Post submitted by Whole Child Bloggers Laura Berry and Josh Sanchez.
What’s the answer to America’s educational woes? Madonna. Lots and lots of Madonna.
Yong Zhao, distinguished professor at Michigan State University and author of the ASCD book Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization, used Madonna as an example of how the United States needs to capitalize on the national spirit of individuality to maintain a lead in worldwide innovation rather than continue trending toward more centralized testing and national standards.
In his March 6 session at ASCD’s Annual Conference, Zhao spoke to over a thousand educators about his book and the underlying premise that as the world globalizes, education must move to a more holistic approach to retain America’s competitive edge. In essence, the United States must lead the world in cultivating the whole child, a pioneering educational approach that urges creative and analytical thinking.
Ensuring students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged are the tenets of ASCD’s whole child approach to improving U.S. education. As Zhao explained, international lists have placed numerous countries above the U.S. educational system, but those comparative lists should not mean that the United States needs to mimic another country’s academic approach.
Zhao specifically cites how China is changing from a regimented, standards-based testing system to an educational system based in creativity and critical-thinking skills. Also, Zhao shared research stating that six out of the nine countries that have a higher international ranking in education maintain a lower quality of life compared to the United States
Read more about how Zhao stressed adopting a whole child approach to our schools by implementing personalized learning, increasing academic challenges, and involving the community over at Inservice, the ASCD blog. For more information on challenging students, visit Zhao’s author page and follow him on Twitter @yzhaomsu.
