The School Administrator

February 2008 Number 2, Vol. 65Globalization and EducationThomas Friedman and Dan Pink on schooling in the 'flat world'

Features

Tom Friedman on Education in the 'Flat World'
A conversation between Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, and best-selling author Thomas Friedman on the implications of the global marketplace for K-12 education and the politics of school reform.
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What Knowledge Has the Most Worth?
by Yong Zhao
Reconsidering how to cultivate skills in U.S. students to meet the demands of global citizenry. The author directs the U.S.- China Center for Research on Educational Excellence.
Similar Reading: Tina Johnson-Dunn: Local thinking applied globally and Actions schools can do now
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Wanted: Well-Rounded Students Who Can Think
by G. Wayne Clough
The president of Georgia Tech defines a role for universities and schools in meeting the challenges of global economic competition in the flat world.
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The Workplace Realities
by Anthony P. Carnevale
In the new global workplace, what exactly do employees need and employers want? The author directs the Global Institute on Education and the Workforce.
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Chinese By Choice
by Kate Beem
School districts nationwide can’t seem to expand Chinese language classes fast enough, but the growth is hampered only by the difficulty landing qualified teachers.
Similar Reading: How to start a new program and College Board's guest teacher program
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My Inner Conflict Between Logic and Creativity
by Terry K. Holliday
A superintendent in North Carolina struggles to reconcile the stifling effects of over-testing and the joys of learning waiting to be unleashed.
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Futuristics in K-12 Classrooms
by Arthur B. Shostak
K-12 schooling lacks an emphatic and rewarding focus on the future, says this veteran sociologist and futurist, prompting his call for school systems to help young learners master the art of horizon scanning.
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Profile

Cajoling Partners on a Hard Climb by Jay P. Goldman

A superintendent in the South Jersey community of Bridgeton uses an unusual tactic for encouraging buy-in to his agenda by every employee in the school system.

Departments

Board-Savvy Superintendent

When Your Board Chair Is a Big Bully by Nicholas D. Caruso Jr.

The superintendent has a duty to establish ground rules for all school board members, the chair included. A bully can only get away with bad behavior if you let him or her do it.

Guest Columns

Toll the Death Knell for Bell Curves by Judy Willis

Formative feedback can improve student performance and teacher instruction, but bell-curve testing and course-grading systems tend to reduce motivation while raising stress and alienation, says the author of Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning.

A Sustainable 24/7 Culture in the Schoolhouse by Nic Clement

An Arizona superintendent’s vision for school operations that go well beyond the six-hour-a-day, nine-month prototype, which no longer serves modern society and the emerging global marketplace.

Executive Perspective

Getting It Right by Paul D. Houston

Superintendents are the answer people. They are the Mr. or Mrs. “Fix-its.” They are asked to just make it all better.

People

People

Latest moves on the personnel front among superintendents plus the Sidelight shines on a school leader who has coached 4-H teams for longer than the 21 years he’s been a superintendent in Nebraska.

Tech Leadership

Avoiding Technology PR Nightmares by Elliott Levine

Nine proactive steps for preventing adverse situations involving student and staff use of technology and the accompanying bad publicity that could threaten community support for precious funding.

Focus

Sending Teachers on Visits to All Homes by Kelly E. Middleton

It took two years to sell the idea, but in Mason County, Ky., all 2,800 students receive a home visit by their teacher prior to the start of each school year, which goes a long way toward bridging the barrier between teachers and families.

President's Corner

Are Our Students Ready for the Future? by Sarah D. Jerome

The AASA president’s ideas for teaching the right combination of knowledge and skills to ensure student success now and in the future. Plus, her latest hero profile.

Federal Dateline

Funding Caught in the Crosshairs by Mary Kusler

Does anyone win when political games rule the deliberations over education funding on Capital Hill?

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