Dear Colleges, Universities and Faculty,
"The system we have in place works. Unfortunately, that system was designed in the 1800's!"
You are killing me! I mean, not literally of course, but creatively. You see I'm a teacher and technology coordinator at a private school. My job is about helping high school educators use 21st century tools (and by tools I mean project based learning, design thinking and advanced tech tools) to help create the most innovative, engaging and interactive classroom experiences for our students. How does this apply to you one might ask? Simple, your way of doing things is killing creativity in high schools across the country. Why you ask? The simplest answer would be to say that "the system" you created encourages high school educator to not change their teaching methods to adapt to a competitive global economy. After all, they have been using this system for over 100 years and getting quality results from former students in college. AP scores are up, college graduate rates are up, grades in general are up. Why would they change what apparently is working? To be fair, they are absolutely right! The system we have in place works. Unfortunately, that system was designed in the 1800's for a labor work force that simply competed with itself! The true problem lies within this system that high schools are forced to participate in, especially private school. High schools, after all, sell success at the next level to parents and donors. This is what makes or breaks their reputations and school rankings. So the question I have is what kind of success are you selling and does it still apply and hold its worth in a global economy where our kids are competing against the world, not just other Americans? A few key points to consider...
"It would be an extreme assumption that any standardized test can measure a students worth or ability across the board. Yet you do!"
SAT Assessments: Let's start at the beginning with the SAT test. It would be an extreme assumption that any standardized test can measure a students worth or ability across the board. Yet you do! It makes me wonder the weight of actual high school grades compared to a one and done SAT score value. The bottom line is that the SAT test has the ability to limit opportunities for kids as much as it opens doors (related article here).
"Nobody created an iMovie to get their MBA! But..."
College Exams: Ahhh the memories of the all night cram sessions, the endless coffee and NoDoz combination (now replaced by Red Bull and others). But why? Couldn't a course end with an alternative assessment like a project or presentation that teaches students problem solving, time management, and critical thinking in a hands on environment? Your exam methods are holding high schools hostage in how they teach and prepare students for college. Now I understand the written word is still king. Nobody created an iMovie to get their MBA! But have you ever thought that there is a better way...and then acted on it? Because if you have "the system" has not seen it, high schools have not adopted it, and parents aren't buying it. Question: Are we preparing kids for college classes or careers?
"We need to dispel the myth that AP classes are like real college course..."
AP Classes: This is a love hate relationship to be sure! Because you have valued these classes so high in terms of your acceptance policies, high schools feel a great amount of pressure to have students take as many as possible. Yet so many of these scores do not count as a college credit depending on the college or university students are accepted to. We need to dispel the myth that AP classes are like real college courses and when we do AP classes will finally take their properly place in the peking order of importance...which is much lower than it currently is now (related article here).
Curriculum Killers: The amount of content high school teachers cover has a direct link to how we prepare our kids for college. AP classes are the driving factor here. We are gearing our students to take as many AP's as possible to create a college resume that is the most appealing to higher educational institutions. But in our rush to do so, high schools create a glutton of content for students to digest. The end result, we create great note takers and test takers...but not critical thinkers with real world problem solving skills (related article here).
"Are we teaching cubicle thinkers instead or critical thinkers?"
Cubicle Thinkers v. Critical Thinkers: Despite these points, and more, many high schools have had great success within this system. College graduation rates are on the rise and the system seems to be working. But the question remains does this sort of education still hold the same value as it use to compared to its cost? Are student really using that degree they paid for? Are we teaching cubicle thinkers instead or critical thinkers? The answer may surprise you. Are our teaching methods outdated in the global economic scheme of things? When was the last time a company gave its employees a lecture, then an exam to solve a problem? This world is about problem solving not test taking. It's about using data not memorizing it. How are you creating these next generation of critical thinkers...because high schools are watching, emulating and preaching to parents the importance of "the system" to be successful.
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