I recently returned from a trip where I spoke in Bangkok at the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA) Conference and in Singapore at the International Association for Scholastic Excellence (INTASE) Conference. The following article was originally posted as part of my blog series on the Huffington Post where I am sharing experiences and insights I gained from my trip. 

I just returned from Asia where I spoke to educators at the NESA conference in Bangkok and to 1200 school leaders from 13 countries at the International Association for Scholastic Excellence (INTASE) conference in Singapore. Most of the attendees in Singapore were leaders in their schools, spanning the entire education spectrum:

18% – Primary level (7-12 years)
15% – Secondary level (13-16 years)
14% – Tertiary level (17-19 years)
29% – Ministry of Education, Singapore
23% – Others (university, colleges, private consultancies, etc)

There were many interesting and inspiring topics covered during the conference, and a few concepts that especially struck me that could improve education in America.

High Standards. While students in Singapore hold the best PISA scores, their educators realize that students also need to develop creative, innovation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial skills to be prepared for the complexity of today’s professional world. It was these topics that I was asked to address. Whether their grads are going to discover the next scientific break-through, the most cutting-edge architectural structure, the most imaginative start-up, or the next service company, academic prowess alone won’t cut it. The rethink, reinvent, and revolutionize theme is at the core of the Singaporean education system and workforce. In a culture that has transformed itself in one generation to become a world-class city, these are people who never rest on their laurels no matter how great their achievements.

Continue reading on the Huffington Post.

After this week’s bombing at the Boston Marathon, I wrote an article on the importance of harnessing our indomitable spirit in tragic times for the Huffington Post. As more details are unveiled hourly, it becomes more  important to tap into our unconquerable spirits to get through the terror of this event and, eventually, begin to heal. The following is a section from my recent article I find to be just as relevant today as is was hours after the bombing.

For all those affected by the recent tragedy, I hope you may find wisdom and direction from the ancient Korean Martial Arts doctrine that I learned years ago in Tae Kwon Do. The fifth tenet is: indomitable spirit. 

Baek-jeol-bul-gul / 백절불굴

The word indomitable means “unconquerable,” or impossible to defeat or frighten. The “spirit” is the person’s core being, their willpower, cheerful & positive attitude, and desire to succeed. Having an “indomitable spirit” means that your fortitude, enthusiasm, and moral character are never diminished regardless of the hardships and adversities you face. Your determination to prevail is never vanquished, even in the face of what appears to be insurmountable odds, or seemingly overwhelming opponents. This concept is reflected in the following popular saying: “It is not so much the size of the dog in the fight, as the size of the fight in the dog.”

Continue reading at the Huffington Post  for examples of inspirational people who found their indomitable spirit when faced with personal tragedy.

Check out the infographic below for a fascinating look at a scaled-down version of the world we live in.

If the world were 100 people:

• 1 out of 2 children live in poverty
• 5 speak English
• 22 have access to a computer
• 17 are unable to read

Are you surprised by how common or uncommon your demographic is on the world scale?

Remedial college courses were designed to give opportunity to students, however, a recent report shows, for many, remedial classes can be an expensive sense of false hope.

Half of all undergrads and 70 percent of community college students will take a remedial class, according to the article “National Group Calls for Big Changes in Remedial Education.” Of those, the study found less than one in 10 students who took three or more semesters of remedial math completed the first-year college-level math course they need to take to graduate.

Not only does having to take multiple remedial classes — or repeating the same remedial course — cause a setback in the time it takes to graduate from college, it also takes a financial toll on the individual, the state taxpayer, and the federal taxpayer. While the demand for remedial education shows there is a great need, the effectiveness of developmental education in America is under question.

As the country recovers from the recession and the workforce demands more higher-skilled workers, it’s no surprise many adults are returning to school. However, many will require taking at least one remedial course to revive their rusty academic skills. In Florida:

• 85 percent of students who took a remedial course were 20-years-old and over in the 2010-11 school year.
• Four in every five first-year, full-time students over 20-years-old had to take a remedial math course.
• 90 percent of students over age 35 had to take a remedial math course.

13th Grade: Older, Returning Students Strain Florida’s Community and State Colleges

Though remedial courses may not be the answer for all students, they have afforded many students a chance at earning a college degree when it would otherwise be out of their reach. The conversation requires us to examine not only where higher education is failing, but where the K-12 school system can improve to prepare their graduates with the skills to succeed in higher ed and land a job. Will a college and career emphasis in K-12 be enough to prepare more students for math in higher ed? Will the number of students failing remedial courses in reading, writing, and math ask us to reevaluate the basic skills a college graduate needs to earn a degree?

