Synopses & Reviews
In
The Global Achievement Gap, education expert Tony Wagner situates our school problems in the larger context of the demands of the global knowledge economy. He illustrates that even in our best schools, we dont teach or test the skills that matter most for the twenty-first century. Uncovering what motivates todays generation to excel in school and the workplace, Wagner explores new models of schools that are inspiring students to solve tough problems and communicate at high levels. An education manifesto for the 21st century,
The Global Achievement Gap is a must-read for anyone interested in seeing our young people achieve their full potential, while contributing to a strong economy and vibrant democracy.
This updated edition includes a new chapter discussing changes in education since the 2008 financial crisis, ethics in education, and recent initiatives such as the Department of Educations Race to the Top program and implementation of the Common Core.
Synopsis
Bestselling education expert Tony Wagner's groundbreaking manifesto on how to reform our schools and educate our children for the twenty-first century global economy
In The Global Achievement Gap, education expert Tony Wagner situates our school problems in the larger context of the demands of the global knowledge economy. He illustrates that even in our best schools, we don't teach or test the skills that matter most for the twenty-first century. Uncovering what motivates today's generation to excel in school and the workplace, Wagner explores new models of schools that are inspiring students to solve tough problems and communicate at high levels. An education manifesto for the 21st century, The Global Achievement Gap is a must-read for anyone interested in seeing our young people achieve their full potential, while contributing to a strong economy and vibrant democracy.
Synopsis
Despite the best efforts of educators, our nation's schools are dangerously obsolete. Instead of teaching students to be critical thinkers and problem-solvers, we are asking them to memorize facts for multiple choice tests. This problem isn't limited to low-income school districts: even our top schools aren't teaching or testing the skills that matter most in the global knowledge economy. Our teens leave school equipped to work only in the kinds of jobs that are fast disappearing from the American economy. Meanwhile, young adults in India and China are competing with our students for the most sought-after careers around the world.
Education expert Tony Wagner has conducted scores of interviews with business leaders and observed hundreds of classes in some of the nation's most highly regarded public schools. He discovered a profound disconnect between what potential employers are looking for in young people today (critical thinking skills, creativity, and effective communication) and what our schools are providing (passive learning environments and uninspired lesson plans that focus on test preparation and reward memorization).
He explains how every American can work to overhaul our education system, and he shows us examples of dramatically different schools that teach all students new skills. In addition, through interviews with college graduates and people who work with them, Wagner discovers how teachers, parents, and employers can motivate the &"net"; generation to excellence.
An education manifesto for the twenty-first century, The Global Achievement Gap is provocative and inspiring. It is essential reading for parents, educators, business leaders, policy-makers, and anyone interested in seeing our young people succeed as employees and citizens.
For additional information about the author and the book, please go to www.schoolchange.org
Synopsis
In this persuasive book, Wagner delineates what skills are needed in a globalized era, why most American schools cant nurture them, and how todays schools could be transformed to cultivate tomorrows skills.”Howard Gardner
About the Author
Tony Wagner is the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard and the founder and former co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He consults to schools, districts, and foundations and served as Senior Advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A former high school teacher and principal, he is the author of
Change Leadership,
Making the Grade,
How Schools Change, and
Creating Innovators.