Pre-Ramble: As a grantwriter specializing in education-related issues, the primary goal of nearly every project I work on is to “increase academic achievement in underperforming student groups,” also known as, “closing the achievement gap.”  

Do the math.  A concerted effort to foster high academic achievement for students as they prepare to join the “college and career ready, 21st-Century, multicultural workforce” totally makes sense … I mean, … we need kids to have a firm grasp on the 3 R’s — reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic (… and if there is a catchy word for “technology” that starts with an “r” I would throw that in here too … ) if they’re going to land decent jobs, support themselves and their families, and become active productive members of our local and national (and international) communities.

2+2=4 … So, this “high academic achievement” that everybody is talking about really means that kids are getting passing scores on standardized tests in reading and math. You remember those tests – two fun-filled days of sitting at your desk with a couple of sharpened #2 pencils filling in bubbles on the sacred Answer Sheets.  Well, so, ok … I’m not here to quibble about standardized testing (I’m happy to do that another time, though … ) … Let’s say every kid in America, black/white, rich/poor, is suddenly able to ace these tests.  …  A+++, … WOW! … Done.  … Achievement gap closed. … No child is left behind!

Now what?

Here’s where we open up the conversation about creativity and innovation. You can’t swing a copy of Harvard Business Review over your head without hitting a bunch of claims around “innovative” this and “breakthrough thinking” that.  Business leaders, policy makers and educators are rapidly becoming aware that the ability to innovate is where the true competitive advantage lies.  A kid can read Catcher in the Rye and solve for “Q” until they are blue in the face, but until these activities are part of a larger solution set, they pretty much exist in isolation. 

Alarming then, is the statistic cited in a recent WSJ article, “Americans scores on a commonly used creativity test fell steadily from 1990 to 2008, especially in the kindergarten through sixth-grade age group.”

The finding is based on a study of 300,000 children scores from 1966 to 2008 on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, a standardized test that’s considered a benchmark for creative thinking … The Torrance tests have been used in the U.S. and abroad for decades … and are considered a reliable indicator of divergent thinking — the ability to generate many different, new and appropriate ideas … (WSJ, 12-15-10, p. D2)

Yikes. Our kids are getting a failing grade in creativity?!?  Shoot. Is there some extra credit we can do? A professor of creative studies and gifted education at the University of Georgia believes that students have “as much creative potential as ever,” but that our education system is doing a D+ job of recognizing and supporting it.  Experts have also begun to advance the idea that creativity in and of itself is only part of the equation and that equal importance needs to be given to learning how to select the best ideas as they apply to specific problems. Learning to work collaboratively with others to arrive at creative solutions is also an important skill set.

Purple hair.  So, what are the qualities we’re looking for in a creative kid?  Does “creative” mean “artsy”? … Or, silly? … Or, odd?  Is it that wild kid who is bouncing off the walls and throwing things? … Is it the kid who is randomly tinkering with three paper clips he found on the floor under his desk? … Is it the kid who is staring out the window, oblivious to the directed learning going on in the classroom? … The kid with purple hair?

All of the above.  I would like to believe that all of these kids have the right stuff to be creative in their own sphere of capability. And, I don’t think there is any test that can separate out the “creative kids” from the, what? … “NOT creative” kids?  Show me a kid who is engaged in an activity that they feel passionate about, … reptiles, outer space, video games (game theory?), cooking, cartoons, photography, spreadsheets (I’ve seen some pretty creative things happening on spreadsheets … ) … whatever; and I’ll show you a creative kid. The trick is getting a kid to the place where they can discover and engage with the things that spark their interest. 

The Take-Away: Any grantwriter worth her salt knows that successful project outcomes are the flip side of well articulated project goals. If you aren’t addressing it at the beginning, you’re sure not going to see any of it in the end. 

If we, as individuals and as a nation in the context of a competitive global society, need workers/citizens who are able to wield their energy and grasp of basic knowledge to generate new ideas and drive new ways to address the challenges we face, then we need to actively cultivate that. Bottom line — we need to put policy and funding into the outcomes we want to see.

Let’s find some RFP’s that are looking for innovative ways to foster high creative achievement for students as they prepare to join the college and career ready, 21st-Century, multicultural workforce — I’ll write ‘em up.

Pre-Ramble: The next in a tidy little series of blog posts I had planned about the Project Zero conference  was going to feature the power of the learning environment. I was going to talk about how inspiring, and reverent really, it was to partake in lofty discussions around the imperative of education with such a cast of renown experts and among such ”historically significant” works of art. 

