As exciting as some previous political conventions might have been, they pale in comparison to what has transpired in Denver this week. There has been a lot of talk about change, and we certainly need change in our public schools. If we are to rebuild our economy for a 21st-century world, we need to dramatically ratchet up the calibre of the K-12 education we offer our children.

There is no doubt that some children get a world-class education in this country, but not every child. That has to change. Most U.S. educators  would probably agree that the best result of NCLB has been highlighting the inequities in how our schools are funded and the importance of highly qualified teachers in generating strong educational outcomes.

All children can learn. We must create schools with that fundamental premise at the heart of curriculum and assessment. It is our moral obligation to fund education at the level it needs to be funded to give all our country’s children the skill set they need to compete in a global economy.

 Even if we take a more isolationist view and set our sights on graduating students who are equipped to make  high-level contributions just to our own institutions, there is much work to be done to recruit, mentor and keep highly qualified professional teachers - the single most important part of the education equation. We need to create clear, standards-based educational goals and objectives that cross all curriculum and topic areas. We need to make it easier to replace sub-standard teachers with excellent teachers. We need to replace what is no longer working for us in the old institutions with schools and education centers focused on creating a love for learning and critical thinking skills that continue to grow and develop over a lifetime.

Keith Krueger, CEO of Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), tells us that the U.S. Department of Education ranked 55 industry sectors by how they use technology. Guess where education ranked? Dead last. #55. That should shock everyone in this country, no matter what their political affiliation. If there is anything all citizens can agree on it is the need to create strong schools that educate all our children. As Keith said so poignantly:

“We need to make sure that their schools are as technology-rich as their lives outside of school are.”

None of this is news. With some notable exceptions, we have lacked the political stamina to reform our schools. Our world standing particularly in the areas of math, science and technology continues to fall. When will we stop talking about the need for change and make the change?

I’d say the time is now. Barack Obama has a clear vision of what we need to do to change the educational outcomes for our country’s chldren. It’s not incremental change. We’ve been tinkering around the edges for a long time. It is robust and systemic change that we need. To make it happen and to be sustainable and scalable, we need all hands on deck.

Last night I heard the clarion call from a leader who can take us where we need to go. The challenge has gone out. The only question remaining is whether or not we have the political will to make it happen. Are you ready to commit?

Check this out for first-hand convention reports from educators and policy makers. Many thanks to Rita Ferrandino for being a voice for education in Denver this week.

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As school districts across the country have come clean about their real graduation rates in recent years, there has been anecdotal evidence from both colleges and businesses of the need to put newly minted high school graduates through a series of remedial courses to tune up their academic skills before they can handle first year college coursework or move into the ranks of workers.

George Winship, editor of The Anderson Valley Post in California writes about how public school failure financially impacts California citizens. Read the rest of this entry »

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Originally, the video posted below  was a presentation for high school students. Since it’s first showing in 2006, it has been seen by millions of people around the world thanks to the viral nature of video sharing. The new version updated last year has been seen by several million people as well and both versions continue to circulate on the Internet.

It is thought-provoking, awe-inspiring and a little bit scary. This 2.0 version is 2 minutes longer than the original but there is no fluff. Among other things, it puts the impact of rapidly growing technology in easy-to-understand terms. Whether you are a K-12 publisher, a K-12 educator or just an interested party, there is plenty to chew on here.

After you watch the video, check out the Shift Happens website wiki for some excellent follow up questions. These are terrific questions that can apply to work teams, strategic planning, education reform, curriculum design, municipal green initiatives, you name it.

We talk a lot about teaching students 21st century skills. These skills are more than just technology skills. The ability to think critically and work collaboratively on a business or social problem will be part of a citizen’s basic toolkit moving forward. Watch this video and you’ll understand why.

What do you think should be in a 21st century toolkit?

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The National American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) defines online learning as: instruction and content delivered primarily over the Internet.

A newly released survey of 232,781 K-12 students, 21, 272 teachers, and 15,316 parents conducted by Project Tomorrow and sponsored by Blackboard, states that one in five students in grade 6-12 have taken an online course at school or on their own and one in three students chose online classes as a part of their ideal school. The report states:

As online learning becomes more integrated into day-to-day instruction, the compartmentalization of education breaks down. Everyone becomes a learner and an expert with opportunties to seek and share what they know, critique what they learn, and become more engaged and involved with the global community.    Read the rest of this entry »

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We have been talking about building online communities around specific websites where educators can share their teaching experiences and resources. Yesterday, PBS Teachers took this concept to a whole new level when it unveiled a new online community  that has the functionality of many of the popular social networking sites.

PBS Teachers Connect describes it this way:
“PBS Teachers Connect is an online community of teachers exchanging ideas, resources and instructional strategies on the integration of digital media and technology.”

In many ways it is a blueprint for what K-12 publishers can and should do to build vibrant, purpose-filled online communities. Read the rest of this entry »

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