BRIDGE THE GAP! BRIDGE IT NOW! ::change::

There is a huge gap between the knowledge skills children acquire in school and the skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces. There needs to be an integration of these two skills. I teach a class that helps educators learn strategies on how to integrate technology into their core subjects. However, what I have heard from all of the educators that I work with for many years is that there is no money for computers, no tech support or any time to actually devote to using computers. Not to mention that the majority of teachers are not tech savvy and have no time to acquire these skills needed to support their students learning.

As the The Milestones for Improving Learning & Education Guide stated: Along with the basic core subjects, children need to acquire learning skills that teach them how to learn: critical thinking, apply knowledge to new situations, analyze information, comprehend new ideas, communication, collaboration, problem solving & decision making skills. This Guide emphasizes that a new approach for educators would be to use modern tools of technology to teach & assess these learning skills. These modern tools can promote learning skills. When implementing these strategies in unison they are referred to as information and communication technology tools (ICT) and when combined with the teaching of core subjects you have a dynamically vibrant learning environment. In addition to all of those ideals and standards, educators need to help students develop integrity, self-esteem, social skills, self-management and learn to be honest and responsible citizens. That is a huge job and you can’t seriously think that one teacher or even a group of teachers on a measly teachers’ salary can be responsible for achieving all of these ideals. Especially when our education keeps getting the short end of the stick and our "War on Terror" budget is never ending.

One interesting thing about No Child Left Behind is that it requires students to be tech-literate by the end of 8th grade. Who is in charge of assessing if this particular standard is being achieved? Who is supporting this requirement with proper funding? It is interesting to underline that the founders of this country and the U.S. Constitution clearly stated that education is a priority and that our youth needs to be civic-minded citizens. What happened & what went wrong? Capitalism? Oil? War? Hollywood? We can’t simply blame it all on the Bush administration. It is the numerous amounts of greedy pigs that have ruined this country and our world. The empire will fall and education is the first to tumble and it has been tumbling for years. Of course, education suffers first, along with health care and the elderly. Who needs them? Not the upper class. They all have private education, private health care and private everything! This Partnership for 21st Century Skills Guide is inspiring, but nothing is truly going to be accomplished until the government steps up to the plate and supports what is most important, which is our country’s children. As the cheesy overly used line goes, “They are our future!” Don’t forget that during World War II, the military invested a lot of money into education by developing educational media to help instruct their soldiers. Imagine what our children could accomplish if our government invested in them now.

I think it is interesting to note whom some of the leading members are in the group Partnership for 21st Century Skills: Apple, Cisco, Dell & Microsoft. I am impressed that these leading companies invest in education and that they are helping to take responsibility for our children and our future. Why are not more companies doing something? Is it really their responsibility?

I hope that our next presidential leader can understand the dire need for education reform and can support the Milestones for Improving Learning & Education Guide and the educational needs of the 21st Century. If schools need to change dramatically then our government needs to change dramatically. Just imagine what our children would be like if we took all of the money that has been wasted in Iraq and waste it on education! BRIDGE THE GAP! BRIDGE IT NOW!

And don’t forget that when you shop at Rainbow Grocery Cooperative this month on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday you can save 20% off of your entire purchase by using the coupon, which is located in the back of your AT&T phone book! Rainbow Grocery Cooperative provides natural, organic, vegetarian food and environmentally and health conscious products at an affordable price. Rainbow Grocery Cooperative is an independent, collectively run, worker owned and operated cooperative at which decision making and responsibilities are shared through democratic structures and elected committees.

Check out Rainbow on the Web: http://www.rainbowgrocery.org/

~ Christina Noyes