A disheartening article appeared yesterday in Fortune magazine, which described America’s young adults’ lack of basic academic and occupational skills. Compared to other nations, we are far behind in a variety of categories. The company that administered the test, the Princeton-based Educational Testing Service, in a fascinating and sad review of the data, reports that “Millennials in the U.S. fall short when it comes to the skills employers want most: literacy (including the ability to follow simple instructions), practical math, and...problem-solving.”
While many may think that this should provide an impetus for making college more accessible, that is not necessarily a solution. Their report goes on to say, “While it is true that, on average, the more years of schooling one completes, the more skills one acquires, this report suggests that far too many are graduating high school and completing postsecondary educational programs without receiving adequate skills.” It’s not that our students are not going to high levels of schooling; it’s that they aren’t learning much while they are there.
We teachers need to do a better job of pushing our students harder not just to survive high school or to simply attend college, but to actually demonstrate highly competent skills. We need to send out into the world smart, capable, creative, skilled, talented, curious, and resilient young people that will shape American and global industries for decades to come. We can’t do that by letting everyone slide by. Don’t just desire excellence from students—demand it.
And you students out there, don’t be so quick blame your teachers. It’s up to you to get serious about how the world works. Most companies don’t care where you got your diploma. And they don’t care that you may have had a decent GPA. (Rampant grade inflation has made most high grades virtually meaningless.) They just want to see how skilled you are. Can you read and write at a professional level? Can you think analytically and creatively to solve real problems? Are you willing to learn and able to follow directions? Can you produce quality work, not just when you feel like it, but every single day? It’s up to you, not your parents or your friends or your teachers, to make yourself into a respectable, productive, hirable worker.
Despite the miraculous advancements in recent technologies, the world still runs as it always has: on the aptitude of the human brain and the adeptness of human hands. Get smart. Get skilled. Get to work.
While many may think that this should provide an impetus for making college more accessible, that is not necessarily a solution. Their report goes on to say, “While it is true that, on average, the more years of schooling one completes, the more skills one acquires, this report suggests that far too many are graduating high school and completing postsecondary educational programs without receiving adequate skills.” It’s not that our students are not going to high levels of schooling; it’s that they aren’t learning much while they are there.
We teachers need to do a better job of pushing our students harder not just to survive high school or to simply attend college, but to actually demonstrate highly competent skills. We need to send out into the world smart, capable, creative, skilled, talented, curious, and resilient young people that will shape American and global industries for decades to come. We can’t do that by letting everyone slide by. Don’t just desire excellence from students—demand it.
And you students out there, don’t be so quick blame your teachers. It’s up to you to get serious about how the world works. Most companies don’t care where you got your diploma. And they don’t care that you may have had a decent GPA. (Rampant grade inflation has made most high grades virtually meaningless.) They just want to see how skilled you are. Can you read and write at a professional level? Can you think analytically and creatively to solve real problems? Are you willing to learn and able to follow directions? Can you produce quality work, not just when you feel like it, but every single day? It’s up to you, not your parents or your friends or your teachers, to make yourself into a respectable, productive, hirable worker.
Despite the miraculous advancements in recent technologies, the world still runs as it always has: on the aptitude of the human brain and the adeptness of human hands. Get smart. Get skilled. Get to work.