In this commentary, Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) President and CEO, Nicholas Donohue, begins by stating that our education system is not broken, but outdated. He notes the system in fact does just what it was designed to do 100 years ago, cull out the best students and leave the rest to work in factories and on farms. In todays changing landscape 65% of jobs will require some type of postsecondary training, and our education system must be redesigned to meet our new realities. The article outlines some of the student-centered work being done at two New England schools to better serve their students. Revere High School in Revere, Massachusetts, has turned its school around, using a flipped classroom approach in which students watch lessons and videos at home and spend class time on group projects and discussions. At Deer Isle-Stonington High School in coastal Maine, the curriculum based on real issues in the local maritime economy, has pulled the school up to a steady 85% graduation rate. The author asserts that these types of unique student-centered approaches developed to meet the specific needs of a school and community are the best chance to reform our system.
This article is a great introduction to the need for and approaches of student-centered learning for anyone new to the idea.
Source Organization: Education Week