What children need to know in today's world


  • September 8, 2016
  • /   Reggie Dogan
  • /   studer-community-institute

We’re expected to learn all kinds of stuff in school.

From the early days of pre-K through until the final day of   graduation, students are supposed to know a little about a lot of things, including their colors and shapes, the difference between modes and means and why plants are green, Newton’s First Law and the origins of the First World War.

In today’s technologically advanced, knowledge-driven global world, information travels almost as fast as the speed of light.

Before we can stop to learn the intricacies of one thing, it’s time to move on to something else.

A national panel of experts in education, from policy makers and teachers to activists and parents, shared their views on what students ought to know before their graduate.

In the second installment in a series about school in a perfect world, The Atlantic’s “What Kids Should Know by the Time They’re Done With School,” provides a synopsis on the content areas children should have mastery over by the time they complete their education.

Developing critical thinking skills, mastering the art of communication and acquiring marketable, career-based skills were high on the list of must-haves for today’s students.

According to Education Week, 80 percent of students are graduating high school nationwide (73 percent in Escambia County and 82 percent in Santa Rosa), yet fewer than half is ready for what’s next in their lives.

And we know through research that in Escambia County, a third of children aren’t even ready to start school at all.

Child development experts say the increasing emphasis on academic performance and test scores means many children aren’t developing life skills like self-control, motivation, focus and resilience, which are far better predictors of long-term success than high grades. And it may be distorting their and their parents’ values.

Is there real value in reciting the quadratic formula from memory or naming the capitals of the 50 states or writing a comprehensive and compelling research paper?

So, what if you can do all those things but find yourself woefully undereducated when it comes to real life skills?

In meeting the demands of education in a rapidly changing world, Rita Pin Ahrens, the director of education policy for the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, said:

Students will leave school with the ability to think critically and independently, to leverage and adapt to ever-shifting technology and modes of communication, to navigate and direct their own independent research, and to understand how to collaborate with others. There also will be a stronger focus on both career preparation and college readiness. That means integrating the soft skills that current employers find valuable, as well as technology readiness. All of this will be taught in the context of the subjects we associate with school—art, history, science, and math—but we have to think more creatively about how we present concepts, content, and opportunities to really expand students’ ways of thinking. Math doesn’t always have to be taught in a 40- to 50-minute dedicated chunk of time. It can be—if that’s appropriate for the age and learning objectives, especially for advanced math and science—but we need to reorganize and disrupt how we are currently teaching students.

Michelle Rhee, the founder of StudentsFirst and the former chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools, said:

The goal of preK-12 education will be to ensure that students graduate with options. They will be able to move on to higher education or into a well-paying career and have the skills and knowledge to do so. In addition to the traditional subjects like math and language arts, schools will provide opportunities along a broad range of educational options, from coding to culinary arts, physics to physical education, and music theory to Mandarin. Teachers and schools must be empowered and accountable to design a curriculum that devotes time to traditional instruction as well as real-world application.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote:

And as a civics teacher, I have to include a plug for my own passion: Our schools must help prepare students to be active, informed, civil participants in our governance. A healthy democracy is key to our shared future—and high-quality public schools are the keystone to a thriving democracy.

There always will debates on and discussions about the purpose of education and what students should know before they embark on their lifelong journey after high school.

Whether it is kindergarten readiness, third-grade reading or eighth-grade math, students today are required to know more, to learn quicker and adapt easily to the fast-paced, ever-changing global world.

The key to a solid education is preparation for a life of learning.

If students leave school equipped with the skills they will require to be self-directed learners then they may very well be equipped to adapt to a changing world.

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