As is the case with most museums of mention, Washington’s National Gallery is a splendid receptacle for artwork of all sorts. The playful interior atrium hosts a variety of works … from the spindly Giacometti sculpture striding across an upper walkway, to the gnarly human bust made of roots and branches (at right), to a colorful Calder mobile dangling overhead. This  environment provided a rich backdrop for our various explorations into the critical dynamics of teaching and learning for the 21st Century.

“Global competence” – Our lectures were filled with theoretical views on the optimal “mindsets” for teachers and students. We addressed the role of education to not only facilitate employability for a competitive global marketplace, but also to impart a sense of  actual “global competence” in future generations. We talked about the need to nurture students … to prepare them for the world they will inherit and the issues they will be called upon to resolve –economically, culturally, environmentally, … digitally. In the moment, this line of reasoning made complete sense. It felt important, valuable, proactive and scholarly.

Cut to a rickety, threadbare seat in an urban movie theater in the heart of uptown Minneapolis. The vintage venue was sprinkled with patrons who had come out on a cold November evening to see a documentary about education called “Waiting for Superman.” (Two yahoos who mistakenly came dressed in tights and a cape walked out after the opening credits.) Awarded audience honors for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, Waiting for Superman portrays a dramatic account of a “broken” education system as seen through the experience of five low-income students and their families.

“Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education “statistics” have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of [the film]. As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes,” methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems.” – Sundance

Other reviews include:

“… powerful, passionate, and potentially revolution-inducing.” – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

” … the film is never less than buoyant, thanks largely to the dedicated and effective teachers on whom Guggenheim focuses.” – Variety

“ … a stunning liberal expose of a system that consigns American children who most need a decent education to our most destructive public schools.”  – William McGurn, WSJ op ed

“It’s hard to deny the power of Guggenheim’s lingering shots on these children.” – Scott Bowles, USA Today

“What struck me most of all was Geoffrey Canada’s confidence that a charter school run on his model can make virtually any first-grader a high school graduate who’s accepted to college. A good education, therefore, is not ruled out by poverty, uneducated parents or crime- and drug-infested neighborhoods. In fact, those are the very areas where he has success.” – Roger Ebert

“I urge you all to drop everything and go see the documentary “Waiting For Superman” at the earliest opportunity.” – Melik Kaylan, Forbes

The Take-Away: The contrast between education theory and education reality is striking. On the one hand, we’re mingling among Monets and Harvard academians to consider, in hushed tones, various analyses, syntheses and matrices. While on the other, we witness the breathless angst of defiantly hopeful parents as they wait in a crowded chaotic gymnasium to see if their child has been plucked up by fortune  – a lottery with very remote odds – to receive an opportunity to attend a “good” school, … an opportunity for a ”good” education, … a good life.

Where is the disconnect?  Superman?  Are you out there? Or, are you sitting in a classroom at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, waiting to finish up a few straggling classes before commencing to swoop in and save the American education system?  Hopefully, you are not struggling in a supply room somewhere, overcome by the evil educational kryptonite.

Pre-Ramble: I know a lot of words. I mean, as a writer I use them in one way or another practically every day, … so, I’m always intrigued/annoyed when I come across a word I don’t know. A quick scan of materials for the Project Zero conference that I attended last week, revealed that a whole bunch of “plenary sessions” were on the agenda.  

Huh?  … All those years of Latin for naught?! I could deduce from the placement of the term at the beginning and end of each daily session that these sessions were likely some kind of overview or wrap-up to the day’s events … and maybe “plen” was a close cousin of “plan,” … But the exact definition of “plenary” was still foggy. Wikipedia to the rescue – corroborating the general assumptions …

Plenary session is a term often used in conferences to define the part of the conference when all members of all parties are to attend. These sessions may contain a broad range of content from keynotes to panel discussions and are not necessarily related to a specific style of delivery. The term has been used in the teaching profession to describe when information is summarized. This often encourages class participation.

Good. Neat. Yep …  this is pretty much what went on in all those pre-plenary and post-plenary sessions. I had no problem with it. In fact, I have come to like the terminology and, like a 3rd grader who has learned a new word, use it whenever possible. (Plenary, plenary, plenary.)

So, the conference.  Project Zero, the host of the 3-day event, describes itself as, “an educational research group at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University,” the mission of which is to “understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.” 

