Educating for future needs: District leadership trains in adapting approach
What will the world look like by the time this fall’s kindergarten class graduates high school?
How much has the job market changed in recent years and what attributes will be needed to succeed in the future?
These were central questions guiding discussion for the Red Hook Central School District’s annual administrative retreat.
District officials and school building leaders convened for two days of introspection and analysis earlier this month. Among other topics, they examined not just what students learn but how that should change to meet post-graduate needs.
“We have a lot to be proud of and thankful for as we enter another school year,” Dr. Janet Warden, superintendent of schools, said. “We need to celebrate our successes while we pursue continuous improvement. In addition, we need to understand the importance of being adaptable and flexible in our organization as we to teach our children that skill.”
Ray McNulty, President and Senior Fellow for the Successful Practices Network, guided the Red Hook leaders through a discussion on how education relates to the rapidly shifting landscape of employment.
“The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school,” he said in a presentation. “What our students need to be successful has changed.”
McNulty stressed the need for education in building skills rather than focusing on the relay of information. Employers, he said, are increasingly less interested in what traditional degrees a job candidate may have, and more interested in the cogitative and interpersonal skills that create nimble problem-solvers who can adapt to changing technological landscapes.
McNulty also discussed the steps an educational leadership team must take to transform their approach to create sustainable change. “To give young people hope and prepare them to thrive in any future, educators must learn to care for the present and prepare for the future simultaneously,” he said.
The Red Hook team took those lessons and discussed approaches than can be adopted to better serve students. Warden shared a roadmap of concepts and ideas for the district to follow, which she plans to present to the entire staff when it returns for the fall. She noted the importance of creative thinking and the ability to communicate effectively with those from difference backgrounds, as well as the high value young people place on real-world experiences.
“Knowledge is no longer seen as a product to deliver or acquire,” she said, “but as an ecosystem to navigate, participate in, and create.”