Berliner, dean of the College of Education at Arizona State University in Tempe, will speak at 7 p.m. in the Grand Salon of the University Student Union. His presentation, "Business and Education: Fundamentally Incompatible," is free and open to the public.

"He has written what many in education consider the seminal book on public education. Support for public education in this country is very much needed," said Louise Grindstaff, a CSUN secondary education professor and an organizer of Berliner's visit. "We wanted to provide an opportunity for the community to hear from someone who has done authoritative research in this field."

Berliner co-authored with Bruce Biddle The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America's Public Schools. The book questions the contention that tests scored in America's schools are failing, illiteracy is rising and better funding has no benefit.

Berliner has served as president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and has won the National Education Association's Friend of Education Award, the Research into Practice Award from the AERA, the National Association of Secondary School Principals Distinguished Service Award and the Medal of Honor from the University of Helsinki. He is also a Regents Professor at Arizona State University.

For more information, call (818) 677-2260.