Creative Schools

1. Chapter 1 Claim Statement #1: There is an ever-widening skills gap between what schools are teaching and what the economy actually needs.

1.1. IBM published a survey of what characteristics organization leaders need most in their staff. They spoke with 1500 leaders in 80 countries. The two priorities were adaptability to change and creativity in generating new ideas....standardized education can crush creativity and innovation,

1.2. 2008 35% of college graduates were unemployed, in June of 2013 it was up to 44%.

1.3. in 2014 the average student graduating from college after 4-6 years accumulated student loan debts between $20,000-$100,000

1.4. In 28 years between 1977-2005 more than 1 million jobs disappeared from the U.S. annually .

2. Chapter 1 Claim Statement #2: The Standards movement is not achieving the objectives it has set for itself. Meanwhile it is having catastrophic consequences on student engagement and teacher morale.

2.1. U.S. high school graduation rate is 75% ranking the United States 23/28 countries surveyed by the OECD

2.2. Despite NCLB and a push to close the "achievement gap", still in 2013 the executive director of the School Superintendents Association said that half of African-American and Latino students fail to graduate from high school.

2.3. Teacher attrition rate is high. More than 40% of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.

2.4. In the last 45 years, suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide and it is one of the three leading causes of death among those ages 15-44.

3. Chapter 2 Claim Statement #1: The problem with conformity in education is that people are not standardized to begin with

3.1. Like most industrious processes, industrialized education can generate great "waste" including disengagement, dropping out, low self-esteem, etc.

3.2. Industrial processes can create catastrophic problems in the environment and the same can be said of industrialized education; it creates messes left for other people to clean up such as taxes used for unemployment benefits or social programs for those who drop out or struggle after high school.

3.3. A narrow view of conformity creates a large number of nonconformists who are alienated by the system.

4. Chapter 2 Claim Statement #2: Education is not an industrial process at all; it is an organic one.

4.1. Granger Primary School totally reformatted their school culture and incorporated the idea of play and imaginative thinking to create engagement and foster learning. This proved very successful for their school. Their school performance went up to the top 5%.

4.2. Education is improved when its treated as a living system that fosters health, ecology, fairness and care.

5. Chapter 3 Claim Statement #1: Opportunities for change exist within every school, even where the emphasis on high-steaks testing has become extreme.

5.1. Finland is regularly at or near the to of the PISA rankings for math, reading, and science. They didn't follow the standardization movement. They follow broad curriculum requirement and principals/schools are given autonomy to run their schools as they see fit. There is a heavy focus on teacher training and support for schools. There is only one standardized test given before graduation. Collaboration and involvement in the community are also heavily emphasized.

5.2. Education is a complex system that includes a variety of students, parents, educators, employers, professionals, and commercial organizations, publishers, politicians and so on. With so much diversity with a given system, there must be diversity in how education is approached in different areas.

5.3. Two different drama programs. The second one had a longer lasting impact because it took into account the unique culture of each school it worked with.

6. Chapter 3 Claim Statement #2: Taking responsibility for change begins with acknowledging that change is within your power.

6.1. The Arts in School Project began to flourish because several schools throughout the U.K. put the recommendations presented into action their own way.

6.2. The heart of education is the relationship between the student and the teacher.

7. Chapter 4 Claim Statement #1: The reason that so many students struggle at school when they are natural learners is because of the function of system itself and the conventions that pervade it.

7.1. Sugata's experiment in India showed that children can learn on their own when given effective tools.

7.2. Many schools follow a rigid schedule of short periods in several classes each day with different teachers, being dismissed by a bell. These "organizational rituals and intellectual habits" don't allow students' true talents and abilities to be reflected.

7.3. Sir Robinson's sister attend school but enjoyed movement and classes where she could create much more. Because she didn't fit the mold that was expected, she was made to believe that her options were more limited. She became a successful hairdresser and found that she enjoyed working with people and is very organized.

