How Do We Push Beyond Average?

Since my company helps others train so I thought this article was interesting.

In a recent article, Average is Over, Thomas Friedman comments that although technology and off-shore labor are two causes for high unemployment, what may be a more critical factor is that US students are not as well educated as competitors in other countries.

He discusses a trend for politicians to see the workforce issue as a "made in America" issue while CEOs to see the situation in terms of best workforce. Politicians are selling to Americans, CEOs are selling to the world.

Recent studies show that US students do not stand out in reading, math and science, but we still believe we have great education.

I spent years teaching in the public schools and I tend to agree. We are now so focused on measuring the "productivity" of students as if they were factory workers through testing and pin-pointing curriculum to pass these tests, the ability to think and create is often ignored. Great teachers often have to sneak it in between strict curriculum requirements.

The schools have to change to compete. As a former teacher, I watched from the inside and am convinced that change has to come from within and without. Teachers and administrators have to step up, politicians have to stop pandering to local issues and parents have to participate and demand more. I know this is a tall order. With businesses to run and work to get done, parents are already stretched thin. As I think about all the sacrifices parents make, it seems absurd that they would not also want to work with their children and have a hand in fashioning education that enabled their children to complete.

We need to think about objectives beyond passing tests for our students to be anything other than average.

We need to take a full-person approach and fit the education to the student, whether using technology or reforming our vision of teaching. Rote learning is only part of the picture when we look at education.

I can think of a number of other suggestions but I am interested in what you think. How can business have a positive impact and help to treat students like knowledge workers of the 21st century rather than 19th century laborers?

Please add your two cents.

Tags: Average is Over, Education, Future, Global Competitiveness, Training, today

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Comment by Lauren Walker on August 10, 2012 at 11:17am: Drew, my daughter attends a Montessori school here in Hillsborough, and I serve on the board and do marketing. I've learned so much about the philosophy and everything you've said resonates with what I've come to understand.

Comment by Avis Bridgers on August 10, 2012 at 4:01pm: Great question, Drew! I know that (long ago) when I was growing up, there was an emphasis on exposing students to as many learning experiences as possible (art, music, sports, math, science, languages, etc) so that we could make a more informed decision about what we wanted to pursue in college and after. We've seen that rich humanities culture erode over the years, and some may argue that it's not very relevant anymore. But, perhaps an updated model makes sense now. Students should be exposed at least to various regimens that support the important careers of the Information Age. The earlier they can find what they're passionate about and identify their natural talents, the sooner they can begin to build the knowledge base that will fuel their future careers. So much information is freely available on the internet that it would seem our emphasis should be on making them aware of the choices and guiding them with our informed vision of the future.

What can businesses do? Beyond the "Career Day" of yesteryear, when jobs were defined by the duties that were carried out on a day-to-day basis, today's businesses should seek to define both physical and mental activities required for success at various levels, and perhaps more importantly, the knowledge maintenance requirement. Continuous lifetime learning is a given requirement of the Information Age. Our children would be well-served if guided into a career that requires learning that fuels their passion.

Comment by Drew Becker on August 10, 2012 at 4:10pm: Lauren,

I wonder how we as business people could suggest and perhaps demand this type of approach as at least part of the education process. If I can do anything to help you spread the word about the Montessori approach let me know and thanks for taking the time to comment.

Comment by Drew Becker on August 10, 2012 at 4:12pm: Avis,
I like your suggestion about business helping to define the physical and mental activities tied to success and the life-long learner approach. Thanks for your comments, they are insightful.

Comment by Lauren Walker on August 10, 2012 at 4:49pm: I just want to share a great article in the Harvard Business Journal blog that highlights the need for critical thinking skills -- something our current system of education isn't doing much to foster.

Great topic, Drew!

Comment by Remy Heskett on August 10, 2012 at 10:03pm: The "learn to pass the test" is too linear and doesn't help expand the thinking process that is needed in the business world. I completely agree with you.
As business owners, we can get involved by the typical career day yes, but also inviting the students into our world and possibly volunteering at the schools to teach an entrepreneurial curriculum to help spark free thinking. Teachers would be appreciate the break and the kids would have a blast with the right activities.

Comment by Dhawn Hansen on August 12, 2012 at 7:07pm: I've often heard from clients whose children are struggling to get a degree related job after college graduation that they wish there was a built in system for real world training and experience rather than just book learning as part of the curriculum and one that goes far beyond internships. Experience is the richest form of learning skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.

Comment by Leslie Flowers on August 13, 2012 at 9:02am: Enjoyed this article Drew. Personally I don't think it's the quality or content of education that keeps us behind. It's the lack of emotional intelligence of parents and children that adds to it more than I every imagined. If all kids had the same level of content in education, the ones who are confident (learned from parents) will excel. The US needs ET training! One of the biggest complaints I've heard from university students is how the teaching assistants and professors do not have English as a first language and are very often nearly 'impossible' to understand. Thanks for this one!

Comment by Leslie Flowers on August 13, 2012 at 9:03am: We can learn to pass the test (intelligence) ... it's what we DO WITH THE KNOWLEDGE that separates those that excel and those that survive. Just sayin' :-)

Comment by Avis Bridgers on August 13, 2012 at 11:23am: I have to agree with Leslie that we need EQ training in the US. I think content of education and conveyance of experience are also important, but certainly, learning is greatly facilitated by positive attitude. So, what can businesses do to help provide the training not only for students, but for their parents as well? Speak at PTA meetings? Provide on line training courses that will increase parent and student awareness of the need?

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