Why Change?
Tony Wagner, Co-Director
Change Leadership Group
Harvard University, Graduate School of Education
tony_wagner@harvard.edu
www.clg.harvard.edu
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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“The formulation of the problem is often more
essential than the solution.” Einstein
If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it!
What is the “crisis” in
American public
education really all
about—what’s the
“problem”?
Their schools are
the problem, not
ours!
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
High
School
reform is
just
another
fad.
Incremental change is the
only way to go
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Understanding The Changing World
1. CHANGES IN THE WORK PLACE:
What does the new “knowledge economy” mean?
– All Students: there is no such thing as unskilled work!
• wages of h.s. grads have declined 70% in 20 years
• skills for work, citizenship, and college readiness are now
essentially the same
– New Skills: most work today requires skills we don’t know
how to assess or teach to all students
• Learning how to learn
• Problemsolving
• Teamwork
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
3
What the National Data Tells Us…
% of US Students Who Graduate From High School
• 79% of Asian Students
• 72% of white students
• 50% of African American & Hispanic students
Students Who Graduate “College-Ready”
• 1 in 3 white & Asian students (37%)
• 1 in 5 African American students (20%)
• 1 in 6 Hispanic students (16%)
(Source: Greene & Forster, “Public High School Graduation & College Readiness
Rates in the US, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, 2003
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/ewp_03.pdf)
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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The “Basics” Perception Gap
100%
80%
77%
74%
66%
60%
39%
40%
33%
20%
0%
Students
Teachers
Parents
Employers
Professors
% saying a high school diploma means students have learned the basics (PAF
Reality Check 2000)
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Work Readiness Perception Gap
100%
80%
60%
78%
67%
41%
40%
20%
0%
s
s
s
r
t
r
e
e
n
y
e
h
r
o
c
l
a
p
Pa
e
T
Em
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
% saying
students have
needed work
skills ("Where
Are We Now"
2003 PAF)
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Work/College Skills: What’s Needed vs. What’s Taught
100%
80%
PAF Reality Check 2002-Percent giving high school grads “poor” or
“fair” ratings on:
73%75%
74%
69%
60%
72%
58%
63%65%
53%51%
49%
37%
basic
curiosity
math skills
respect
40%
20%
0%
writing
work
habits
motivation
Employers
Professors
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Understanding the Changing World (cont.)
2. CHANGES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE
LEARNING PROCESS
– Active Learning: “To understand is to invent”—
Montessori, Dewey, Piaget
– Diverse Learning Styles—Howard Gardner
– Exponential growth of information:
Memorizing facts
versus
Learning how to find, use, and apply knowledge
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Understanding the Changing World (cont.)
3. CHANGES IN THE REQUIREMENTS OF CITIZENSHIP:
CRITICAL THINKING, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CIVILITY
– Critical Thinking: Increasing complexity of issues
– Civic Engagement: Need for active and informed citizens
• 50% decline in voting & involvement in community efforts
– Civility: Importance of “Emotional Intelligence” or people
skills for work and citizenship
• An increasingly multicultural society requires
understanding different perspectives and cultures
• A more respectful dialogue is needed everywhere
• Students say there is a lack of respect in schools—only
41% say most of their teachers respect them
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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Understanding the Changing World (cont.)
4. CHANGES IN STUDENTS’ LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES:
– Diminished motivation to learn
• Less fear and respect for authority
• Fewer believe hard work = success = happiness
• “Shopping Mall” culture = passive consumption &
instant gratification
– Adults less present in students’ lives
• Students spend as much time alone as with friends
• Less than 5% of their time is spent with adults
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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“No shame, no blame, no excuses!”
Re-Framing the “problem”
SCHOOLS (TEACHERS AND
PARENTS) ARE NOT FAILING. THE
SYSTEM IS OBSOLETE.
***
REFORMING OUR PRESENT SYSTEM
ISN’T THE SOLUTION. WE NEED TO
REINVENT IT!
