“Reinventing” America’s High Schools

© Copyright 2003 Tony Wagner, Harvard University 1

“Reinventing” America’s High Schools

Tony Wagner, Co-DirectorChange Leadership Group

Harvard University, Graduate School of Education [email protected]

www.clg.harvard.edu

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.clg.harvard.edu/


“The formulation of the problem is often more essential than the solution.” Einstein

What is the “crisis” in American education

really all about—what’s the “problem”? If it ain’t broke,

don’t fix it!

Their schools are the

problem, not ours!

School reform is

just another

fad.

Incremental change is the only way to go


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


The “Basics” Perception Gap

77%66%

39%33%

74%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Students Teachers Parents Employers Professors% saying a high school diploma means students have learned the basics (PAFReality Check 2000)


College Readiness Perception Gap

51% 47%62%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

% saying studentshave neededcollege skills("Where Are WeNow," PAF 2003)


Work Readiness Perception Gap

67%78%

41%

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

% sayingstudents haveneeded workskills ("WhereAre We Now"2003 PAF)


Work/College Skills: What’s Needed vs. What’s Taught

73% 69% 72%63%

53% 49%

75% 74%58%

65%51%

37%

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

writing workhabits

motivation basicmath skills

curiosity respect

Employers Professors

PAF Reality Check 2002-Percent giving high school grads “poor” or “fair” ratings on:


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 versusLearning how to find, use, and apply knowledge



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



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


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!

““No shame, no blame, no excuses!”No shame, no blame, no excuses!”


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

• RELEVANCEThe 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/RESPECTYou 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.


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 “buy-in!” Develop a strategic focus and promote adult learning by framing the challenges and asking the right questions, rather than giving the answers.


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)

http://www.newvillageschools.org/

http://www.seattleschools.org/area/ibc/tw.xml


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)

http://www.publicagenda.org/

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“Reinventing” America’s High Schools