At the Schools of the Future Conference: The Future of Learning

I’m at the Fourth AnnualÂ Schools of the Future Conference this week being held at the Hawaii Convention Center. The conference brings together leaders in education and technology to address the need for a paradigm shift in education. Over this two-day event, among many topics, we will explore how to create a 21st century learning environment; explore new roles for education publishers, teachers, and librarians; and how to blend, flip, and mobilize the classroom.

Yesterday morning I attended Dr. Mark David Milliron’s keynote, “Emerging Insights on Learning, Technology, and the Road Ahead in Education.” In his speech, Milliron outlined a few trends that we are seeing as education and technology converge in the classroom, and as more research is available on the pros and cons of the digital classroom:
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At 6-Year High School, Students Earn Diploma and Associate’s Degree

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 isÂ 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.

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Application Essay: How to Present Your Best Self

There are many things you can do to help ensure that your college application gives you the best chance at admission to your dream college. Making sure it’s on time, making sure you don’t have any embarrassing photos posted on your Facebook (about a quarter of all college admissions officers check your Facebook profile while considering your application), and watching out for spelling errors and other mistakes are all essential (see Emily Driscoll’s “Get Your College Apps in Order Now” for more tips and general advice). Your biggest opportunity to stand out, however, where you can really show who you are and why you’re applying, is through your application essay.

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Preparation Before Remediation

Studentsâ€™ lack of preparation takes on many forms beyond academic deficits. It shows up with them not knowing what to expect from college, not knowing how to anticipate challenges and obstacles, and not having the grit and determination to succeed. It shows up with their lack of follow through skills, and their not knowing how to take advantage of resources to craft a college experience that will deliver the abilities and connections to launch a successful career. It shows up with students lacking the emotional and social awareness to make sound choices and navigate college systems. And it surfaces with students embracing unrealistic expectations of what simultaneously can be managed, including: full and part-time work, families, social lives, and other demands.

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Living with Grit: 4 Gritty Articles for Parents and Educators

Grit.

What does it mean to you? Maybe you tapped into your grit to pass your college physics course. Or possibly to look for a new job or train for a race. Grit is a powerful soft skill that could stand between you and success in any area of your life, personal, academic, or professional.

At LifeBound we often talk about grit in our Academic Coaching Training and books for teens. We ask coaches to work with their students to help them tap into their intrinsic motivation, dig deep to see the power they have over their lives, and discover their grit. We also encourage educators and parents to use the power of grit in their own lives.
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Filling the Opportunity Gap: What Tuition Costs and Whatâ€™s In Your Wallet

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 â€œIs College Worth It?â€). Students and families are certainly feeling the strain, but when will they break?

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SAT Reading Scores Are Dropping: What Can We Do?

As several news outlets have reported, this year’s SAT reading scores are the lowest they’ve been in four decades (see Washington Post and NPR). There are several reasons that could factor into this decrease. One thing experts point to is the increased number of low-income students taking the test. This kind of trend, however, can’t fully explain why 56% of our high school graduates are not ready for college-level work. Nor should it matter, in an ideal world, whether your parents are low-income or not when it comes to your success as a student. The fact remains that there must be more we can do, as parents, teachers, and school officials, to improve reading levels and overall achievement levels for rich and poor alike, across genders and races.

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A Balanced Vision: How To Direct Passion With Understanding

When it comes to discussing the obstacles facing Generation Y, itâ€™s easy to get caught up in things that are beyond our control, like the job market or rising tuition. When informing youth of these issues, however, itâ€™s essential to their success that theyâ€™re also aware of what they can control: namely, themselves.

In his opinion piece on Gen Y, Don McNay contrasts two young men he knows. One has been actively searching for work for months and is close to getting a job at a fast food restaurant. The other has mostly given up and now stays at home and watches television. Of the first he says confidently, â€œIâ€™m sure [he] will make it as he keeps trying and trying.â€ For the second he can express no hope of success except by some undeserved miracle.

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The Power of Perspective: How Changing the Way We Think About Students Affects Their Performance in the Classroom

A teacher’s perspective greatly influences the experience and success of the individual’s in their class. Where one teacher might describe a class as â€œunruly,â€ another might describe the same group of students as â€œenergetic,â€ and just this sort of distinction can make the difference between student improvement and student devolution. The power of positive thinking and high expectations, especially on the diverse classrooms of today, is a vast pool of educational power that is tapped much less than it should be.
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Michael Vladeck: The Art of Imposing Rules on Teens

By Michael Vladeck

We all want freedom, and children do need rules (some more than others). Â When applied well, they act as guidelines that help them develop in healthy waysâ€¦ lest they recreate aÂ Lord Of The FliesÂ reality that you have to parent to.Â They have a place,Â yet eventually some of these rules you impose will add great stress to the relationship – so learning how to be wise with rules is critical and essential to maintain the health of your relationship.
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