U.S. Schools in Crisis or Leading the Way?

Post submitted by SmartBrief Education Editor Amy Dominello

In a Race to the Top, is the U.S. education system going in the right direction? ASCD author and Michigan State University education professor Yong Zhao argued this morning at ASCD's Annual Conference, that American education is by no means perfect. But there are some strengths that Americans should focus on to help their schools thrive.

The debate over whether American students are lagging behind their international peers is one that’s been happening for decades, he said. Americans compared their students to those in Russia in the 1950s, Japan in the 1980s and, more recently, in Singapore, China, and India.

But throughout, the United States has remained competitive and other countries have been moving to make their educational systems more flexible—like that of the U.S.—to develop well-rounded students and decrease the focus on test scores and drilling, as is the case in Zhao’s native China.

Any nation needs a diversity of talents to survive and today that includes technology, talents, and tolerance, he said.

Among those are the valuing of individual talents and the ability to cultivate entrepreneurship. Zhao related an anecdote from one of his children’s teachers relating children to popcorn—"Some pop early and some pop late"—and said that it reflects most American educators belief that children learn and develop at their own pace.

Consequently, the focus on testing goes against common sense. "Education is not easily measured or reduced by one number," he said.

Globalization offers an opportunity for American schools, he said, and our hope lies with Madonna. That’s right—the Material Girl.

Zhao used the pop singer to illustrate how globally available technology allows all of us to garner a larger audience for our niche talents.

"The hope is that our schools, our children all have something to contribute," he said. "The key is to develop that."

American schools should focus on a strengths movement to discover and develop every child's strength through personalized learning by using technology to open doors and to use it for what it can do well. Zhao added that schools should use input-based accountability that is focused on long-term goals, not short-term gains. To do that requires more diversity, autonomy, and local innovation, not standardization.

The current focus on accountability and standards in education reform sends a message that "we don’t trust our educators," Zhao said.

And, he added, a focus on student strengths means you’ll be able to cultivate the Madonnas in your classroom.

If you missed the session, Zhao plans to post his slides from the presentation to his Web site, http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/