Reflections on ASCD and MEC2010 Conferences

Over the past 10 days I was able to attend the National Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASCD) Conference and AZ Microcomputers in Education (MEC) Conference. These two conferences offered a number of professional reflections on the future course of education for public schools.

Reflection #1
School performance and relationships will be dominant factors in the future of American public schools. The need for schools to meet the personal learning needs of all students preparing them for a lifetime of learning driven by technology, global employment competition, online learning and collaboration skills will be the new educational norm.

Reflection #2
Schools must embrace that today's students at very young ages can learn to use technology to benefit their personal development and improve school achievement. All schools should look to have handhelds and/or mini-computers available for elementary age students and beyond. Our kids are wired differently and for that matter wired for the future.

Reflection #3
American education is not losing the most important battle for its economic future as our system still dominants in creating problem solvers, collaborators and entrepreneurs. While other countries dominant "academic" tests their rote, mechanical focus on academic content with no application still makes them only future, intelligent "worker bees" while Americans will still dominant in leadership positions, patents, new industry and Nobel Prizes. While many are alarmed by our poor showing on international tests the countries dominanting these tests envy and push for reform closer to our own American system. I encourage you to read "Catching Up or Leading the Way" by Michigan State's Yong Zhou and realize that the "2 Million Minutes" dvds making American students look lazy miss the point on the need for balance between activities, academic rigor, knolwedge and application. An historical precedent was our 1950s Sputnik panic that featured a Life Magazine article with similar conclusions being driven by current "achievement testing" advocates. Our system diversity provides uniques experiences most countries cannot copy or create. We are not perfect but we must protect our system uniqueness while meeting the needs of all students.

I continue to reflect on these and many other ideas brought out over the past several months as our public school system faces massive funding cuts and staff layoffs. It is an interesting time for education with the need for a non-political fair and balanced look at our school systems for our country's future.