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Scoop.it!
"A new global report (pdf) by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development finds that Americans rank well below the worldwide average in just about every measure of skill. In math, reading, and technology-driven problem-solving, the United States performed worse than nearly every other country in the group of developed nations." 
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"The best type of curriculum for preparing students for the workforce is one that focuses on real-world problem-solving. It sounds simple, but for the first time, we have clearly established a link between students learning 21st century skills and future work success."
Beth Dichter's insight:
This report is based on a survey done by Gallup for Microsoft Learning and the Pearson Foundation. There are many findings of interest in this report. Three are below (quoted from the report). * The majority of respondents (59%) reported that they agree or strongly agree that they developed most of the skills they use in their current job outside of school. Only 15% disagree or strongly disagree, indicating they felt that they developed these skills in school. * Developing 21st century skills in the last year of school is positively correlated with higher perceived work quality later in life. In fact, those who have high 21st century skill development are twice as likely to have higher work quality compared to those who had low 21st century skill development. * Across the 21st century skills included in this study, real world problem-solving is the significant driver of higher work quality; however, less than two-thirds (63%) of respondents reported developing this skill often in the last year of school and that number drops to less than half (39%) for high school graduates Is your school providing students with these skills? The survey also noted that 59% of participants reported learning these skills outside the classroom. To go directly to the report: http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/162821/21st-century-skills-workplace.aspx.
Carolyn Williams's curator insight,
June 2, 2013 5:58 AM
Working in a corporate industry for twenty three years and seeing the rise of operators, school leavers would benefit from 21st technological studies and how that applies to the workplace.
Scoop.it!
"The U.S Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) posted a report for public comment: Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century. The report examines factors that can promote students’ capacity to strive for and succeed at fulfilling long-term and higher-order goals and persist in the face of challenges and setbacks they will encounter throughout schooling and life. The report aims to identify critical themes, questions, conclusions, and recommendations around theory, measurement, and the design of learning environments, with an eye toward identifying potential new roles for technology."
Beth Dichter's insight:
This is a draft report. It does recommend a number of ways tha technology may play a role. Key ideas discussed in the report include (copied from the original post): 1. permit greater sophistication of assessment and adaptation to individual learning needs; 2. integrate different documents, textbook and multimedia materials, devices, and sources of information to provide supports to help students stay organized, manage time, and feel confident; and 3. enable students and teachers to utilize an unprecedented wealth of online and digital resources. This post from Getting Smart includes some additional information and suggests that you check out page 50 of the report where they provide a summary table that "compares types of programs (school readiness, reform models, informal learning, and digital environments) with grade level appropriateness, setting, focus, and evidence." There is also a link to the report which you may download as a pdf.
Scoop.it!
This post begins "The common understanding is that if students work hard in school they earn "A’s." For many however, there is a much straighter route to that "A." Some of the most creative learners are able to figure out what the course expectations are and do the minimum to meet them, and get the grade they want." What happens to students that are bored with the curriculum? What would happen if we moved away from grades, and replaced them with badges? It turns out that there is evidence from a July 2012 report called "Do Schools Challenge Our Students?" This report states "Many schools are not challenging students and large percentages of students report that their work is 'too easy.'" The post also provides some statistical information. The final portion looks at badges vs grades. It notes that switching from "traditional letter grades or percentage grades to badges signifying achievement could open up many possibilities for a more fine-grained tracking of student progress, address some of the criticisms regarding schools not teaching concrete skills, and motivate students to learn" (with additional information also included).
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From
mashable
Online gaming among tween girls is on the rise, as more are turning to the web to take quizzes and participate in role-playing challenges. "A new report by tween gaming platform GirlsgoGames.com found that about 50% of tween girls between the ages of 8 and 12 are turning to the Internet for entertainment and social gaming. In addition, the amount of time tween girls spend playing games each month has more than doubled over the last year, from 38 minutes a month to 1 hour and 18 minutes." If you would like to read the report, The State of Online Gaming Among Tween Girls in the U.S. Q1 2012 go to http://www.spilgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/StateOfGamingTweenGirls_US_Q1_2012.pdf ;
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Scoop.it!
"Have you ever wondered why students choose the books that they do? Renaissance Learning explored this question in the fifth-edition What Kids Are Reading report, which lists the top 40 books read by students in grades 1-12 in the 2011-2012 school year. Rankings are based on the Accelerated Reader database, the largest of its kind, which houses reading records for students who read 283 million books."
Beth Dichter's insight:
This post links to a page that will provide you access to the full report, the infographic (part of which is above), and a report summary. The full report also includes: * Caldecott and Newbury winners from 1922 to present * A selection of the Common Core State Standards exemplars There have been many shifts in reading over the last 100 years, and one shift is that the complexity of required reading has decreased. To learn more check any of the resources found through this link. If you prefer an oral version from NPR you can listen to (or read) a short piece aired on June 11th, 2013 called "What Kids are Reading, In School and Out" at http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/06/11/190669029/what-kids-are-reading-in-school-and-out.
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Beth Dichter's insight:
Digital Learning Now has released their 2012 Digital Learning Report Card. This report looked at 10 areas to create an overall score for each state. The image above is of an interactive map that allow you to see how each state scored on each of the 10 areas. The 10 areas that are scored are: Student Eligibility, Student Access, Personalized Learning, Advancement, Quality Content, Quality Instruction, Quality Choices, Assessment and Accountability, Funding and Delivery. You click on your state and each area will be scored, as well as a final score provided. A quick look at the image above tells you that there is room for improvement for most states. For the full report go to: http://www.digitallearningnow.com/wp-content/uploads/reportcard/2012/2012ReportCard.pdf.
Scoop.it!
An infographic from the National Center for Women & Information Technology that provides statistics on how women/girls are represented in information technology. Some of the numbers: * The US Department of Labor estimates that by 2020 there will be more than 1.4 million computing-related job openings. At current rates, however, we can only fill about 30% of those jobs with U.S. computing bachelor's grads. Girls represent a valuable, mostly untapped talent pool. If you would like more detailed information check out the report at: http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/girlsinit_thefacts_fullreport2012.pdf.
Scoop.it!
"Virtually everyone agrees that teacher evaluation in the United States needs an overhaul. Existing systems rarely help teachers improve or clearly distinguish those who are succeeding from those who are struggling. This report, (published by the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Eduation), outlines an integrated approach that connects these goals to a teaching-career continuum and a professional development system that supports effectiveness for all teachers at every stage of their careers. To go directly to the pdf:
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The statistics in this report are eye-opening. It shows that Americans have trouble with words, numbers and technology-driven problem solving. In all areas "the United States performed worse than nearly every other country in the group of developed nations."
This post provides five graphs:
* Literacy Proficiency Among 16 - 65 Year Olds
* Numeracy Profiency Among Adults
* Profiency in Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments Among Adults
* Profiency in Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments Among Young Adults
* Problem Solving Profiency Among Younger and Older Adults
You will also find a link to the full report from the OECD (which is 466 pages in length) so if you want more information it is readily available.