7.4. Example of how the Everton Free School impacted the life of a student named Cullum by providing him with an opportunity to have a more personalized learning experience that focused on the real abilities of every student no matter their circumstance.

8. Chapter 4 Claim Statement #2: Its essential that all students have proper opportunities to explore the range of their abilities and sensibilities in school. This has fundamental implication for the structure and balance of the curriculum for everyone.

8.1. Students can be good at things without enjoying them. Education should include things they're passionate about to be in their element.

8.2. Students who struggle to memorize important dates/facts in school can sometimes memorize lyrics, movie quotes, etc. Their "bad memories in school could be due to low engagement, not lack of ability.

8.3. Students work at different paces and some activities require different amounts of time. Its not typical in the workforce to be interrupted and transitioned to a new activity every 40-90 minutes.

8.4. Children require free time to learn on their own, grow socially and develop skills to interact meaningfully in their culture.

9. Chapter 5 Claim Statement #1: It doesn't matter how detailed the curriculum is of how expensive the tests are; the real key to transforming education is the quality of teaching.

9.1. Study by John Hattie shows that at the top of students' list of factors that influence achievement are students' expectations of themselves and one of the most important factors is teacher's expectations of them.

9.2. The world's high performing systems of education by the PISA criteria puts huge value on the importance of well -trained, highly motivated, and well-compensated teachers.

9.3. Teachers fulfill three essential purposes for students: inspiration, confidence, and creativity.

9.4. Just like a doctor is expected to have a broad knowledge base but apply what they know to meet individual patients' needs; so teachers must use their skills and apply them to each individual student.

10. Chapter 5 Claim Statement #2: Creativity is possible in all areas of human life, in science, the arts, mathematics, technology, cuisine, teaching, politics, business...our creative powers can be cultivated and refined.

10.1. Example of Neil Johnston incorporated students into his brainstorming process for his full time job, he built relationships with students and incorporated some of the music they were listening to, he even brought in various bands for one day workshops to work with students. All of these things including the use of technology to get full participation, was successful in engaging students. Although he had no formal teacher training, his creativity and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge made his classroom successful.

10.2. Sal Khan developed Khan academy by accident when he was tutoring various family members and a friend suggested he make videos to make things run more efficiently. He demonstrated creativity by creating an environment for people from all different backgrounds and abilities to learn at their own pace through the use of technology.

10.3. The creators of asapSCIENCE turned teaching into entertainment by creating engaging videos about various science topics or questions asked by students.

11. Chapter 6 Claim Statement #1: The four basic purposed of education suggest eight core competencies that schools should facilitate: curiosity, creativity, criticism, communication, collaboration, composure, and citizenship

11.1. As challenges that students face become more complex, its increasingly more important that students learn to think creatively in order to problem-solve.

11.2. With the amount of information so prevalent in our every day life, the ability to analyze information and form reasonable arguments and judgements is extremely important.

11.3. Enabling young people to work together can enhance self-eteem, stimulate curiosity, heighten creativity, raise achievement and foster positive social behavior.

11.4. Many schools are experiencing the personal and community benefits of the regular practice of cultivating mindfulness and composure.

12. Chapter 6 Claim Statement #2:Conceiving of a curriculum in terms of disciplines opens up all the possibility of interdisciplinary activities. In the world outside schools, a great deal of what goes on is essentially interdisciplinary.

12.1. mathematics is a combination of methods and processes and of propositional knowledge.

12.2. The example of High Tech High was successful in raising student engagement and community involvement without focusing on isolated subjects for certain amounts of times. Different disciplines were blended together throughout projects.

12.3. The humanities overlap in many ways with the sciences and the arts, sharing with the arts the primary concern for understanding the human dimension of experience and with the sciences a concern for theoretical analysis, evidence, and explanation.

12.4. The success of Big Picture Learning and that extends beyond the classroom and into the community to allow students to encounter real-life scenarios while guided by volunteer mentors.

