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Why Our Kids Don't Have the Skills They Need for College, Careers, and Citizenship

Caleb Carter

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Published in The Global Achievement Gap: Why Our Kids Don T Have The Skills They Need For College Careers And Citizenship And What We Can Do About It

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A Group Of Students Working Together On A Project. The Global Achievement Gap: Why Our Kids Don T Have The Skills They Need For College Careers And Citizenship And What We Can Do About It

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Our Kids Don't Have the Skills They Need for College, Careers, and Citizenship -- and What We Can Do About It

by Tony Wagner

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
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Our kids are not being adequately prepared for college, careers, and citizenship. This is a serious problem that we need to address.

According to a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics, only 35% of high school graduates are proficient in math and 37% are proficient in reading. This means that the majority of our kids are not graduating from high school with the skills they need to succeed in college, careers, and life.

This is a problem that has been building for years. The Common Core State Standards, which were adopted by most states in 2010, were supposed to improve our kids' academic performance. But a recent study by the Brookings Institution found that the Common Core has not had a significant impact on student achievement.

So what's the problem? Why are our kids not learning the skills they need?

There are a number of factors that are contributing to this problem. One factor is the increasing use of standardized testing. Standardized tests are designed to measure students' knowledge of specific content. But they do not measure students' critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, or creativity skills. These are the skills that are essential for success in college, careers, and citizenship.

Another factor that is contributing to the problem is the increasing use of technology in the classroom. Technology can be a valuable tool for learning. But it can also be a distraction. When students are spending too much time on their phones or computers, they are not learning the skills they need to succeed.

Finally, the way that we are teaching our kids is also a factor. Traditional teaching methods, such as lectures and textbooks, are not as effective as more active learning methods, such as group projects and simulations. Active learning methods help students to develop the critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity skills that they need to succeed.

We need to address the problem of our kids not having the skills they need for college, careers, and citizenship. We need to do this by:

* Reducing our reliance on standardized testing * Using technology in the classroom in a way that supports learning * Using more active learning methods * Providing more opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity skills

Our kids deserve the best possible education. Let's give them the skills they need to succeed in college, careers, and citizenship.

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Our Kids Don't Have the Skills They Need for College, Careers, and Citizenship -- and What We Can Do About It

by Tony Wagner

4.5 out of 5