What jobs will be available to them that haven’t even been conceived of today? What technology will be current when they graduate? What skills will these students need to thrive in a world that grows smaller and more interconnected? How will they compete with workers from around the world? Today there are dozens of jobs and career paths that didn’t exist even fifteen years ago such as web development, informatics, robotics, computer forensics, and biological engineering. These are just a few of the questions we are considering as we think about the future of education for our students.
As a district, we are beginning a conversation with parents and community around Vision 2020, our initiative to transform our schools for students so they are prepared to thrive in the 21st century. The initial focus is on secondary learning in particular – experiences in junior high and high school. Of course, we realize that secondary adjustments can only be successful if elementary education supports the same goals, but initially, our planning work is focused on secondary schools. The educational structures and processes for secondary education we currently use were developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, appropriate for the needs of the day. In Lake Washington, our teachers and staff do an amazing job preparing our students. But they are doing it in a system that has become increasingly irrelevant for the lives that our students will lead. Our students can’t expect a 19th or 20th century education system to equip them to face the 21st century world.
There are some experts and organizations looking at the kinds of skills needed now and in the future. Among a number of them, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, is working on how to infuse these skills into today’s education system. They have developed a vision for 21st century learning they believe can be used to strengthen American education.
The kinds of outcomes identified by the Partnership include aptitudes such as critical thinking and problem solving skills; information, media and technology skills; flexibility; and adaptability. They don’t forget about the basics: reading, writing and mathematics are just as critical as ever. They also include global awareness and financial and economic literacy in the core subjects. This is one of several valuable resources for us to draw upon as we think about the future.
Vision 2020 will provide outcomes for our students to ensure that they are “future ready” when they leave our system. It will also give educators and the larger community a roadmap for the future of education in Lake Washington. Over the next 12-18 months, we will engage educators and our larger community to discuss which outcomes we want for today’s kindergarteners when they graduate in the year 2020 and to begin developing a plan to get there.
Currently the district’s board of directors is focusing their “linkage” sessions on Vision 2020 to listen to the community around the future of Lake Washington education. The board has been hosting “linkage” sessions for several years to stay connected with the larger community on strategic issues. The board has already held one session with the parents of students in kindergarten through second grade, and will be hosting a session of secondary student parents in January. Sessions will also be conducted with secondary students this spring that will add to the information collected last year from businesses and college staff.
Within the district, faculty and staff are discussing what changes are required to best prepare students for the future. At Lake Washington High School, for example, a group of teachers has been looking at models from school districts across the country that are rethinking their systems and teaching practice to identify new ideas that may be appropriate for Lake Washington. This is especially important at Lake Washington as the school will be modernized over the next several years with a new facility opening in the fall of 2011. If the school building needs substantive changes to support a new way of teaching or grouping high school students, now is the best chance to make those changes.
The development of Vision 2020 is not a one-year effort. It is my goal that by the end of next school year (2008-2009) we will have a clear picture of what we think a 21st century education should look like and we will be planning to get there. Changes in secondary education take time and require deliberate investments. You can’t change graduation requirements, for example, without leaving enough time, years even, for students to meet them. There must be enough time allotted so that students in the “pipeline” are not at a disadvantage, while at the same time we must implement quickly enough to address the changing needs of our students, culture, and economy. Students in the class of 2020 will be in seventh grade, the beginning of their Lake Washington secondary education, in just under seven years. While it may seem like that’s plenty of time for us to make significant changes, it will be here before we know it.
I’m excited by the opportunity we will have to shape our secondary education in ways that will equip our students for the challenges of this century. This work will challenge our notion of what education is, how students learn, what skills and aptitudes students need, and how it all fits together. Today’s kindergarteners depend on our getting it right. Our community and the nation at large are depending on us to get it right as well. I welcome your partnership with us as we embark on this journey.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chip Kimball
Superintendent
Lake Washington School District