Meet Dr. Douglas North, head of the the School of Albany Academies. We caught up with him while he addressed the Albany Roundtable group during a luncheon meeting. The topic- "What's Right With American Education."

"One of the greatest elements of American education is that it has produced generations of inventors and people who have shaped the future not only of this country but of the world and world culture," said North.

Speaking of world culture, Dr, North also touched upon China as an insight to education.

"The Chinese at this point are studying American education because they would like to have inventors also, where as we in this country are very much looking at their form of education because it produces high test scores," said North.

As it turns out, test scores was another subject, but the point here wasn't just about getting things right, but also about getting things wrong.

"Life does not give you a test in which you are asked to get 100, life gives you a test in which you're lucky if you get sixty percent, learn from those errors, and go on to some kind of smashing success," he said.

To track our educational system, you can also trace back to a familiar document- the Declaration of Independence.

"This is our greatest national asset, is of the freedom that we have, and the most important parts of our educational system for growing people who are themselves inventors," North said.

When it comes to the School of the Albany Academies, there is a difference in approach; there are ten grades of co-gender education with two years of co-educational opportunities...but is this an advantage over typical K-12 education?

"Single gender education really provides an opportunity for both boys and girls to lead within a school community," said North.

So to sum it up, what is really the greatness in American education?

"To allow people to think for themselves and shape and invent things, including the future," North said.

And a history lesson as well.