You’re graduating this semester. Your resume is clean, you have your reference letters in order, your suit is pressed, and you feel confident your school trained you in the skills you need to land an entry-level job and climb up the career ladder. But are you sure you’re not missing anything?
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The school year is coming to an end, and that means some students will be advancing to another grade, others will be going into college, and others will be graduating into the workforce. Whether you are a student, educator, or parent, there is one word that can help you and yours make a successful transition into the summer and the new year: grit.
Grit is the follow-through we all need to succeed. Professionals need grit to get through a busy week at the office, take classes on the side to improve their skills, network with those who can help them, volunteer for worthy  causes, look for a new job, and find balance in life.  Students need it to find the intrinsic motivation to keep studying, deal with friends, stand up to bullies, keep going in the face of disappointments, defy the odds, and follow their dreams.
Since 2008, researchers have been conducting studies which have challenged the idea that students have different learning styles, according to Annie Murphy Paul in the article “Do Students Really Have Different Learning Styles?” Studies have shown that students do have preferred ways of learning, but that the mode in which information is presented — whether using kinesthetic, auditory, or visual lessons — has no effect on their ability to “absorb information”.  What is useful, and where I differ from the research Paul’s references, is the critical area of learning styles and self knowledge: to make a better commitment to study to how you learn, to link learning to careers and fields which match your abilities, and to manage both learning strengths and weaknesses.
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“Obamacare.” Trayvon Martin. Facebook privacy lawsuits. Your students are probably familiar with the names and phrases born of our current events, but have they been given the opportunity to discuss them? Do they have questions about what “Obamacare” is? Or, do they already have an opinion?
In yesterday’s blog, I quoted stats from the article “How Corporations Are Helping to Solve the Education Crisis” that show 80% of the jobs created over the next decade will require mastery of technology, math, and science. More jobs are welcome in our economy, however, there is worry that there won’t be a skilled enough workforce to takeover these jobs. Students’ mastery of STEM subjects is not as impressive as the growth of STEM jobs, and both educators and corporations have a responsibility to make sure students are receiving the education to benefit from the job creation.
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One-quarter of high school students drop out every year. Of the students who do graduate, two-fifths leave underprepared for college or career and fifty-seven percent leave not having mastered remedial math, according to a recent Fast Company article.  These statistics are tragic, but anymore, they aren’t shocking. Today, there is a fight for better institutions, educators, leaders, technology, funding, parents, and students. The article goes on to share some statistics that show why the fight is more important than ever.
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It’s not news that many people have been required to make financial sacrifices and adjustments to get through the recession. The spike in library usage is a strong reflection of how the new American consumer of goods and information behaves. Even though more people are using the library as a resource, public libraries aren’t safe from funding cuts. However, libraries across the country are doing anything but backing down.
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We have many dreams for today’s students. We want to ensure they get an education that prepares them for a successful career. We want them to have all the latest technology. We want them to use technology to become a new generation of innovators and creative thinkers. We want them to have the best teachers. We want a system that values learning, not memorization.
Many people have many different ideas for how education can be reformed, but they all have one thing in common: they they all require funding.
Could failing be the key to success? Can we redefine our limited idea of “success�
According to a new study by the American Psychological Association, children may perform better in school and feel more confident if told that failure is a normal part of learning. One researcher said that when students are “obsessed with success” their fear of failure keeps them from taking difficult steps necessary for mastering new material.  When students don’t have the confidence to explore, take risks, fail, and regroup in a healthy way, they aren’t preparing themselves for life’s more difficult and complex challenges.
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What made your no. 1 college choice stand out from the rest?
Over the last 45 years, the most popular factor in choosing the right college is still the institution’s academic reputation, according to the Chronicle. However, according to preliminary evidence from a new study by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, today’s college students have many changing factors and demands than students did 40 years ago.