To enhance your understanding on that — the basic premise of Project Zero is to foster effective teaching and learning by using a set of simple “thinking routines.”  Thinking and the process of discovery can be made more “visible and knowable” by using a specific line of inquiry around, “seeing, thinking and wondering”  to engage students and reveal a “bigger picture.”  This learning model presents students with a problem or issue — a piece of artwork, science experiment, or even a math problem – and then prompts them to audibly answer the questions, “What do you see?” (just the facts) …. “What do you think?” (reasoning around the problem) …. and, ”What do you wonder?” (what questions come up for you about this).  Course materials describe the dynamic …

“Thinking has generally been invisible or done in isolation … the visible parts were only seen on tests and quizzes, by which time it [is likely] too late to make a mid-course correction … Thinking routines empower all the students, supporting differentiated instruction as each student gets to respond at his or her level of understanding … sometimes concrete thinking, sometimes abstract … nevertheless, students get to see the different ways of interpretation of the same concept, reflect on their thinking, learn from each other, and ultimately deepen their understanding.”

The Take-Away:  True to mission, the conference itself was a blend of big room lectures and small group discussions, each based on both broad lofty topics and focused concrete experiences. Over the course of the next few blog posts, I would like to share other aspects of the conference including the outstanding keynote speakers, the exceptional learning venues provided by the National Gallery and the Washington International School, and the vibrant overarching energy imparted by the greater Washington D.C. environment.

After that, we will have a closing Plenary Session.

Pre-Ramble:  Just the sound of the word “innovation” gives me a rush of energy that rises up out of a cross section of art, science and the romantic notions of resourcefulness and hard work. Over the past decade, this glorified word has been slapped all over everything from business schools to soap, claiming the “frontier spirit” and trading on its appeal to dreamers and pragmatists alike. 

There is growing concern, however, that the U.S. prowess for innovation is in danger, and that steps must be taken to ”reclaim our edge.”  John C. Lechleiter, chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company expounds upon that sentiment in a recent Opinion page article (WSJ, 7/9/10, p. A17).

A stream of inventions helped make the 20th century the American century … Unfortunately, America’s economy is in danger of losing what has always been our greatest competitive advantage – our genius for innovation. … A recent study ranked the U.S. 6th among the top 40 industrialized nations in innovative competitiveness, but 40th out of 40 in the rate of change in innovative capacity … In other words, we’re at serious risk of falling behind.”

(Forgive me if I’m missing something here, but how much farther behind can we fall if we’re already dead last?)

Building capacity. In crafting a turnaround plan, Lechleiter talks about an “ecosystem” of conditions that are required to foster an environment of innovation, among them the “seeds of innovation” meaning, us human beings with our talent and energy, creativity and insights, “…  a priceless resource and one that is woefully underdeveloped in this country.” Lechleiter goes on to suggest that, along with simplified immigration policies and adequate funding for our research infrastructure, one way to bolster America’s “capacity for innovation” is to step up the rigors of science and math instruction in our schools.

At the recent Apsen Ideas Festival, education gurus like Bill Gates, Jeffrey Canada, and Howard Gardner discuss the future of education in America. They suggest all kinds of great ideas, innovative ideas even, that strive to engage young people in real learning and give them the tools they will need for a successful future. They talk about innovative models for reform … a longer school day, … an articulated curriculum, … more rigorous testing, … accountability for results, … teacher quality and parent involvement.  Certainly, these are all important elements in a high-quality education, and important building blocks for innovation as well.

Jack Hidary, a successful innovator/entrepreneur in the tech and finance camp, former philosophy and neuroscience student at Columbia University, and also a speaker at this year’s Aspen Festival, puts things in another perspective, 

“Problem-solving is not correlated with grade scores on a transcript.”

Science and reading and math – Oh my!  Sure, high performance in math and science (and reading ) are critical skill sets that must be nurtured in the well-rounded innovator, but so too are the critical traits of curiosity, independence and engagement. What is going to actually engage these kids?  Why are they going to want to sit in the classroom longer and take harder courses?  What is going to get them excited to come to school and apply themselves?  To get excited about learning?  How are they going to find what they are looking for in life unless they are given an opportunity to access their their imagination, their chi, their passion, their hidden sources of motivation? What is going to compel these students to shift their internal paradigm such that they see barriers and obstacles as exciting ”challenges to be overcome”?

Follow the yellow brick road.  Sometimes the answer is to go off of the beaten path and find yourself in a whole new place … maybe even one with rainbows, a tin man and ruby slippers (awesome, magical sparkliness shown above). Problem-solving – a gateway to innovation – involves critical thinking, exploration, resourcefulness and creativity. Future  innovators need to develop the motivation and capacity to snoop around … to follow their whims … listen to their gut, and rely on instinct and insight to make new connections among an infinite sea of random data points.

We need to provide kids with opportunities to venture down the yellow brick road … to get out of the black and white and see the world in color on a regular basis. In addition to a crabby Auntie Em and high winds, Dorothy’s data points were facilitated by her encounters with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.  The future entrepreneur needs a firm understanding of math and science and literature, AND art and music and team-work and a whole bunch of other random and wonderful things.