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, Harvard University
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“Reinventing” What & How We Teach:
The New 3 “R’s” for the 21st Century
• RIGOR
We need uniformly high academic standards for all students, while
allowing for different ways in which students can show mastery. Rigor
today is less about coverage and much more about mastery of core
competencies: analysis, communication, problem-solving, teamwork
• RELEVANCE
The traditional “college prep" academic curriculum doesn’t make sense
to many students and they are not motivated to mastery. The
curriculum has to be both challenging and connected to “real-world”
applications such as service & internships.
• RELATIONSHIPS/RESPECT
You can’t motivate a student you don’t know. There is no learning
without trust and respect, and neither are granted automatically by
today’s students. They must be earned.
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, CLG, Harvard University
12
“Reinventing” How We Work Together:
Creating “Communities of Practice”
• For Teachers:
– Work in small groups to analyze “problems of teaching practice” ie. looking
at individual students, student work, and teacher work
– Developing lessons collaboratively
– Observing one another teach and peer coaching
• For Principals
– Share and critique draft School Improvement Plans
– Discuss “problems of practice” and real “case studies” of teacher
supervision; role-play supervision conferences with teachers
– Plan “problem-solving” faculty meetings and seek feedback from teachers
• For Central Office
– Discuss “problems of practice” and real “case studies” of school and
principal supervision; role-play supervision conferences with principals
– Plan “problem-solving” Admin meetings and seek feedback from principals
and other staff on meetings as models of good teaching/learning
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, CLG, Harvard University
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Implications for Change Leadership
We do not know how to teach “all students new skills.” The
problem of “reinvention” requires the development of a
“knowledge-generating” culture and new leadership skills.
New Roles for School Leaders:
1) Ask the right questions, instead of having to have all the
answers
2) Resist being ‘reactive’; think systemically, work strategically
2) Model the behaviors you seek to encourage, such as seeking
feedback, trust, & respect
3) Create “communities of practice” for improving teaching,
leadership and collaborative problem-solving
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, CLG, Harvard University
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Sources/Resources/Further Readings
• Tony Wagner, Change Leadership: A practical Guide for Transforming our
Schools (JosseyBass, 2005) and Making The Grade: Reinventing America’s
Schools (New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2001.) See also:
www.schoolchange.org and a video on focus groups: “Creating
Community Consensus: Dialogues for Learning & Engagement”
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/ibc/tw.xml and “Listening to Student
Voices: What Schools Must Do To Succeed”
http://www.smallschoolsproject.org/index.asp?siteloc=resource&section=g
atesv
***
• Anthony S. Bryk and Barbara Schneider, Trust in Schools: A Core
Resource for Improvement (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2002)
• John Kotter, The Heart of Change (Cambridge: HBS Press, 2002)
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Reed Larson, Being Adolescent: Conflict and
Growth in the Teenage Years (New York: Basic Books, 1984)
• Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam, 1995.)
• Ron Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 1994)
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, CLG, Harvard University
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Sources/Resources/Further Readings
(cont.)
• Deborah Meier, The Power of Their Ideas (Boston: Beacon Press, 1996) &
In Schools We Trust (Beacon, 2002)
• Richard Murnane and Frank Levy, Teaching The New Basic Skills, (New
York: The Free Press, 1996,)
• Public Agenda Foundation, “Where We Are Now: 12 Things you Need to
Know About Public Opinion & Public Schools” (www.publicagenda.org)
• Robert Putman, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American
Community (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000)
• James W. Stigler & James Hiebert, The Teaching Gap, (New York: Free
Press, 1999)
• Wenger, E., & Snyder, W.M., “Communities of Practice: The Organizational
Frontier,” Harvard Business Review, January 2000
• Daniel Yankelovich: The Magic of Dialogue : Transforming Conflict into
Cooperation (New York: Touchstone, 1991)
© Copyright 2005 Tony Wagner, CLG, Harvard University
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