Why Change?
Are you concerned about education? I am. One of my deepest concerns is that while education systems around the world are being reformed, many of these reforms are being driven by political and commercial interests that misunderstand how real people learn and how great schools actually work. As a result, they are damaging the prospects of countless young people. Sooner or later, for better or for worse, they will affect you or someone you know.
It’s important to understand what these reforms are about. If you agree that they’re going in the wrong direction, I hope you will become part of the movement to a more holistic approach that nurtures the diverse talents of all our children
. . . Whoever and wherever you are, you do have the power to make the system change. Changes are happening.
There are many great schools, wonderful teachers and inspiring leaders who are working creatively to provide students with the kinds of personalized, compassionate and community-oriented education they need. (From Introduction, page xvii.)
The revolution we need involves rethinking how schools work and what counts as a school.
Sir Ken Robinson
It’s important to understand what these reforms are about. If you agree that they’re going in the wrong direction, I hope you will become part of the movement to a more holistic approach that nurtures the diverse talents of all our children
. . . Whoever and wherever you are, you do have the power to make the system change. Changes are happening.
There are many great schools, wonderful teachers and inspiring leaders who are working creatively to provide students with the kinds of personalized, compassionate and community-oriented education they need. (From Introduction, page xvii.)
The revolution we need involves rethinking how schools work and what counts as a school.
Sir Ken Robinson
Our country may continue to stumble from education reform to education reform like a drunken sailor. In the process, we’ll continue churning out millions of students each year with no real skills and no fighting chance in life. We’ll prioritize measuring irrelevant things and drill the innovation and creativity out of our youth. A small number of our most talented will escape the damage of schools and go on to create successful new companies and unimaginable wealth. ….. [Most] will plod through enervating school years, leave with abysmal career prospects, and have citizenship skills no better than mob psychology.
As the ranks of chronically unemployed youth swell, the rift between the unrelenting rich and the disenfranchised rest will rip our society apart.
We will fail as a country, not because other nations defeated us, but because we defeated ourselves.
Tony Wagner
As the ranks of chronically unemployed youth swell, the rift between the unrelenting rich and the disenfranchised rest will rip our society apart.
We will fail as a country, not because other nations defeated us, but because we defeated ourselves.
Tony Wagner
Our innovation world reflects the very best of America. Intrepid pioneers pursue bold dreams, in hopes of changing the course of history. Thinking big is a way of life. Failure is embraced, and resilience is rewarded. Out-of-the-box approaches are admired, not marked down. Collective adherence to obsolete methods is a market opportunity, not a reason to give up. The results? In the past five decades, all U.S. economic and job growth has come from innovative startups. Our entrepreneurial successes create our jobs, shape our society, define us, inspire us, and are the envy of the world.
But when it comes to education policy, we have lost all sight of what makes our country great. Through a bizarre twist of fate, we have an education system that would make perfect sense in the 1970s U.S.S.R., but is completely out of step with America’s core values and strengths. We insist on top-down command-and-control. We micro-manage every minute of every lesson plan.
Instead of letting a thousand flowers bloom, we replace all flowers with the same lifeless, overtested weed. We take every ounce of bold creativity out of the classroom, replacing it with a soulless march through dull curriculum and test prep decoupled from life skills. We prioritize standardization and accountability, and don’t seem to notice or care that students lack engagement and purpose. We rob our kids of their futures.
Ted Dintersmith
But when it comes to education policy, we have lost all sight of what makes our country great. Through a bizarre twist of fate, we have an education system that would make perfect sense in the 1970s U.S.S.R., but is completely out of step with America’s core values and strengths. We insist on top-down command-and-control. We micro-manage every minute of every lesson plan.
Instead of letting a thousand flowers bloom, we replace all flowers with the same lifeless, overtested weed. We take every ounce of bold creativity out of the classroom, replacing it with a soulless march through dull curriculum and test prep decoupled from life skills. We prioritize standardization and accountability, and don’t seem to notice or care that students lack engagement and purpose. We rob our kids of their futures.
Ted Dintersmith
