Gardner letter: Education
I recently watched XQ Super School, a live broadcast that was on all four major U.S. networks. It addressed how America’s high schools are not keeping pace with many other countries. What’s worse is Idaho is ranked one of the lowest in our country. Watching this broadcast brought to my attention that American high schools have primarily been unchanged for over 100 years. It’s clear we all have a lot of work to do.
In the 1900s it made sense for schools to prepare kids for factory work. But in 2017, Idaho’s youth need to develop skills such as critical thinking and solving complex problems creatively and collaboratively. They need to develop skills that will allow them to apply the information they acquire in traditional subject areas like English, math and science. Are students in Idaho ready for the 21st century? The jobs our kids will be seeking will look completely different than those of today or in the past. Information technology is spurring change, and Idaho’s education system must adjust. I believe it’s time we advocate for our kids and their future and rethink high school.
David K. Gardner, Meridian
This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 12:38 AM with the headline "Gardner letter: Education."