27 Quotes by Tony Wagner

Now, adults need to be able to ask great questions, critically analyze information, form independent opinions, collaborate, and communicate effectively. These are the skills essential for both career and citizenship.

A 2013 study by the National Center on Education and the Economy found that “the mathematics that most enables students to be successful in college courses is not high school mathematics, but middle school mathematics, especially arithmetic, ratio, proportion, expressions and simple equations.

Students who only know how to perform well in today’s education system – get good grades and test scores, and earn degrees – will no longer be those who are most likely to succeed. Thriving in the twenty-first century will require real competencies, far more than academic credentials.

Our “leaders” – on both the left and the right side of the aisle – continue to claim that our schools are failing and in need of reform while, in reality, our education system is obsolete and needs reimagining.

An overarching goal of education should be to immerse students in the beauty and inspiration of their surrounding world.

To have good prospects in life – to be most likely to succeed – young adults now need to be creative and innovative problem-solvers.

We asked him, if he could give advice to his younger self, what his formula for success would look like. He said that he no longer believes there is a set formula that will allow someone to succeed. He would simply recommend a “balance of hard work and socializing, with a little more emphasis on socializing. Knowing thyself.” Instead.

Students spend their school hours bored, covering irrelevant material, doing mindless tasks, taking far too many standardized tests, and having the creativity and innovation schooled out of them. Our focus shouldn’t be to give all kids equal access to the same bad education. We need to reinvent education and give all kids a fighting chance in life. page 58.

Once again, the education model revolves around what makes life easy for test designers, not what’s best for kids.