Tony spent years as a teacher, principal, and educational professional. He's seen the beast from the inside out and he's able to identify the areas that modern schools are failing and why. When it comes to exactly how to address the issues, it falls a bit short. He offers three model schools, and maybe if the entire system was changed to reflect those schools' models, we could actually make a difference. But for an individual teacher, it's a bit thin. Either way, it was at least encouraging to know that there is something better out there and we might be able to get there.
He begins the book detailing conversations he's had over the years with business leaders and the types of employees they are looking for. Right away, he is struck by the desire for "soft skills." Employers, no matter the industry, want employees who can ask good questions. The disconnect between the real world and the classroom becomes immediately apparent. In school, students are told to answer questions, and, by the way, there is only one right answer. They are not rewarded for asking questions.
Employers also stressed the importance of critical thinking. When pressed for a definition, one leader told him, "Taking issues and situations and problems and going to root components; understanding how the problem evolved—looking at it from a systemic perspective and not accepting things at face value. It also means being curious about why things are the way they are and being able to think about why something is important." (16) Wagner quickly realized that this in no way lines up with the classroom. Over and over again, he was told how the workplace was changing. Gone were the days of following orders laid down by a boss. Employees were expected to solve problems, creatively, constantly pushing efficiency and production.
Ironically in an era when STEM is all the rage, Wagner begins noticing that the skills valued by an employer are those delivered by a quality liberal arts education. In fact, if you believe the purpose of education is to produce capable citizens who can participate in both the community and the workplace in a meaningful fashion, you cannot help but advocate for the liberal arts.
Wagner began his investigations by going to the best schools to see if they are delivering the kind of education employers say is critical. Unfortunately, he was routinely disappointed. Test scores simply do not correlate to the skills needed in the modern economy. He gives fascinating observation after observation detailing the complete disconnect.
Unfortunately, we are still under the complete control of a system designed for the days of factory work. We define "rigor" by how many academic classes and AP classes a student can shove onto his CV. This kind of disconnect from what is actually needed and developmentally appropriate is a major driver in the dropout rate in America. Many kids quit school simply because they are bored.
Wagner reveals repeated frustration as he visits schools and talks with teachers and administrators. There is not even any agreement on what the purpose of education is, how students should be taught, what they should be taught, and how they should be assessed. He showed example lessons to teachers all over the country and in various setting. When asked to grade the lesson, the professional educators routinely gave the lesson anywhere from an "A" to an "F," proving that they had no idea what a "good" lesson looked like.
I loved his chapter on the absolute joke that teacher training is. I laughed that even though his own experience pre-dated mine by decades, he experienced exactly what I did. Teachers get thrown in the deep end of the pool and are asked to teach the drowning student around how to swim, a skill the teacher herself has yet to learn. And we wonder why 50% of credentialed teachers quit within the first five years. He offers a brief helpful hint: teachers should be videoing their lessons and going over them with a mentor. This more closely tracks with the original ways teachers were taught in the best education schools. The problem is that teachers are extremely isolated. When the classroom door closes, that teacher is queen. No one knows what goes on (or doesn't) and no one knows how to help the teacher improve. The teacher is not held accountable for implementing whatever was suggested because nothing is suggested. Or if it is, teachers are not trained in how to implement whatever it is. In addition, long-term teachers have seen so many educational fads come and go, they know they can wait it out. This isolation is the Achilles heel of the teaching profession.
The solutions offered involve engaging the students in a way that asks them to think critically, solve problems creatively, and be rewarded for their efforts. "If members of this generation are to be truly engaged as students, workers, and citizens, they must be given new challenges at school and in the workplace, as well as have different kinds of relationships with the authorities in their lives." (188) Students want to be challenged, they want hard problems with no easy answers, they want to know the "why's," and to learn that learning is an end in itself. It is not about test scores, but a sense of accomplishment when the student can demonstrate what he knows. Rigor would be defined, not by overwhelming tests and grammar to memorize, but by "being in the company of a thoughtful, passionate, reflective adult who invites you into an adult conversation which is composed of the rigorous pursuit of inquiry." (210)
I love how he ends the book. It's pie-in-the-sky, but it's my dream. "National and state policy issues such as school accountability and educator certification, evaluation, and tenure policies for teachers—all of these must be considered in terms of whether they support or impede effective teaching and learning." (255) Imagine knowing what, how, and why teachers should teach and them teaching how to do that. Sigh.
