Substantive changes in the economy, the perceived value of a high school diploma, the demographics of our population, and the expecta- tions of what prospective employees know and are able to do—all of
Figure 2.1 Workforce Readiness Report Card for New Entrants to
Workforce
Workforce Readiness Report Card for New Entrants to Workforce
Assessment of new workforce entrant readiness on “very important” skills (basic knowledge and applied skills rated as “very important” by a majority of employer respondents). “Very important” skills are placed on the Defi ciency/Excellence lists if at least 1 in 5 respondents report entrant readiness as “defi cient” or “excellent.”
High School Students Defi ciency
Written Communications . . . 80.9% Professionalism/Work Ethic . . . 70.3% Critical Thinking/Problem Solving . . . 69.6% Oral Communications . . . 52.7% Ethics/Social Responsibility . . . 44.1% Reading Comprehension . . . 38.4% Teamwork/Collaboration . . . 34.6% Diversity . . . 27.9% Information Technology Application . . . 21.5% English Language . . . 21.0%
Excellence
No skills are on the Excellence list for new entrants with a high school diploma.
Source: The Conference Board, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Fami-
lies, & The Society for Human Resource Management. (2006). Are they really ready to work? Employers’
perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce
(p. 41). Tucson, AZ: The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. © 2006 by The Conference Board, Inc., The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, & The Society for Human Resource Management. Reprinted by permission.
these factors should have significant impact on what we teach and the way we teach it. For over a century, because of the long-standing belief in authority of the teacher and the power of the high school diploma, teaching pedagogy based on lecture, rote learning, and memorization was accepted as appropriate. These teacher-centered learning environments were designed to impart knowledge and skills so that students were prepared to execute procedures, demonstrate a strong work ethic, and follow the established chain of command. K–12 schools were representative of other large institutions that val- ued efficiency, clear protocols, and stability. The teacher’s job was to teach; the student’s job was to learn. Schools were not expected to teach all children to reach the same levels, and those who were college-bound were given different instructional programs from the ones given to those who would instead enter the workplace.
Enacting the kind of change needed to foster more adaptive learn- ing environments (ones that incorporate fl exible, multidisciplinary, technology-rich ways for students to collaborate, problem solve, create, and communicate) will require a fundamental disruption of the status quo, an inherently diffi cult process. Educators must revisit the mission of schooling in more substantive ways than simply adding the words “in a 21st century world” to the end of a decade(s)-old statement. Tony Wagner speaks to the magnitude of this task:
Teaching all students to think and to be curious is much more than a technical problem for which educators, alone, are accountable. And more professional development for teachers and better textbooks and tests, though necessary, are insufficient as solutions. The problem goes much deeper—to the very way we conceive of the purpose and experience of schooling and what we expect our high school graduates to know and be able to do. (Quoted in Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2008, p. 11)
While there have been multiple recent attempts to reform instruc- tional policy to make it more responsive to students (e.g., differentiated instruction, integration of technology, project-based learning), the dynamic of the classroom has largely remained tightly controlled by the teacher. Industry leaders know all too well how diffi cult it is to stay innovative once a viable business model has been created. The bold ideas, strategies, and products that inspire a company’s initial success become more mainstream as leaders spend more time refi ning existing processes than exploring new alternatives. When new ideas do emerge, they are often tweaked beyond recognition to minimize the impact on the organization.
This predictable institutional behavior has been particularly evident and disheartening in schools during the past decade, even as education leaders push for the inclusion of 21st century skills. I have heard on multiple occasions from teachers that these skills are merely “what we’ve always done” with a new spin. If we tweak the requirement to teach the 21st century skills of critical thinking and problem solving to justify the assignment of two dozen single-path, single-solution math problems, or relegate creative and agile thinking to what students do when they have fi nished their required assignments or during extracurricular time, then we haven’t even begun to enter the modern era.
Addressing the following six needs of 21st century schooling will provide the guidance we need to create more naturally powerful learn- ing organizations:
• Learning goals need to address both applied and basic skills • Students need to employ creative and innovative thinking • Students need to work at meaningful tasks
• Students need to become lifelong learners
• Students need to maximize their personal health and wellness • Parents need to hold schools accountable