On the PISA, the main standardized OECD global measure, American kids sometimes do a little better, sometimes do a little worse, but have remained consistently “meh” relative to everybody else.pic.twitter.com/u59S1R48cn
Show this thread
TLDR; policy-makers blame teachers & funding, teachers blame top-down policy & are willing to slash their incomes to work in private schools, the US is second only to Luxembourg in $/student spent, and the kids are sick, tired, & overmedicated. And they still suck at tests.
-
-
And... all of this is probably sort of moot. As Dintersmith & Wagner explain, “in today’s world, if you can’t invent (and reinvent) your own job and distinctive competencies, you risk chronic underemployment.” The test prep generation is wholly unprepared for this.
Show this thread -
College isn’t fixing it. Dintersmith & Wagner, on a recent Gallup poll: “96 percent of provosts — the senior academic officer for a college — believe their institution is effective at preparing students for careers, while just 11 percent of business leaders agree.”
Show this thread -
Annmarie Neal, former chief talent officer at Cisco: “[Students] are achievement driven, rule-oriented, compliant, linear, singular in focus. [The workforce requires leaders] to be relationship or collaboration driven, rule-defining, creative & innovative, lateral & polymathic."
Show this thread -
Similar arguments are made by Abeles and Lythcott-Haims, and these are broadly reflected in the bulk of recent popular literature by education researchers and business leaders when they talk about employment for the next generation. Creativity and cognitive flexibility are king.
Show this thread -
I'm going to approach this from another angle and describe what I want for *my* kids...
Show this thread -
I know an amazing couple in LA. They have extremely successful careers in the music industry: one plays in a popular rock band, the other is a highly accomplished violinist. They’ve helped write & consulted on a number of hits, scored films, worked with headliners across genres.
Show this thread -
One of them had a terrible time in school. Frequently flunked out of classes, wrote angsty teen notes about how loathsome the whole thing was. Focused on playing in the band they formed as a teenager, which eventually took off & generated several Billboard Hot 100 hits.
Show this thread -
The other excelled academically, but also followed a passion for music. Played & taught children to earn a living, rented a near-uninhabitable flat in a *barn* to save money, used the savings to buy property young. Became a Grammy-nominated, world-class performer.
Show this thread -
When I met them, they were trying for children. I said I was really looking forward to being a mom one day. At one point, one of them suggested I get some fertility testing done, just to be safe. I took that advice, and… the results weren’t good. At all.
Show this thread -
I’d only met them the one time, but I let them know that things hadn’t turned out the way I’d hoped. These people — **who had met me ONCE** — offered to host me in their home and help me through the process if I decided to pursue fertility preservation options.
Show this thread -
So I did. I stayed in their guest bedroom, reeling hormonally. The protocol required 2-4 self-administered injections per day, and I was terrified of needles. So they gave me my shots — all of them. They brought me along to jam sessions & dinners so I wouldn’t miss my timed doses
Show this thread -
They’ve started two separate entrepreneurial endeavors in entertainment tech and biotech, both of which are early-stage but garnering considerable interest in their niches. And they have two little girls now, who they absolutely dote on.
Show this thread -
They have help, but they’ve still restructured their careers and projects around being present parents. They love them *so much.* They want to respect and foster whatever interests and talents they might manifest. They’re thrilled with their burgeoning personalities & differences
Show this thread -
A few weeks ago, I visited them to get some much needed baby-time. As I was heading out, I mentioned that I was feeling less stressed about finding a way to have a family. I just have a sense that it’s going to work out, if I keep following this crazy thing I love. And she said:
Show this thread -
“If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need somewhere to stay — and you have your baby, and you need a place for both of you — we’ll always have a place for you here. For however long. I just want you to know that.”
Show this thread -
(I totally teared up writing this. What did I do to have people like this in my life?)
Show this thread -
I throw this onto a thread about accountability in education because I think we have profoundly fucked up in the way we think about this. The goal should be to create people like these. Smart, curious, passionate, loving, generous, how-can-I-possibly-deserve-you human beings
Show this thread -
Is that what we’re doing? Does anyone think that’s what we’re doing?
Show this thread -
How do we do that? *Can* we do that? I mean, I don’t know, but I just can’t imagine any time spent trying to answer those questions is wasted time Right? /end
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.