By 2020, 75 percent of jobs will require a college degree, up from 62% in 2009.^1 Without any form of higher education, today’s workforce faces a dismal future in a world that increasingly demands high-skilled workers who are equipped with degrees and real-world work experience. But, even though the demand for educated workers is high, it doesn’t mean it makes it any easier for aspiring degree-holders to enter college, pay for college, or get a worthwhile education.

Almost half of Americans think negatively about the quality of U.S. education and the majority believe a college education is a poor investment, according to a survey by FTI Consulting.^2 Of those surveyed, nine out of 10 list cost as a major barrier to receiving the education they believe to be subpar.

A popular solution to reducing the cost of college is to offer more classes online, which greatly reduces the overhead costs. In fact, online classes have become so affordable that universities like Princeton, Brown, and Duke are giving them away for free. These online courses, or MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), are available to anyone with an internet connection. MOOCs are admired for their accessibility to the masses; however, no price tag comes at a cost.

Due to the no-cost model, MOOCs don’t earn students credit (for the most part), don’t give students grades, and, for many students, don’t require accountability to take the course. MIT’s first online course had 154,000 students register. Of those, fewer than half got to the first problem and less than 4% passed the final exam.^3  MOOCs have their place. They can reach knowledge seekers from anywhere in the world, at any time, and with any socioeconomic standing. But today the no-cost, no-grade model might open a student’s eyes to a certain field, but it won’t earn them a job.

We don’t need to completely replace traditional learning with online learning, we need to enhance it and we need to balance it. Open source learning materials like Khan Academy can enhance a student’s ability to study for a college algebra test. Requiring a student to get an internship or shadow a professional in addition to taking an online computer programming class can balance their learning experience in the physical and virtual world.

Affordability and accessibility is only part of the battle to improve higher education. Without accountability that brings students to the computer screen or to their classroom; that requires the educator to teach in the physical and the virtual; that demands the institution help place grads in a job, the quality of higher education will not improve.

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Sources

¹“The Future of Jobs and Careers,” Edward E. Gordon. http://www.publiceducation.org/2012_Emails/20120110_pdf/Economic%20and%20employment%20Impact.pdf

²“Higher Education in U.S. Must Change To Remain Globally Competitive: Survey,” by Jon Marcus. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/higher-education-in-us-mu_n_2198651.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

³“Less Than 4% of Students in an MIT online course passed the final. Why investors in education are throwing their money away,” by Todd Tauber. http://qz.com/23591/less-than-4-of-students-in-an-mit-online-course-passed-the-final-why-investors-in-education-are-throwing-their-money-away/

What makes a person successful? Some attribute their success to hard work, while others attribute it to luck, mentors, brains, or social skills.

In a recent three-part series on NPR, people from all rungs of the economic ladder are interviewed on why they either are or are not financially “successful.” In the first installment, Bob Hatley, president and CEO of Paragon Commercial Bank, tells his tale of going from a childhood with limited means to a millionaire. Hatley says: “People who use their family as an excuse not to achieve, I have no patience with.”

Hatley was determined to be successful and modeled himself after the successful people he looked up to. From watching the behavior of successful people, he discovered that “interpersonal skills trump brains.” Knowing how to communicate and connect with people helped him climb to the top.

However, even though interpersonal skills are — and always have been — a way to make your place in the world, schools do not emphasize how crucial these skills are to have in order to be successful beyond school. Learning soft skills, or even a second language, take a backseat to increasing IQ, test taking, and reading volumes of archaic textbooks.

Today’s grads need the soft skills to find a job, keep a job, and network with the people who can help them meet their professional goals. Even though today’s students grew up texting, instant messaging, and social networking, it doesn’t mean writing a professional email comes as second nature. Today’s youth may have over 600 friends on Facebook, but it doesn’t mean they learned how to network face to face, over the phone, or through written correspondence. Schools may teach courses in history, math, reading, and science, but not teach basic problem solving, critical thinking, social, and emotional skills. As the workforce changes and more new grads become entrepreneurs, small business owners, and start-up founders, it’s a necessity that they learn the social intelligence they need to navigate the working world.

We need to send grads into the world of work with both academic and social knowledge. My books Critical & Creative Thinking for Teenagers and People Smarts for Teenagers are great classroom companions that teach teens the question asking skills they need to ace an AP trigonometry class or to diffuse an argument between peers at lunch.

