2/3/2011

During class we talked about an organization called Teach for America. Teach for America has the goal of bringing quality educators into low income/urban areas. The teachers that go through the program get placed in these areas to try and give the same quality education to the students that are given in middle to upper class schools.

We watched a video featuring Tony Wagner, who wrote the book, The Global Achievement Gap. I the video Wagner talked about how even our top of the line schools aren’t teaching our students the skills they need to succeed in the job market today.

1. Critical thinking and Problem Solving.
2. Collaboration across Networks, and Leading by Influence.
3. Agility and Adaptability.
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism.
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication. 
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information.
7. Curiosity and Imagination.

According to Wagner effective oral and written communication is one area that employers say our graduates are lacking. As someone that is four years removed from high school, and has been part of the workforce since then I can say that I agree.

We also read a small piece taken out of Linda Darling-Hammond's The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity will Determine Our Future. We read the piece and then split into groups to talk about it. My group agreed that if small fishing counties can go from little to no education, and then jump to being well educated in a decade by implementing new techniques that the United States should be able to do the same if people would allow change.