with Nat Malkus.

Dr. Malkus’s current research interests include post-pandemic chronic absenteeism, student achievement trends, school choice, and government contracting. Previously, he also studied career and technical education, Advanced Placement, credit recovery, student loan forgiveness, and American school responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Malkus’s work has been featured in numerous outlets, includingEducation Next,Los Angeles Times,National Affairs,National Review,The New York Times,NPR,USA Today,The Washington Post, andThe Wall Street Journal.

Before joining AEI, Dr. Malkus was a senior researcher at the American Institutes for Research and spent four years as a public middle school teacher in Maryland. Dr. Malkus has a PhD in education policy and leadership from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a BA in historical studies from Covenant College.