Transcript Slide 1

Schools of the Future
Ameson Foundation Conference
October 2010
Paul Miller
One Thing Americans Agree On
Our schools need improvement
One Thing (among many) Americans Don’t agree On
How to do it
It’s Complicated
We have three kinds of
schools

PUBLIC

PAROCHIAL

OTHER PRIVATE
There are different kinds of
public schools
•
TRADITIONAL
•
MAGNET
•
CHARTER
It’s Complicated
 Traditionally, States and
local governments control
education
 The federal government
appears to be moving
toward national standards
 Not all school districts
have equal resources!
The New Federal Program: “Race to the Top”
 $4.3 Billion to be given to “winning” states
 States are rewriting their education laws to be eligible
 States are expected to
– close achievement gaps by turning around low
performing schools
– improve standards and tests that prepare students for
college and the work place
– improve teacher quality and tie salaries to student
performance
– improve data systems
– allow charter schools
Prepare Students for College and Careers
Coalitions of business and
educators with the
same goal
A Framework for 21st Century Outcomes
More simply put….
The 5 C’s
 Critical thinking
 Character (self-discipline, empathy, integrity, resilience and
courage)
 Creativity and entrepreneurial spirit
 Collaboration, Teamwork and Leadership
 Communication
A detailed list of Skills, values and attitudes needed for the 21st
Century…..
Creative and Analytical Thinking and Problem-Solving
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Identify, manage, and address complex problems

Detect bias, and distinguish between reliable and unsound information

Control information overload

Formulate meaningful questions
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Analyze and create and ideas and knowledge
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Use trial and error; devise and test solutions to problems
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Imagine alternatives
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Develop cross-disciplinary knowledge and perspectives
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Engage in sustained reasoning
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Synthesize and adapt
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Solve new problems that don’t have rule-based solutions
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Use knowledge and creativity to solve complex “real-world” problems
Communication—Oral and Written
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Understand and express ideas in two or more languages
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Communicate clearly to diverse audiences
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Listen attentively
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Speak effectively
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Write clearly and concisely—for a variety of audiences
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Explain information and compellingly persuade others of its
implications
Leadership
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Initiate new ideas

Lead through influence

Build trust, resolve conflicts, and provide support for others

Facilitate group discussions, forge consensus, and negotiate outcomes
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Teach, coach and counsel others
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Enlist help

Collaborate sensitively and productively with people of varied
backgrounds
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Coordinate tasks, manage groups, and delegate responsibilities
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Implement decisions and meet goals
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Share the credit
Digital and Quantitative Literacy
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Understand, use, and apply digital technologies
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Create digital knowledge and media
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Use multimedia resources to communicate ideas effectively
in a variety of formats

Master and use higher-level mathematics

Understand traditional and emerging topics in math,
science, and technology—environmental sciences, robotics,
fractals, cellular automata, nanotechnology, and
biotechnology
Global Perspective

Develop open-mindedness, particularly regarding the values, traditions
of others

Study and understand non-western history, politics, religion, and culture

Develop facility with one or more international languages

Use technology to connect with people and events globally

Develop social and intellectual skills to navigate effectively across
cultures
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Use 21st century skills to understand and address global issues

Learn from, and work collaboratively with, individuals from diverse
cultures, religions, and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open
dialogue

Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas and achieve
success
Adaptability, Initiative, and Risk-Taking
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Develop flexibility, agility, and adaptability
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Bring a sense of courage to unfamiliar situations
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Explore and experiment
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Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities
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View failure as an opportunity to learn, and acknowledge that
innovation involves small successes and frequent mistakes
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Cultivate an independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and
strategies
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Develop entrepreneurial literacy
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Use creativity and innovation to produce things that are unique and that
have value and meaning
Integrity and Ethical Decision-Making
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Sustain an empathetic and compassionate outlook
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Foster integrity, honesty, fairness, and respect
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Exhibit moral courage in confronting unjust situations
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Act responsibly, with the interests and well-being of the
larger community in mind
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Develop a fundamental understanding of emerging ethical
issues and dilemmas regarding new media and technologies

Make reasoned and ethical decisions in response to complex
problems
How do you measure these?

What is the quality of the
learning?
In other words, How do we Assess
(the performance/outcome question)
Traditional Approaches
• Student assessment via teacher testing (informal
testing)
• Standardized normative testing (SATs, Advanced
Placement Exams, the IB exam & A-Levels)
Student assessment via formative testing
 ERB’s Childrens’ Progress Academic Assessment:
(preK-2) evaluates language arts literacy and
mathematics learning
 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP): MAP
assessments provide detailed, actionable data about
where each child is on their unique learning path.
 College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA):
measures how students perform on constructed
response tasks that require an integrated set of critical
thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and
written communication skills
Student assessment via e-portfolios and
“demonstrations of learning”
“What we believe is that demonstrations of learning marry
skills with content, develop multiple intelligences, connect
thought with action and exemplify 21st century skills and
values.”
-- NAIS President Pat Bassett
By these demonstrations, schools…
 Reunite content and action.
 Backward-design curriculum from desired outcomes.
 Demonstrate student outcomes recorded in electronic
portfolios.
 Facilitate student-led teacher/parent conferences.
 Conduct action research and lesson study to grow
professionally.
Examples of demonstrations of learning
Conduct a fluent conversation in a foreign language about of piece of writing
in that language.
Write a cogent and persuasive opinion piece on a matter of public
importance.
Declaim with passion and from memory a passage that is meaningful, of
one’s own or from the culture’s literature or history.
Construct and program a robot capable of performing a difficult physical
task.
Produce or perform a work of art
Using statistics, assess whether a statement by a public figure is
demonstrably true.
Colleges shifting Admission criteria away from
normative testing
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Tufts: trying to measure aspects of intelligence that cannot be
demonstrated by SAT scores. Asking applicants to show original
thinking in essays. Essay questions will be designed and evaluated based
on psychological research. Tufts officials hope to better identify future
leaders and predict college grades.

Tufts, George Mason, St Mary’s College of Maryland accept videos as
part of the application
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czhIrPSlio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKOaGKdsIa8&feature=fvw
Assessment is one of Four
Fundamental questions being reasked in search of great learning
 “What should we teach?” (The
content/canon/curriculum/standards question)
 “How should we teach?” (The pedagogy question)
 “How should we assess?”
 How do schools embed the vision? (The leadership
question.)
What Should We Teach?
(The content /canon/curriculum/
standards question)
The “core curriculum”: The question about “the canon”:
What’s the balance between the core
knowledge/identity base vs. the inclusive menu?
The Silo question
How should we teach?
(The pedagogy question)
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Traditional instruction: lecture and seminar approaches
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Differentiated instruction: customized IEP for each student; the
strengths approach; expertise in one area; “just in time remediation”
(the Finland model); use of adaptive technologies and web-based
instruction (www.khanacademy.com).
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Innovative instruction:
experiential/expeditionary education
project-based learning (http://www.edutopia.org/projectlearning-introduction-video)
immersion experiences.
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Distance learning: Disrupting Class. The blended environment of
place-based learning (teacher as role model and source of inspiration)
with true 1:1 learning (digital delivery of content via laptops, tablets,
notebooks, iPads, smart phones).
How should we embed the vision?
(The leadership question)
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For independent schools this is critical: no one HAS to attend our
schools. We must be the best to survive.
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Charter schools must be the best, to justify their charter.
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Magnet schools must be the best, to attract the best students
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Traditional schools must be better, at least- or face closure
There is an incentive for every school
Face it -
“If you are not a school of the future, you may be a
school without a future”
But change cannot be implemented by decree
It will come school by school
There is no one right answer.