High Standards or Innovation - Do We Have to Choose?

How can we change from a 20th century mindset to a 21st century mindset? This is what I'm finding very frustrating right now. I feel agitated and not very patient.

How do you balance innovation and achievement? This is a great guiding question, and I believe if the United States is able to answer this, we will continue to be a strong force in education. Having the Common Core, consistent testing among states, and better, more consistent evaluation models, we may be on the path to increased student achievement for all students. One aspect of the push-back I've heard centers on the fact that there is an over abundance of accountability right now: standardized tests, "national" standards that have taken the creativity out of teaching, and stricter evaluation rules. I wonder if these measures aren't in place to ensure the implementation of the reforms that the government views as important and necessary for us to compete globally. Would the Common Core be implemented with fidelity if districts knew they wouldn't be tested or would things continue on as they have always been with only minimal changes in instruction? My bet is on the latter because even with the tests coming, some districts haven't bought into the need to make changes.

Innovation is also critical. This is going to require educators to look out of the box of traditional teaching. It's going to require schools to move away from textbook-driven curriculums. Real-life problem solving and problem-based learning will need to be front and center. Teachers will need to collaborate in ways they haven’t previously done to develop questions and situations that students can research. Students will need to be empowered and trusted to learn because they want to learn rather than because they are told they have to learn. Memorization and rote learning will give way to sharing ideas and looking to experts from around the world to guide thinking and learning. Copy machines, worksheets, and workbooks will gather dust.

As I watched the film, Two Million Minutes, I was struck by the differences between the attitudes of the students and families as well as the differences in the education systems of the countries. I was reminded of a quote by Dr. Maurice Elias of Rutgers University. He says, "What type of school do you want for your grandchildren?" I don't have grandchildren yet, but I know that I am not comfortable with the stress that is put on students in China and India to achieve. I recognize that in those countries, a good education can be the ticket out of poverty, but that is not always true in the United States. Having a blend of innovation along with high academic standards will be more important because we don't know the jobs of the future or the problems that will need to be solved in the future.

Our schools should prepare students for life with the skills, knowledge and dispositions that they will need to be successful. Their reality will be very different from the reality I faced when I graduated high school and college. We need to ask ourselves, is what I'm teaching this student this minute going to help him or her in her future or will it be an obsolete skill? Is it something they need to know or want to know or is it something that I'm teaching because I've always taught it?

I read Catching Up or Leading the Way by Yong Zhao a couple of years ago, and I remember agreeing with a lot of his ideas. We want our children to be innovators and problem solvers. I can't imagine many parents wanting the stress and rigidness of a Chinese school. Zhao closes his book with this thought, "American education is at a crossroads. Two paths lie in front of us: one in which we destroy our strengths I order to catch up with others on test scores and one in which we build on our strengths so we can keep the lead in innovation and creativity" (p. 198).

I question whether United States' education has really stressed innovation and creativity. I've had seven kids in the public school system, and I have yet to see that creativity and innovation. Worksheets and textbooks do not foster those traits. I envision a school system that encourages questioning, exploring, and looking for solutions. I see students working together to develop new ideas, to look at areas of interest more deeply, and to reach out to experts from around the world to explore options. Those are the foundations of innovation and creativity, and I would expect high academic standards to be part of the equation.

But what does high academic standards mean? Do students need to know and learn the same things that I learned as a student or that I taught my students a decade ago? Maybe we need to rethink the skills that students need. I watched a TED talk recently given by Conrad Wolfram entitled "Stop teaching calculating, start teach math".  http://computerbasedmath.org/resources/reforming-math-curriculum-with-computers.html  He makes many good points, like why are we still teaching students to do difficult computations by hand when we know that in real-life they'll always use a computer or technology to do the calculations. Why not have the technology be a given and move the lesson onto what can be done with the math. How can it be applied in real-life?

I suggest that we make our own path that combines high academic standards with creativity and innovation. Yes, the path might be bumpy and we might have to backtrack and move around obstacles, but the journey will be worth it. We have the opportunity to engage all students as problem solvers and thinkers. That what I want for my children and my students.

To Compromise or To Not Compromise

I've heard over and over again that it will take a relentless focus to implement the Common Core State Standards with fidelity. This takes courage and resilance. It also takes an understanding of the focus of the standards and an understanding of how they can help students learn more. And I don't think this just means the higher level students in the class. I see the Common Core as an opportunity to help all students learn at a higher level.

But are school districts willing to move out of their comfort zone? Are they willing to look deeply at what students really need to learn and understand and be willing to hold teachers accountable for this? I'm not sure that many are. Maybe it's because the standards have changed numerous times over the years or because government has failed to develop a lack of trust with districts, but whatever it is, it is holding our students back.

I had a conversation with teachers a while back, and they seemed satisfied with their test scores. In fact, they proclaimed that they were teaching well because the district average was around 80% proficient/advanced proficient on the standardized tests. I know you've heard this before, but what about those 20% of the students? Why did no one question the idea that it was okay for 20% of students to be below proficient. I wouldn't want to be the parent of one of the 20%, and even worse, I wouldn't want to be one of the 20%.

I think the Common Core may be a first step in developing the thinkers and problem solvers of the future. We need to strive for high standards for all students and celebrate the different paths that students pursue as they struggle to make meaning of not only math and language arts, but also the world around them.