The Global Achievement Gap - a "User's" abstract

Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap. New York: Basic Books.

I read the introduction and first chapter of Tony Wagner’s The Global Achievement Gap. Throughout the preface and introduction, Wagner argues that schools have remained stagnant for the last fifty years and are not changing at the pace that the business community and the world around them have changed. The result is students who are not prepared with the skills needed to compete in the twenty-first century global workplace. Wagner contends that even our nations top ranked schools are obsolete. (Top ranked by test scores.) The emphasis on standardized tests has to some degree created a state of affairs in schools where many educators teach to the test. According to Wagner and many business leaders, standardized tests, for the most part, do not test the skills we need to develop in our youth.

Wagner, a former high school humanities teacher, principal, businessman, Co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and senior consultant to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been studying school improvement for the last twenty years. He spends time in classrooms across the United States and in other countries on a monthly basis. The strength of his research comes not only from his history with and passion for education, but in the relationship he has forged with the business community in examining the skills our students need in order to compete in our fast changing world.

In the first chapter of The Global Achievement Gap, “The New World of Work and the Seven Survival Skills” Wagner describes the seven survival skills exiting high school students need in the global marketplace. Through interviews with CEO’s spanning a diversity of careers, Wagner documents the skills top companies are looking for in employees. Wagner compiles these conversations and anecdotes he has had with business leaders to build on each other and reveal a common theme. What the world needs now are people who:
1. are critical thinkers and problem solvers
2. collaborate across networks and lead by influence
3. are agile and adaptable
4. demonstrate initiative and entrepreneurialism
5. communicate effectively orally and in writing
6. access and analyze information
7. show curiosity and imagination

I found Tony Wagner’s description of the current state of affairs in education thought-provoking. Is it accurate? Considering his background, I believe that his description and his recommendations regarding the “survival skills” our school children need to develop, ring true. As an institution, education has changed little in the last fifty years. Our world has changed, yet education has not adapted to or prepared for change. The implications of Wagner’s research call for a complete re-thinking of how we teach. While I believe that individual teachers can make great strides in incorporating the seven survival skills in their curriculum, reform needs to happen on a larger scale than individual classrooms.

What I read in The Global Achievement Gap made me think about the kinds of instruction I give, the strategies I incorporate and what I am asking students to do. Am I providing enough opportunities for my students to think critically and problem solve? Do I provide to many scaffolds for this? How can I teach students to be flexible? What kinds of learning situations can I provide that will help my help my students understand the importance of flexibility? How can I inspire my students to take initiative, show curiosity and imagination? How can the writing assignments I give take on a more “real world” status? I am looking forward to reading the remainder of Wagner’s book. My principal is hosting a book club for this title. I can’t wait to have a dialogue with other colleagues at my school. I wonder how they will respond to the book and how reading and discussing it will affect our school.