The concept holds untapped promise yet has been overlooked for many years. For whatever reason, the private sector and public education have never come together academically.
"For a long time, people looked at preparedness from an academic standpoint," says Scott Gengler, principal at Wayzata High School. "But I'm not sure kids see the relevancy all the time."
Superintendent Kirt Hartzler makes a bold claim about Union Public Schools that would fill any leader with pride or envy: "We truly are a high-poverty yet high-performing school district."
The increasingly popular STEM strategy "socio-scientific instruction" integrates social and ethical considerations into the curriculum, which gives students the chance to apply the skills they're learning to address weighty issues.
Outside of education, policymakers and children's advocates are ready to putt age limits on social media use. Inside K12, educators are blaming social media for the worsening teen mental health crisis.
"Who was I to think that I could tell them what they needed or wanted in their own community?" says Dr. Margaret Crespo, superintendent of Laramie County School District-1 in Wyoming. Using this mindset, she now has a living, adaptable strategic plan.
Preparing kids to "fluidly change direction" toward future readiness means preparing them to switch jobs and pivot between careers—a crucial skill in today's world.
Critical thinking prepares students to think for themselves for the rest of their lives. Critical thinkers are less likely to go along with the crowd because they think for themselves.
