Educating Our Children In and For the 21st Century
Transforming Public Education
The question we are all beginning to ask ourselves is a simple one. Do our public schools prepare all students for success in the 21st century? As our community explores this question, it might be helpful to consider the following:
- The United States now ranks 17th in the share of 18 to 24 year olds who earn natural science and engineering degrees. In 1975, the US ranked third. (Science and Engineering Indicator 2004)
- Seventy percent of jobs in the coming decade will require education beyond high school and 30% of jobs created in that time period haven’t yet been identified. (Achieve, Inc. National Data)
- For each 100 students entering high school today, just 18 will graduate from college. (Achieve, Inc. National Data)
- Most students who drop out of high school say they could have succeeded with more challenging course work, engaging classroom experiences and access to extra help. (A report from Civic Enterprises, March 2006, based on the a study commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation entitled The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts).
- The time needed to teach all standards in the 4 core content areas in K-12 is 15,465 hours per year. Actual instruction time is 13,104 hours. Over a 13 year education, there is a 6,500 hour deficit to teach just the basics to standard. (Ray McNulty, International Center for Leadership in Education)
- Boredom is cited by as many as 50% of all high school dropouts as the primary reason for students leaving high school. (From The Silent Epidemic: Perspective of High School Dropouts.)
While our world and our students have changed drastically, public education has not. Rapid technological advancement has created a new economy in which borders are obsolete and former third world countries are our competitors and neighbors. Our children no longer learn by sitting and listening; research and experience tells us that they learn by doing. Our public school system must be designed to prepare our students for a rapidly changing, technological world and teaching methodology must reflect the way our students learn.
During the 2005-2006 school year, the Monroe County Community School Corporation charged several broad-based committees with the task of exploring the future of public education in MCCSC.
- The Graduation Work Group looked at the current realities in our school system and defined the 21st Century Learning Skills that will be critical for success in the future. In June, the work group presented the MCCSC School Board with a year-end report which detailed eight new models for high schools that they felt could serve our community and our students well.
- The Strategic Development Task Force worked to realign the school system’s mission, vision and goals with the needs of our students and our community.
- The NETS (Nurturing Each to Success) Committee studied issues related to high school dropout rates and developed an action plan that will provide a safety net for students that might be at risk for educational failure.
Each of these committees reached several common conclusions in their work. They agreed that a system that does not prepare ALL students for success after high school is no longer adequate. Schools must provide a rigorous, relevant education for those students who will pursue a job after high school, those who will seek a two-year degree or technical training, and those who will enter a 4 year degree program. All are critical to the future success of our community. If we are to successfully educate our students, our schools need to provide a personalized learning environment.
As the school corporation explores options for improving our public schools, they will rely upon the recommendations and conclusions offered by the community to help guide their work. It will be critical for our community to continue participating in the process and the conversation. Announcements regarding opportunities to participate will be included at www.BloomingtonEducates.org.
