The Global Achievement Gap: Why Our Kids Don't Have the Skills They Need for College, Careers, and Citizenship -- and What We Can Do About It

by Tony Wagner

Overview

“In this persuasive book, Wagner delineates what skills are needed in a globalized era, why most American schools can’t nurture them, and how today’s schools could be transformed to cultivate tomorrow’s skills.”—Howard Gardner

In The Global Achievement Gap, education expert Tony Wagner situates our school problems in the larger context of the demands of the global knowledge economy. He illustrates that even in our best schools, we don’t teach or test the skills that matter most for the twenty-first century. Uncovering what motivates today’s generation to excel in school and the workplace, Wagner explores new models of schools that are inspiring students to solve tough problems and communicate at high levels. An education manifesto for the 21st century, The Global Achievement Gap is a must-read for anyone interested in seeing our young people achieve their full potential, while contributing to a strong economy and vibrant democracy.

This updated edition includes a new chapter discussing changes in education since the 2008 financial crisis, ethics in education, and recent initiatives such as the Department of Education’s Race to the Top program and implementation of the Common Core.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465055975
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	03/11/2014
Edition description:	Updated edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tony Wagner is senior research fellow at the Learning Policy Institute, and formerly held a variety of positions at Harvard University for more than twenty years. Wagner is the author of numerous books, including Most Likely to Succeed and the national bestseller Creating Innovators.

Editorial Reviews

"Parents, teachers, administrators and policy makers urgently need to understand what Wagner is telling us."—Clayton M. Christensen, author of Disrupting Class and The Innovator's Dilemma

"I consider this book more of an experience than a read.... [Wagner] is a likely leader for the new era."—Washington Post

"Tony Wagner is not just talking about our schools here—he is talking about the future of our nation. The Global Achievement Gap cuts through the complexity and partisan posing so often associated with this genre. It is a powerful call to action, and a roadmap of how to fundamentally rethink the education of our children. If we ignore it, we do so at great peril."—Keith R. McFarland, author of #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers

"The Global Achievement Gap is thoughtful and inspirational.... This book will capture your head, your heart, and I hope, your future actions. This is a very important book for anyone who cares about preparing young people for success in a rapidly changing global society. Every school board member, administrator teacher, and parent in the nation should read this book."—Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director, National School Boards Association

"Tony Wagner takes us deep inside the black box of school curriculum in a way very few authors have done. What do we mean by rigor? By 21st century skills? Wagner shows us concretely what thinking skills really are, how current approaches to 'raising standards' cannot get us there, and what will. Everyone concerned with American education should read this book."—Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University

"Tony Wagner has managed to penetrate the jargon and over-simplified responses to the pervasive underachievement that exists among our students. He has charted an important new direction and given us a way to get there. This book deserves to be powerfully influential."—Mel Levine, author of A Mind at a Time

"Tony Wagner argues persuasively that old ways of teaching are completely unsuited to new ways of working. The Global Achievement Gap should be grabbed by business leaders to guide a much-needed conversation with educators."—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor, author of American the Principled and Confidence

"This book is a 'must read' for the change agents in public education. Wagner presents a compelling case for rapid and urgent change in the present American education system."—Betty Burks, deputy superintendent, San Antonio Independent School District

"The Global Achievement Gap is a lucid—and scary—book. It chronicles how policies that intend to improve our schools are actually shutting down their abilities to help students learn how to think. Parents, teachers, administrators and policymakers urgently need to understand what Wagner is telling us."—Clayton Christensen, professor, Harvard Business School, author of Disrupting Class

"In The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner offers a thoughtful analysis of where we are in American public education. (behind the times), and what we need to do to adapt to the future that is upon us. Drawing upon years of accumulated wisdom as a teacher, principal, trainer, and well-traveled observer of schools, Wagner builds a persuasive case for change in the way we approach schooling, grounded in the question: what does it mean to be an educated person in the 21st century?"—Dr. Richard C. Atksinson, president emeritus, University of California

From the Publisher