Make an appointment with a teacher to discuss the purpose of education. Write a note or send an email asking the teacher for a convenient time to meet. If you are using the data from the discussion for a paper, let the teacher know in advance of the topics you would like to discuss, such as the teacher's philosophy of education and she thinks needs to be improved to make education better serve its purpose.
Ask the teacher to schedule an in-class discussion on the purpose of education. This is an opportunity for her to let the class know where she stands on issues such as is intelligence enough? or the civic responsibility of education. A forum of this sort is ideal for getting students to discuss their feelings on education and whether they think it is addressing their needs.
Organize a teacher seminar. Appoint a moderator -- or take that role yourself -- and lead the teachers through a discussion about the purpose of education. Teachers can compare and contrast their approaches to issues such as the goals of education, the power of accumulated knowledge and the importance of individual aspirations. This is also a good time to ask the teachers about their stance on the idea of teacher-as-learner.
Organize a conference panel at a teachers' conference and make the purpose of education the theme. Invite teachers to sit on the panel and contribute to the discussion of what they see as the roles of the students, teachers and the wider community.
Set up a chat room about the importance of education in the 21st century. Introduce various topics -- independent thinking, essential skills in primary school, critical evaluation in education -- and invite teachers to respond to your comments. These discussions will give you information about the teachers' perceptions of the purpose of education.