It’s worth noting interpersonal skills are not the only way the interviewees say they became moderately to highly successful (in financial terms). Family is a big influence on success. So is staying out of debt. Everyone has their own success story; but for many successful individuals, the journey was a social event.

Read NPR’s complete series starting here: “Want to Be Rich? Be Lucky, Know the Right People.” 

Our nation has a demand for more students entering college, more college graduates, and more career seekers who are prepared for the workforce. But how?

We’ve recognized that the pipeline to a college degree starts in early childhood. If students aren’t reading at grade-level by third grade, their chance of graduating high school is significantly decreased. More high schools across the country are also doing their part to graduate more students and send more grads to two-year or four-year college degree programs. Internships, service learning, summer enrichment, and AP courses all give high school students a look at life beyond high school; a perspective that can be integral in connecting a K12 education to graduation and a purposeful career.

Another popular program that aims to aid the high school to college pipeline is dual enrollment. Students enrolled in a dual enrollment program will graduate with a high school diploma and get a jumpstart on their college education. A recent study by Jobs for the Future found:

“…high school students who completed a college course before graduation were nearly 50 percent more likely to earn a college degree from a Texas two- or four-year college within six years than students who had not participated in dual enrollment.”

Though the findings in this one study are positive, I have a hard time believing dual enrollment is the answer to more college graduates and career-ready graduates. Rushing students through college does not address the problem we have with so many students who can barely do high school level work, and so many millenials moving into the workforce with degrees but no work experience to land a job. Just because a student finishes “X” course doesn’t mean they mastered the learning with the rigor required to complete more sophisticated college course work.  This doesn’t mean that dual enrollment isn’t a good option for some students the way AP and IB courses are, but how are we measuring readiness?

P-Tech – Pathways in Technology Early College High School — is an innovative New York school that is bringing college courses to their students without rushing them through high school. The school — created by a partnership between IBM and City University of New York – expects to see their first class of “14th graders” graduate in 2017.  P-Tech students will attend the high school for 6 years; leaving with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree in applied science in computer information systems or electromechanical engineering technology (The New York Times). Students have mentors from IBM and take trips to the IBM facilities. After they graduate from the program, they will be first preference for filling openings in their expertise at IBM.

This career-focused school is also a core-curricula focused school. It is a high school and is also a college. For the 88 percent of P-Tech students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, it is the opportunity for an above average education and the connection between earning an education and creating a better future.

“At the center of all this is the notion that there are young people who have as much potential to learn what we think of as basic academics as anyone, but whose learning style, whose interests and preferences are for doing things where they can see: ‘What does this mean? Why am I doing this?’” said Stephen F. Hamilton, a professor of human development at Cornell University in the New York Times article, “At Technology High School, Goal Isn’t to Finish in Four Years.”

There are many options unfolding to teach students skills for college and career, however, not all are created equal and not all high schools push the same emphasis. My books Gifts and Talents: Discovering Your Unique Strengths, Sophomore Guide to College & Career, and Majoring in the Rest of Your Life: Career Secrets for College Students are great companions for the classroom or for an independent reader. Each of my books helps students discover their interests and encourages them to explore their unique abilities through internships, getting involved in school, and creating a path toward their career choice.

What are you doing to give students a taste of college and/or career before graduation day?

Economists tell us that there are certain commodities that we will pay for no matter how high the price is: such as gasoline. A college education is one of those highly valued commodities; no matter how expensive it gets, we still need it, so we do whatever it takes to get it. As if to prove this concept, the cost of a college education has tripled in the past thirty years, according to Pew researchers, and that trend is showing no sign of stopping soon (see “Is College Worth It?”). Students and families are certainly feeling the strain, but when will they break?

The answer is that some are breaking already, even though they don’t need to be. According to the U.S. Education Department, 13-14 percent of borrowers defaulted on their student loans last year as part of a rapidly increasing trend that has remained unchanged from when income-based repayment options became available three years ago (see “Education Department Report Shows More Borrowers Defaulting On Student Loans”). This is a tragic commentary on the student debt situation, made all the more tragic by the fact that it didn’t need to happen. If these same former students had been fully aware of their options, they could have switched to the income-based repayment plan before going underwater and saved themselves a world of trouble.

Unfortunately, as this statistic demonstrates, students often go into debt with little idea of what they’re doing. The best way for students to solve this issue of inexperience with debt is for them to fully know their options before they start filling out the paperwork. When it comes to federal loans, students can learn alot by reading fully and discussing with their parents the information available on government websites about the different loans and loan repayment options. Federal loans should be one of the first choices when it comes to student debt because of the low interest rates and great repayment options, but before taking out any loans students should consider a few of their other options.

