Paul Miller

Schools of the FutureAmeson Foundation Conference

October 2010

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

Identify, manage, and address complex problems

Detect bias, and distinguish between reliable and unsound information

Control information overload

Formulate meaningful questions

Analyze and create and ideas and knowledge

Use trial and error; devise and test solutions to problems

Imagine alternatives

Develop cross-disciplinary knowledge and perspectives

Engage in sustained reasoning

Synthesize and adapt

Solve new problems that don’t have rule-based solutions

Use knowledge and creativity to solve complex “real-world” problems

Communication—Oral and Written

Understand and express ideas in two or more languages

Communicate clearly to diverse audiences

Listen attentively

Speak effectively

Write clearly and concisely—for a variety of audiences

Explain information and compellingly persuade others of its implications

Leadership

Initiate new ideas

Lead through influence

Build trust, resolve conflicts, and provide support for others

Facilitate group discussions, forge consensus, and negotiate outcomes

Teach, coach and counsel others

Enlist help

Collaborate sensitively and productively with people of varied backgrounds

Coordinate tasks, manage groups, and delegate responsibilities

Implement decisions and meet goals

Share the credit

Digital and Quantitative Literacy

Understand, use, and apply digital technologies

Create digital knowledge and media

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

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

Develop flexibility, agility, and adaptability

Bring a sense of courage to unfamiliar situations

Explore and experiment

Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities

View failure as an opportunity to learn, and acknowledge that innovation involves small successes and frequent mistakes

Cultivate an independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies

Develop entrepreneurial literacy

Use creativity and innovation to produce things that are unique and that have value and meaning

Integrity and Ethical Decision-Making

Sustain an empathetic and compassionate outlook

Foster integrity, honesty, fairness, and respect

Exhibit moral courage in confronting unjust situations

Act responsibly, with the interests and well-being of the larger community in mind

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

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 re-asked 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)

Traditional instruction:  lecture and seminar approaches

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).

Innovative instruction:

experiential/expeditionary education

project-based learning (http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction-video)

immersion experiences.

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)

For independent schools this is critical: no one HAS to attend our schools. We must be the best to survive.

Charter schools must be the best, to justify their charter.

Magnet schools must be the best, to attract the best students

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.