Prepare kids for the digital economy

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[Commentary] Few would dare argue that we are doing an excellent job of educating high school students in America today. While there are some wonderful schools, many students will be ill prepared for the interconnected world that awaits them without a dramatic shift in our approach.

Improvement should take many forms. Teachers should get more respect and more pay. We need to support principals as they set high standards for students and teachers alike, and we need to support families as they work to get their kids to school well fed, on time, and with homework done. More time in school would help, too. These are the basics; we know that they work. The trouble is the political and economic will to get them done.

Beyond these fundamentals lies the urgent need to meet students “where they are” in their networked adolescent lives. I don’t mean we should join them on Snapchat, but rather that we should embrace a shift in pedagogy that takes advantage of the best aspects of new media to improve teaching and learning.

[Palfrey heads the Phillips Academy]


Prepare kids for the digital economy