Obviously, money as a gift is better than money as a loan. Pell Grants are an important source of college funds that shouldn’t be overlooked, and scholarships from the college and from other organizations can be a huge asset to the aspiring student who does his homework well. These sorts of funds have decreased in recent years, however, which has added to the importance of other sources of college funds, such as crowd funding.

Crowd funding is a way to gather money, usually from family and friends, into an online fund to be used specifically for college. Websites like FiPath and GradSave give relatives an easy way to funnel their donations into your college fund, whether that’s in yearly birthday gift installments or all at once. Other websites, like ScholarshipProz, allow students to effectually fundraise for their college education, expanding their network to include donors all over the world who might be interested in helping out a young man or woman financially through college. For more on the benefits of crowd funding, see Emily Driscoll’s “How to Use Crowd Funding to Pay For College.”

After gathering what money you can, loans are still an important part of the average college student’s efforts to get an education, and like grants and scholarships, federal loans are decreasing in their ability to cover costs. This is why private loans are also important. In getting private loans, aspiring students need to be extra careful that they’re getting their money’s worth. There are many different kinds of loans out there, and it can be tough to sort through them all, let alone compare them. It’s important to shop around until you find the best one, and one of the easiest ways to decide which one is best is by looking at its APR rather than simply at interest rates. See Driscoll’s “How to Find the Best Private Student Loan Terms” to find more important strategies for this approach.

Perhaps the best kind of loan is a family loan, if you can get it. In his article “Borrowing From Your Family, By Design,” Ron Lieber talks about a family who established a trust fund, now containing about $100,000, from which family members appointed as trustees could siphon funds to lend to the younger members of the family as they headed off to college. One of the benefits of this type of loan is that it is often interest free, and the people collecting the debt are relatives who are generally understanding and fully aware of your situation. Though very few families have an established trust fund set up, it’s certainly an idea worth taking to your parents and grandparents.

After fully understanding all these options, eventually every student has to come down to the brass tacks of basic financial management. Responsible spending, developing a savings plan, and learning how to make a budget are all important skills essential to paying for college. For a fun approach to learning the ins and outs of money and debt, check out my book, Dollars & Sense: How to Be Smart About Money.

This is a tall order for Generation Y as they struggle to begin their careers and make room for themselves in an increasingly competitive world. In order to repair the economy, the next generation will need the skills to work as part of a global workforce, the education to take on the hard problems and solve them in new and innovative ways, and the networking skills to find opportunities wherever they may be. Many middle class workers may not see a bright future ahead for their children, as the Pew study cited above indicates, but today’s youth do. A Gallup study cited in Education Week by Liana Heitin states that about half of students today have hope in the future; they “believe the future will be better than the present, and that they have the power to make it so.” These students aren’t middle-class workers yet, but they have the same ideals of hard work and perseverance that their parents do. And once they’re prepared with the necessary skills, they’ll be ready to build a better future for all of us.

Many call for students and grads to possess 21^st century skills, but few know how to measure whether or not a student has mastered 21st century skills.

A group of education and science experts recently released a report that aims to “define just what researchers, educators, and policymakers mean when they talk about ‘deeper learning’ and ’21st century skills,” according to Education Week. They found skills can be divided in three categories: cognitive skills, interpersonal skills, and intrapersonal skills. However, what was most important and proves to be the hardest to implement and measure is the underlying skill that gives value to all these skills: transfer.

Transfer means students know how to take the 21st century skills learned in K12 to college, and beyond to their career. Transfer can also mean making connections across disciplines or connections in and out of school, like what a student learned on his part-time bussing job that he can apply to his chemistry lab group. This might be the most important skill for educators and students to understand about 21st century skills. Like any subject students learn in school, we hope they will see the real-world application for the knowledge they gained in any course, whether it’s now or 10 years later. Mastery is often defined by doing well on a test. With 21st century skills, you can use your critical thinking, for example, and show mastery by taking something you know out of context and applying it to something else. Making connections among seemingly unrelated things is one of the most sought after skills in the world of work because it inspires innovation, launches new projects and helps people to see the mundane and the ordinary in different and, often, more impactful ways.

In the article, one researcher describes the 21st century student as a “Renaissance man.” Students will need to be experts in a variety of disciplines, transferring their skills from one profession, or problem, to the next.  Students who can make these kinds of connections will become employees who see opportunity, take initiative to start an idea, and have the wherewithal to see it through, evaluating the effect and the outcome.

Next week we are holding our CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING workshop for students in grades 7-9. During this one week workshop, students will learn: