Transcript MAKING THE CASE FOR CHANGE

“Reinventing” America’s High Schools
Tony Wagner, Co-Director
Change Leadership Group
Harvard University, Graduate School of Education
[email protected]
www.clg.harvard.edu
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
1
“The formulation of the problem is often more
essential than the solution.” Einstein
If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it!
What is the “crisis” in
American education
really all about—what’s
the “problem”?
Their schools are
the problem, not
ours!
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
School
reform is
just
another
fad.
Incremental change is the
only way to go
2
Understanding The Changing World
1. CHANGES IN THE WORK PLACE:
What does the new “knowledge economy” mean?
– All Students: there is no such thing as unskilled work!
• wages of h.s. grads have declined 70% in 20 years
• skills for work, citizenship, and college readiness are now
essentially the same
– New Skills: most work today requires skills we don’t know
how to assess or teach to all students
• Learning how to learn
• Problemsolving
• Teamwork
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
3
The “Basics” Perception Gap
100%
80%
77%
74%
66%
60%
39%
40%
33%
20%
0%
Students
Teachers
Parents
Employers
Professors
% saying a high school diploma means students have learned the basics (PAF
Reality Check 2000)
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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College Readiness Perception Gap
100%
80%
62%
51%
60%
47%
40%
20%
so
rs
Pr
of
es
s
ch
er
Te
a
Pa
re
nt
s
0%
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
% saying students
have needed
college skills
("Where Are We
Now," PAF 2003)
5
Work Readiness Perception Gap
100%
80%
60%
78%
67%
41%
40%
20%
0%
s
s
s
r
t
r
e
e
n
y
e
h
r
o
c
l
a
a
p
P
Te
Em
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
% saying
students have
needed work
skills ("Where
Are We Now"
2003 PAF)
6
Work/College Skills: What’s Needed vs. What’s Taught
100%
80%
PAF Reality Check 2002-Percent giving high school grads “poor” or
“fair” ratings on:
73%75%
74%
69%
60%
72%
58%
63%65%
53%51%
49%
37%
basic
curiosity
math skills
respect
40%
20%
0%
writing
work
habits
motivation
Employers
Professors
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Understanding the Changing World (cont.)
2. CHANGES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE
LEARNING PROCESS
– Active Learning: “To understand is to invent”—
Montessori, Dewey, Piaget
– Diverse Learning Styles—Howard Gardner
– Exponential growth of information:
Memorizing facts
versus
Learning how to find, use, and apply knowledge
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Understanding the Changing World (cont.)
3. CHANGES IN THE REQUIREMENTS OF CITIZENSHIP:
CRITICAL THINKING, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CIVILITY
– Critical Thinking: Increasing complexity of issues
– Civic Engagement: Need for active and informed citizens
• 50% decline in voting & involvement in community efforts
– Civility: Importance of “Emotional Intelligence” or people
skills for work and citizenship
• An increasingly multicultural society requires
understanding different perspectives and cultures
• A more respectful dialogue is needed everywhere
• Students say there is a lack of respect in schools—only
41% say most of their teachers respect them
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Understanding the Changing World (cont.)
4. CHANGES IN STUDENTS’ LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES:
– Diminished motivation to learn
• Less fear and respect for authority
• Fewer believe hard work = success = happiness
• “Shopping Mall” culture = passive consumption &
instant gratification
– Adults less present in students’ lives
• Students spend as much time alone as with friends
• Less than 5% of their time is spent with adults
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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“No shame, no blame, no excuses!”
Re-Framing the “problem”
SCHOOLS (TEACHERS AND
PARENTS) ARE NOT FAILING. THE
SYSTEM IS OBSOLETE.
***
REFORMING OUR PRESENT SYSTEM
ISN’T THE SOLUTION. WE NEED TO
REINVENT IT!
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Towards a Vision of Success:
The New 3 “R’s” for the 21st Century
• RIGOR
We need uniformly high academic standards for all students, while
allowing for different ways in which students can show mastery. Rigor
today is less about coverage and much more about mastery of core
competencies: analysis, communication, problem-solving, teamwork
• RELEVANCE
The traditional “college prep" academic curriculum doesn’t make sense
to many students and they are not motivated to mastery. The
curriculum has to be both challenging and connected to “real-world”
applications such as service & internships.
• RELATIONSHIPS/RESPECT
You can’t motivate a student you don’t know. There is no learning
without trust and respect, and neither are granted automatically by
today’s students. They must be earned.
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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The Vision & Implications for Leadership
• The Imperative: involving more adults in helping all
students achieve: The New Village Commons
• The Vision: Moving from bureaucracy to community,
from compliance to engagement, from isolation to
teamwork: The New Village School
• Role of Leadership: create “ownership, not “buyin!” Develop a strategic focus and promote adult
learning by framing the challenges and asking the
right questions, rather than giving the answers.
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Sources/Resources/Further Readings
• Tony Wagner, Making The Grade: Reinventing America’s Schools
(New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2001) see also:
www.newvillageschools.org and a video on focus groups: “Creating
Community Consensus: Dialogues for Learning & Engagement”
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/ibc/tw.xml
***
• Anthony S. Bryk and Barbara Schneider, Trust in Schools: A Core
Resource for Improvement (New York: Russell Sage Foundation,
2002)
• John Cotter, The Heart of Change (Cambridge: HBS Press, 2002)
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Reed Larson, Being Adolescent:
Conflict and Growth in the Teenage Years (New York: Basic Books,
1984)
• Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam, 1995.)
• Ron Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1994)
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Sources/Resources/Further Readings
(cont.)
• Deborah Meier, The Power of Their Ideas (Boston: Beacon Press,
1996) & In Schools We Trust (Beacon, 2002)
• Richard Murnane and Frank Levy, Teaching The New Basic Skills,
(New York: The Free Press, 1996,)
• Public Agenda Foundation, “Where We Are Now: 12 Things you
Need to Know About Public Opinion & Public Schools”
(www.publicagenda.org)
• Robert Putman, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of
American Community (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000)
• James W. Stigler & James Hiebert, The Teaching Gap, (New York:
Free Press, 1999)
• Daniel Yankelovich: The Magic of Dialogue : Transforming Conflict
into Cooperation (New York: Touchstone, 1991)
© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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