13. Chapter 7 Claim Statement #1: Critics of high-stakes testing are not questioning the need for assessment, which is vital part of education, but the form it now takes and the harm it is causing.

13.1. Pressure to perform well on standardized tests has reduced the range of assessments teachers use.

13.2. Monty Neil explains that testing requirements and the data derived from that is essentially colonizing the classroom and making it very hard for teachers to spend time on things that are important for students to know or be able to do do, or to engage their interest and attention.

13.3. An emphasis on testing hampers the ability to focus on students' natural creativity and entrepreneurial talents which might be exactly what the need to be independent later on.

14. Chapter 8 Claim Statement #1: For a school to excel, a third figure is critical: an inspired school leader who brings vision, skill, and a keen understanding of the kinds of environments where learners can want to learn.

14.1. Boston Arts Academy doesn't look at academics on their applications. They also don't look for formal training in different art fields, " We're looking for the kid who would flourish with the opportunity for formal training, but hasn't necessarily had that before". This makes opportunities more equitable for students who may not have had the funds to take formal training or whose programs may have been cut from school.

14.2. Richard Gerver eased his community into the changes at Grange. Everyone was very supportive because they had time and freedom to explore instead of having changes imposed on them without any input.

14.3. NASSP addressed three major areas that found every school leader needs to address: collaborative leadership, personalizing their school envirnoment, and curriculum, instruction, and assessment to impfore student perfromnce.

15. Chapter 8 Claim Statement #2: At their best, schools are living communities of individuals who come together in as hared venture of learning and development. How well they do this is all about the culture of the school.

15.1. The key to Hampstead Comprehensive school's success was challenging accepted habits in school culture and to developing ways of being together that were customized to the needs and interests of the school's particular community.

15.2. A+ schools program showed that the presence of three main drivers to transform any school setting are: principal leadership, a faculty willing to engage in the change, and quality professional development.

16. Chapter 9 Claim Statement #1: Parents' engagement in their children's education has a direct relationship to motivation and achievement, regardless of socioeconomic standing or cultural background.

16.1. The New Wave of Evidence report found that when parents, "talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, help them plan for college, and make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, their children do better in school"

16.2. University of Chicago report says that "parent community ties" are on of the "five essential supports" for success in reform.

16.3. Evidence seems to indicate that home schooled students tend to out perform their peers on academic achievement tests and the SAT.

17. Chapter 9 Claim Statement #2: By connecting with families, schools can understand more deeply the interests and characters of the students they teach.

17.1. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children are more likely to go to school more regularly, stay in school longer, like school more, get better grades, have higher graduation rates, and enroll in post secondary education.

17.2. When they build positive partnerships with families and listen to their ideas and concerns about heir children's education, schools tend to create better and more successful learning environments.

17.3. Inviting parents or others from the community into the classroom can increase engagement, provide "expert" knowledge, and foster community.

18. Chapter 10 Claim Statement #1: Just as teachers and principals should create the conditions for growth for their own students and communities, the role of policymakers is to create similar conditions for the networks of schools and communities they are appointed to serve.

18.1. Example of Peter Gamwell reaching out to the community and receiving several creative initiatives.

18.2. Breaking down barriers and bringing people in from the outside can provide a completely different perspective.

18.3. There are several examples from around the world that are currently going on in Argentina, China, Scotland, the Middle East and more where a push is being made against standardization and towards personalization.

18.4. Evidence

19. Chapter 10 Claim Statement #2: There are many obstacles to transforming education including inherent conservatism of institutions, including schools themselves, some with conflicting views about the sorts of changes that are needed, some with culture and ideology, and some with political self-interest.

19.1. Resistance to change can be strong among school communities.

19.2. Political ambitions can drive focuses on standardized test scores.

19.3. Politicians can be drawn to command and control instead of giving schools freedom and permission to break old habits.