Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Education 2.0

I am going to say something that you may find ludicrous, ridiculous, and/or just plain uninformed. But, there is no such thing as an achievement gap; its an experience gap. Because you will never be what you don't know you can become.

Think about that for a second... You will never be what you don't know you can become. That ain't profound. That is common sense.

When you live in poverty, you don't travel or go to state-of-the art schools, and the people and the world you know aren't filled with possibilities. Quite the opposite. Everywhere you turn, you see nothing but your limitations. Sure, we can blame the parents, the children, the teachers, and the politicians. It is far easier to blame someone than to do the work of solving the problem. Here's my plan.

Begin with creating themed or subject-area focused schools. That will allow students to pursue an academic program according to their talents, passions, and career interests. Next, gather every worksheet and workbook and hold a bonfire. Neither of them have no business being used in the 21st century. Instead, teachers should engage their students with discussion, project-based learning, and technology. While we're at it, let us do away with tenure and give teachers and administrators 1 to 5 year contracts. And lastly, schools and/or grade levels must make sure that out of the school learning experiences are a part of the curriculum - which is where things get really interesting...

When students are exposed to people, places, things, and ideas outside of their neighborhood, they begin to raise the expectations they have for themselves. The simple act of creating a job shadowing program or students participating in a service-learning project, or skyping with another school in a foreign country is enough to spark something in a young person. I have seen in it with my own eyes. In fact, my wife and I were approached by a former student in Target. He mentioned how he still remembers learning how to salsa and the dance he did for the state language fair.

Yes, there are students who don't have the knowledge-base or the skills they should have. This post was not meant to deny that fact. What I am saying is students have to feel and embody a hope for the future before they see the relevance of getting an education. And it is through those academic and out of the school learning experiences that young people begin to see their world as a place filled with possibilities. That is why there is no achievement gap. It is an experience gap. You will never be what you don't know you can become.


  1. Hi Will!

    Thanks for a great post - I have read so many lately discussing ed reform, but yours stands out for a single reason: It is a realistic view of how things can change for kids if they are exposed to a wealth of experiences.

    I agree with you on the fact that if kids have never seen anything else outside their neighbourhood, they cannot have hope, they cannot have dreams, they cannot imagine what they can be.

    Your idea of theme-based schools is amazing - kids can discover what they are good at, what they can do that they did not know they could, or have a whole new variety of options in front of them.

    This is a beautiful post and has the solutions to today's serious issues that education has. Thanks so much for this Will! Education needs educators like you.

    Kindest regards,

  2. Vicky,

    Thanks for your kind words. I started out my career doing youth development work and exposing my students to variety of learning experiences was a priority of mine. Now, some 10 years later, all but a few of my students have either graduated from college or will be graduating this year. And if someone wants research to back my assertions, they can read Bronfenbrenner, Erickson, Maslow, Albert Bandura, and about family systems theory.

    Thanks again for your response.

  3. Will,
    I have seen your philosophy in action. I get goosebumps and even teary-eyed when I look at your former students' college graduation pictures or pictures of them living abroad. YOU have created positive experiences for them when they were back in middle school- on those college trips, cultural festivals, and Girlapalooza event, which even made an impression on me (as an adult) as I was surrounded by inspiring and empowering women such as Sonia Nieto.

    I too love the fact that your suggestions are not only feasible but can be so simple. Exposing our kids does not require major changes in our curriculum, system, or even education. All it takes is some imagination on the teacher's or school's part. With all the technologies available to us, connecting with other places, cultures, and even people is not so far fetched anymore.

    You are truly an amazing educator who practices what he preaches and has gotten results. I can't say the same for many ed reformers.

    Thank you for inspiring and guiding me to do the same for my students.

  4. Have you heard of Big Picture Learning schools? They're doing something just like that. We interviewed them on TeachHUB:
    Big Picture Learning Schools Interview

  5. Your thoughtful and eloquent post reinforces the importance of summer and school-year enrichment programs for disadvantaged youth. Having worked for one for two years during my grad school studies, such programs open up a world of possibilities for students, for possibilities fuel dreams, and often lead to realities.

  6. Thanks everyone,

    I am not a classroom teacher. I am a youth development specialist and program designer. I design and development learning programs aimed at getting young people excited about their lives. What I do isn't about a grade, a benchmark , or a state standard. Nope. What I do is about challenging, encouraging, and empowering young people to take control over the direction of their lives.

    Thank you again for posting your comments. I am grateful and humbled at your kind words.

  7. Hey Will. I love the post. Sometimes common sense can be profound. Sounds silly, but I think it can happen. I agree. A lot of students lack the experiences in their life to reach their potential. I look at K-2 students at my school that struggle with reading. For many, I do not believe that there is much reading at home. They don't see it being modeled. I see it in social situations as well. I wonder why some students act they way they do, and then I meet their parents. Enough said.

    Students need to know that there is a world of possibilities out there waiting for them to explore. Unfortunately they get locked into a single view of the world, whatever that may be. Empowering students is the key. They need to take ownership of their education, of their future, of their life. Things can only hold you back as long as you let them.

    I think a big part of this is help students learn from life as well as from the text books. School is only one part of the learning environment. Life happens and we need to help them recognize this. They need to learn from their successes as well as their failures. Both are opportunities to grow.

    Thanks for the post Will.

  8. Wow! I am not an educator nor have any real knowledge in this area aside from being a former student of school systems (continued learner in life) and new parent but your idea speaks to me on such a visceral level.

    So many of our children do not get the encouragement and support they need to thrive in the current education system and learning model. I believe this so much that I am seriosuly considering home schooling (as my daughter is 13 mths this is not an immediate concern) because I SO want to encourage her to be a creative thinker, an individual who embraces her uniqueness and shares that with the world.

    When are we going to nuture our children to think for themselves? Its really about engaging them in the world around them.

    Thank you for such an inspirational post.

  9. I totally agree too. This is similar to the concepts presented in Mike Rose's Lives on the Boundary ( I work with kids in the inner city and continue to be amazed at how many things are new to them that would be old hat in the 'burbs. Of course, they do have a huge skill set that the kids in the suburbs are clueless about too since they have learned to function in an often difficult environment.