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Public Schools: Think Transformation, Not Tinkering

Monday, August 6 at 12:00 AM

This Speakout has not been edited.

Colorado’s education system is rooted in industrial era principles, when routine work was the norm, conformity was valued, and mastery of reading, writing and math could take us pretty far.
Like Henry Ford’s Model T car, that system was quite an achievement 100 years ago, but it isn’t what we need today. Model T education will not carry our children and their children down the digital highway.

Our increasingly accelerated economy and society demand that we can analyze and evaluate vast quantities of information, solve complex problems, communicate effectively using a variety of media, work in teams, create, and innovate.

Yet we are asking students to learn such 21st century skills in an education system rooted in industrial times.

We need a new definition for what it means to be well-educated. We need a cohesive, comprehensive vision for education in Colorado that is aligned with the realities of life and work in the 21st century.

In June, more than 200 Colorado educators and education stakeholders met during the 21st Century Learning Navigator Conference to craft a vision for transforming our K-12 education system to meet tomorrow’s demands and shape the state’s future.

It was an important step taken by an exceptional group of people, including the state’s new commissioner of education, 15 students, four members of the state board of education, 11 state legislators, two of the Governor’s appointees to the P-20 education council, 23 school district superintendents, delegates from Colorado’s K-12 and postsecondary education groups, parents, and classroom teachers.

The conference participants established the foundation for a statewide vision of 21st century learning that will enable our students to work and think across cultural and national boundaries, develop into self-propelled learners, contribute productively to their communities, make ethically sound decisions, adeptly manage and use information, and support the learning of others.

The conferees also posed important questions that address significant tensions involved in developing new understandings about the role of public education.

How should core subjects be redefined for the 21st century learner? For example, Colorado Model Content Standards don’t necessarily require that we teach students how to adapt in a rapidly changing global society or how to use information creatively. How do we assess 21st century skills? Conventional assessments don’t measure up to that standard.

Further, does 21st century learning mean that everyone goes from K-12 into postsecondary education? What are the other options, and how do we ensure that each student has the opportunity to select the best path? Exactly what needs to change…Classroom teaching? Our entire educational system? Participants agreed that support for transformative change is necessary. Educators need leadership, guidance, technical assistance and resources that support new modes of curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Education is the best investment we can make. Research ties the quality of education to a community’s quality of life. It leads to higher wages and increased employment stability for individuals, higher property values, and communities that are attractive to both residents and employers.

That’s true for big cities and rural towns alike.

If Colorado wants to be competitive, we must do the very thing we hope our future graduates will do – think creatively, solve complex problems, and communicate clearly in making changes that help us address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The real world and schools are out of synch. It’s time to think transformation, not tinkering.

Stevan Kalmon is the director of the Council on 21st Century Learning. For information, visit www.C21L.org.

READER COMMENTS

Some solid ideas, Stevan. Unfortunately, too many adults are fighting globalization, free market capitalism, international trade and rapid 21st century change. They view places like India and China as a threat to their old way of doing things and chose trade barriers to restore things to the way they once were.

There are 2.5 billion wannabe consumers out thre looking for work, this dwarfs the post-WW II boom by a factor of 5 to 1. China alone is building the equivalent of one Houston or Philadelphia a month to accomodate its migration to cities. The world economy is flattening, becoming more transparent and there are rapid moves to democracy.

Yet even in the USA, there are folks who haven't yet been introduced to the 21st century. They remain wedded to "Industrial Age" that peaked in the mid-1960s and are often today's anti-change ludites. They have only one rallying cry, "Bring back the good old days." Well, when their long slumber is finally over, they will realize that these are the good old days. Let's hope that they awaken in the 21st century.

Posted by Hank on August 7, 2007 09:33 AM