There is a perception prevalent in the media and in American society that American public schools lag behind the rest of the world, and are in a race to catch up. In fact, the federal government has sponsored "Race to the Top" legislation that our own state embraced with some sweeping changes to the ways public schools in Michigan operate. What many don't realize is that outside of the U.S. our education system is viewed by many as the model system for turning out the kind of creative problem solvers that today's digital age requires.
Dr. Yong Zhao of Michigan State University has written a book titled Catching Up or Leading the Way, in which he makes the argument that the U.S. is leading the world in producing the kind of high school graduate that will lead this millennium. He deconstructs arguments that because the U.S. is behind other nations in some standardized academic assessments that our educational system is failing, and refutes them by pointing out that the U.S. is still the world leader in terms of economic prosperity and the export of knowledge. He quantifies that our country is the leader in knowledge exports by demonstrating that the U.S. leads the world by a huge margin in the export of license fees and royalty fees which come from the sale of intellectual property. While China leads the world in the production of toys, the U.S. leads the world in the sale of ideas, and Dr. Zhao proposes that ideas are the economy of the digital age. Further he points out that while all U.S. students take the standardized tests, many nations select the students who will move forward academically at a young age and these comparisons are therefore not "apple to apple" looks at educational systems.
Ironically, as our country rides the wave of standardized testing, other nations are moving away from this trend and towards educational systems that embrace the whole child and develop strengths wherever they are found. In other words, while we strive to be more like other nations, they are striving to be more like us. Dr. Zhao uses the analogy of the Olympics as an argument against the kind of content specialization necessary to succeed on standardized tests and for a diversified education that allows individuals to develop their strengths. He points out what a dismal competition the Olympics would be if we forced everyone to compete in only one or two sports . It is the diversity of options that play to a variety of strengths that makes the games exciting and an event that we all want to see. Similarly, it would be a mistake for educators to narrow our focus at the expense of eliminating programs in arts, technology and athletics that allow students to develop well-rounded educations and develop in areas of aptitude.
At Grosse Pointe North we have continued to focus on cultivating a student body of problem solvers. Our goal is to deliver the content necessary for a knowledge base that when applied creatively and logically will deliver solutions to problems and needs that we haven't yet even identified. Our focus on inquiry and project based learning is about developing problem solving graduates who will "lead the way" in our digital, global economy. Historically, America has prided itself on being a nation that is independent, self-sufficient, and a leader on all fronts. To continue to lead the way, and be the nation that others aspire to be, our educational system must continue to set the standard for whole student instruction that molds leaders of tomorrow. We don't need a nation of test-takers, we need a nation of creative problem solvers.