The Take-Away: We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Like Oz and the Fab 4, our the world is spinning and we need to figure out a way to make sense out of it. If we are to have any hope of rebuilding the American capacity for innovation, we need to engage and “nurture the seeds” in new ways. … Even clicking our societal heels in a spanking new pair of sparkly red shoes isn’t going to help us find our way back to innovation if we continue to ignore the critical role that the arts and extracurricular activities play in human engagement and continue to undervalue (cut funding for) them in our public and educational environments.

Pre-Ramble:  So, I am totally tardy in weighing in on President Obama’s message to the nation’s schoolchildren yesterday.  The thing is, I am actually so stunned by the reaction of those who object to the president’s speech to students, even more so of those who object to the president addressing students at all, that I can barely pull my thoughts together. 

In his speech, President Obama draws upon personal experiences and makes the case for the role of education in a successful life.

He highlights education as the great equalizer and speaks to the challenges faced by young people in a media culture that often presents an unrealistic view of the world and can serve as a distraction from the knowledge, skills, habits and attitudes which would advance the likelihood of a successful future in it. 

The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And, you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.”

What parent doesn’t want their child to hear that message?  What parent doesn’t want their child to work hard and stay in school?  What parent would rather take their child OUT OF SCHOOL, than have them listen to the president of the United States give an18 minute pep talk around the importance of education and personal responsibility?  (Are they as vigilant about what their kids are listening to the other 1,422 minutes in a day?) What parent doesn’t want their child to hear new ideas; ideas that might be counter to the ones that they hear at home?  What parent/American citizen doesn’t want their child to be more engaged in what is going on in their community, country and world?

Parents who don’t want their children to listen to the president talk about the value of education are, at the very least, missing a teachable moment — an opportunity to talk to their kids about the things that matter to them, to share their own perspectives on issues and invite their children to think for themselves about the things that are happening around them.

The Take-Away:  The more I think about it, the more I want my child to listen to that speech twice.

Pre-Ramble: In the aftermath of the global finance fest in Davos, Switzerland, business and political leaders from around the world continue to wring their collective hands in search of policy level solutions to curb what is rapidly being identified as the most serious global recession since the 1930s. They’re asking themselves and each other where all this is going and what it will take to kick-start the growth needed to end it.

If American businesses and the new administration have anything to say about it, economic recovery will involve an elephant gun of bail-outs followed by a whole bunch of ”innovation.”  Intel recently ran a front-page ad in the WSJ headlined, “Today’s education. Tomorrow’s innovation,” proposing that education is the key to solving global challenges and tossing $120 million into the ring for science fairs and youth outreach. In the same issue, Shell (oil and gas) stressed the role of innovation in solving our most challenging problems stating, “In the new energy future, if it doesn’t exist, we’ll need to invent it.”  They go on to concede that “it won’t be easy; but innovative solutions rarely are.” …

Ok… sure, leaving the specifics of Shell’s renewable energy policy aside, there seems to be some kind of effort here to speak to the need for a new way of thinking. It’s one thing to invoke the “i-word”, quite another however to actually bring it about. If our political and business leadership is looking to innovation to drive economic recovery, they better take a closer look at the investments they’re making in education.

The Big Disconnect: Meanwhile, back in Minnesota… (Yes, yes, we’re still shuffling those disputed ballots around…) Governor Tim Pawlenty champions the state’s “world-class” public education system and competitive workforce, while delivering repeated body blows to state funding for the arts. Similarly, Massachusetts’ Brandeis University, proclaims art to be “the great legacy of human accomplishment, essential to interdisciplinary learning” as its curators prepare to sell off the entire collection from its esteemed Rose Art Museum — long regarded as an important teaching resource. If kids in the K-12 and higher education pipeline aren’t equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to think about things in new ways (creativity), how on earth are they supposed to merge into the workforce ready to innovate?

The Take-Away: If an innovative workforce is the goal, then step up policies and practices that foster creative thinking in the learning experience of kids. Gee,… there’s an innovative idea! 

One way we could do that is by teaching kids, beginning on the first day of pre-school, to explore ideas in different ways… maybe using shape, color, light, shadow, spacial relationships, connections, perceptions, dynamics, systems, motion, movement, tone, harmonics, intervals, blending, etc. … It could be embedded in the daily curriculum and an integral part of their everyday learning all the way up to grade 12. We could expose students to the work of great thinkers and craftsmen, and help them uncover the connections between societies and their forms of expression and invention. We could inspire children to think in new ways and prepare them to compete in a global economy. We could make this kind of creativity content a priority at the state and national levels …  We could call it art innovation education.