School change: creating the creative class
I just finished Richard Florida’s book Flight Of The Created Class. It’s a compelling book, along with his other book Rise Of The Creative Class, they are a must read for educators. Compelling evidence of the need for school change.
But I was disturbed … okay I know, that’s nothing new … that it entirely ignored the role of public education. It completely focused on the need to attract immigrants of all types, but especially immigrants in the creative class. It mentioned education in passing but it’s almost as if Dr. Florida has written off public education. In fact, rarely do I read a book today about society in the 21st century that there isn’t a discussion about overcoming the effects of education received in America.
From Dr. Florida’s viewpoint why would anyone assume that public education could produce students equipped for the creative class. Our entire focus is on raising standardized test scores, and our strategies almost completely ignore any practice that would foster and nurture creativity and innovation.
If public school educators don’t get their heads out we will become completely irrelevant in terms of preparing our students for their life in the 21st century.
And, in a state like Kansas, if we don’t figure out how to dramatically increase the percentage of our residents who are members of the creative class we, as a state, we will be relegated to second-class status. School change wouldn’t be just nice, it’s an imperative. – Steve Wyckoff
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Steve, could you please forward this (and any readings recommended) to Diane DeBaker (sp?) – she really is on a quest for change.
Steve you are right. We seem to have focused on testing and more testing. As an Kansas employer who creates creative products ( educational software ) let me tell you this. I have never asked an employee or a contractor how well they do on a test. OK – call me crazy. But really I have never asked a potential new hire how well they do taking tests. In fact, as ludicrous as it sounds I have never looked at an applicant’s SAT, ACT or State Assessment scores. In my reckless pursuit of people who can help my company grow and be creative problem solvers and innovators I do ask them to show me examples of what they have created. I ask them to explain to me the process they went through to create the work. I look for the confidence that someone gets from having succeeded or failed (yes failed) at doing, making, and creating. In Kansas we have a great deal to be proud of and we have a rich history of being a success. I wonder if we have become complacent. We do have it pretty good here and we have always done well. Maybe the lack of fear and the fact that as a state our education system has never been on the bottom has given us over to being OK with “pretty good”. I love what I do and I love where I live, but I do want to see us be the absolute best we can be. That will require us as a state to think differently.