Here is what comes to mind for me.
The role of education in our society has made a major shift. It is about preparing all of our students for college and careers, and preparing them to successfully live in our 21st century society as a good and happy citizen. I am not sure that this sounds different than what I was told in teacher education school in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but there is a giant difference.
Our process of education in the USA due to changes in technology, globalization, and the needs of our society to maintain its strong leadership and financial position in the world must evolve its educational system so that all students have the chance to thrive. Some steps are in place for this evolution and some schools and districts are moving forward at a faster rate than others.
Here are my initial thoughts about this article. I look forward to hearing and sharing yours.
We know that the current Common Core Standards are based heavily on the original SCANS report that came out in 1990 and was updated to the 21st Century Skills in the early 2000s. So, all of us are working now with the goal of preparing all students for college and careers. If you think about education in the bigger picture, it is all about the world of work, and preparation for living in our society in the 21st century. College is just an additional step in preparation for entering the job market. So, hearing what Google has to say is very telling. I would love to discuss this article with you, if you have time. It is not long but worth the time.
Let me say that even before you read it, the executive is not putting down a college education, but rather is drawing a conclusion that the right set of skills have to be learned by all employees whether they learn it through a formal or less formal education. Are we preparing our kids for the world of the future, or the world of the past? Common Core, I believe is a good step in the right direction. It is about applying learning, not just re-stating information. We know the skills that are being asked for, it is now our job to be sure that every student gets the educational experiences in the classroom (or outside the classroom) that support our societal and their personal needs of the 21st century.
I have believed in what I am sharing here for a long time. I remember that in college learning the teachings of John Dewey was important. Unfortunately, when I entered my early teaching jobs, John Dewey's thinking was not present, nor wanted by most of my colleagues. As an administrator, I tried my best with some success, to bring change to the teaching and learning practices at my school. We had a good level of success with that. Now, with the Common Core, I see our best opportunity to evolve our American educational system to better provide experiences that prepare students for the lives they will be living, in and out of work.
A story that I have shared with teachers on a number of occasions was an early sign to me of change becoming more common in the work place. My son was fortunate to attend a university where a great medical school came to select up to eight students per year for early acceptance to their program. So, at the end of his sophomore year, he was accepted to their medical school with the only condition being that he completed his BA/BS in any field of his choice. I found it interesting that he was told that he did not have to take any additional science courses, since he had completed his required pre-med classes successfully and proven to the selection board that he possessed the skills needed for the field of medicine. They told him that they would give him whatever knowledge he needed once he started medical school.
What were they looking for? I was told that they were looking for humanity majors for the field of medicine. I was told that the interview process and the student's ability to react quickly to questions was important. I was told that they wanted students who had shown success in analysis and synthesis and could be problem solvers and critical thinkers. I was told that they wanted people who could take initiative and be leaders in this profession. I was told that they wanted students who could handle the workload and had the comprehension skills needed for all of the reading and interpreting required of this profession. After reading the article about Google, it did not sound so different to me than what a medical school admittance officer had shared with me over ten years ago.
It is my hope that the conversations around articles such as this take place around the USA with educators listening and leading the discussions. Barack Obama has shared in his two presidential acceptance speeches the importance of preparing many more students for STEM fields if we wish to maintain our position in the world. He is asking that our educational evolution be sped up to address our national needs. I see this being supported by Common Core, if we have the necessary conversations with our educators that lead to a change from the status quo of education and moves us to a new 21st century place for educating our kids.
I hope that you will comment back to me and share your thoughts. I would love to extend this conversation. Thank you for reading.
