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Trend 6: Personalization: Let's get personal. Standards and high-stakes tests will fuel a demand for personalization in an education system increasingly committed to lifelong human development" Gary Marx (Sixteen Trends)           

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Trend 6: Personalization: Let's get personal. Standards and high-stakes tests will fuel a demand for personalization in an education system increasingly committed to lifelong human development" Gary Marx (Sixteen Trends)           

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Ebony Herrington/ EDI 710

As I researched TED Talk videos for this assignment, I came across several that would address the trend of personalization.  There was one that included an image of a classroom in 1913 and a classroom in 2013.  The images were basically identical, with the exception of color and a few desks turned a different way.  The images depict the minimal changes we have made in education.  Continuously reflecting on personalized learning and its effectiveness at my school, I am finding that the strategies once used by many of my students and teachers alike have been lost to standardized testing.  In his TED Talk, “Toxic Culture of Education”, Josh Katz says, “We only have one way to address accountability: standardized testing.” His talk explores the negative effects of standardization.  The comparisons made between schools and businesses have allowed school systems to do away with non-cognitive learning skills.  With the constant pressure of forming education in an environment systematically focused on standardization, it becomes difficult to shift to personalized learning. “We crave education standardization, we believe we need these high stakes tests.”  Education personalization is not a new concept, but a concept once used to properly develop schools.  As one of the largest organizations in communities, the purpose of schools has always been to prepare individuals for life beyond the classroom.  With a purpose such as this, how is it possible for education standardization to be successful in reaching the needs of students? Katz and Marx explain why it is not – through their development of ideas and calling out the root issue of education standardization.  Dating back to 1854, Marx provides the history of standardized testing.  The basis of high performing or failing schools should be measured on a more flexible spectrum. There is a need for flexibility in the school system primarily because of the purpose of schools.  Individuality is not something you would be able to standardize, and with that there should be a constant process of preparing students for their future. Josh Katz speaks to this in his “Toxic Culture of Education” TED Talk, although this is informative and just 17:01 long, please begin watching at the 3:00 mark.

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Toxic culture of education: Joshua Katz at TEDxUniversityofAkron

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Trend 15, “What am I gonna do?”  This is what makes employees happy at work | The Way We Work by Michael Bush

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Trend 15, “What am I gonna do?”  This is what makes employees happy at work | The Way We Work by Michael Bush

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EDI 710 – Jim Knoll

I am currently in the process of developing a strategic plan for our district.  Within the plan, we are considering transportation, campus improvements, operational efficiencies, technology, safety/security, community support, social/personal development, and of course, curriculum improvements.  The true purpose of education is to impart knowledge and skills to our students so they can be successful in their future endeavors.  The first priority must be preparing the our youngsters for their career.

Trend 15, “What am I gonna do?”  This is the question for each student, and what we, as a district, must consider looking forward.

With the economy still roaring along, it seems that everyone can find a job.  In Mr. Bush reminds us that only 40% of the people surveyed in their current job are “happy” at work.   Those that express happiness say Trust, Fairness, and Listening are the reasons they are happy.  They don’t mention their 4 year degree; they don’t have huge college debt; that they are getting paid too little or too much.  They do mention how they are treated.  Given that we can provide and safe environment, and a comprehensive, appropriate curriculum, we must also provide guidance about work ethic.

In the chapter, the author repeats again and again that we can’t predict what jobs will be available in the near future because of the great changes in the world market.  But, we can prepare our students to be effective adults that can think, be good citizens, and be reliable.  I often talk to my students about the “3 A’s”: Academics, Attitude, Attendance.  These A’s count!  Work hard!  Be a good person!  Be there!  Whether you are an alternative program student or the valedictorian, these ideals will help you succeed.

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This is what makes employees happy at work | The Way We Work, a TED series

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Trend 14 - Poverty makes us all poor.

Ryan Markel
EDI 710

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tEuaj4h8dw

According to Marx, when educational opportunity is scarce, poverty runs high and productivity runs low.  The byproduct of a lack of education is poverty in it's many forms and poverty breeds frustration, anger, and and an unstable world. (290)  
In this video Aaron Huey describes the Lakota Indian Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  Through a series of photographs Huey portrays the Lakota as American Prisoners of War.  Starting at the 11:10 mark in the video Huey states that 90% of the Lakota live below the poverty line.  The infant mortality rate on the reservation is the highest in the continent.  The life expectancy is 46-48 years old.  Nearly 40% of the houses on the reservation do not have electricity.
At the 12 minute mark Huey states that the schools on the reservation have a 70% drop out rate while there is constant teacher turnover and little stability in the school system.
The many photos in the video show the Lakota people in run down houses and a group of people desperate and in despair.
Marx states that young people in their "coming of age" years 16-24, that are under educated and unemployed many will lose hope, become frustrated, and then get extremely angry. (291)  This fact was very evident in the photos shared by Huey.

The public school systems and communities need to look at the role poverty has played throughout history and the challenges it presents for the future for education and the country as a whole.  The cost of sustained poverty is high.  As Huey demonstrates the cost is hope and human dignity.

The future of our nation and world depend on addressing the impact of poverty on education as well as the impact of education on poverty. (284)

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Trend 14 - Poverty makes us all poor.

Ryan Markel
EDI 710

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tEuaj4h8dw

According to Marx, when educational opportunity is scarce, poverty runs high and productivity runs low.  The byproduct of a lack of education is poverty in it's many forms and poverty breeds frustration, anger, and and an unstable world. (290)  
In this video Aaron Huey describes the Lakota Indian Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  Through a series of photographs Huey portrays the Lakota as American Prisoners of War.  Starting at the 11:10 mark in the video Huey states that 90% of the Lakota live below the poverty line.  The infant mortality rate on the reservation is the highest in the continent.  The life expectancy is 46-48 years old.  Nearly 40% of the houses on the reservation do not have electricity.
At the 12 minute mark Huey states that the schools on the reservation have a 70% drop out rate while there is constant teacher turnover and little stability in the school system.
The many photos in the video show the Lakota people in run down houses and a group of people desperate and in despair.
Marx states that young people in their "coming of age" years 16-24, that are under educated and unemployed many will lose hope, become frustrated, and then get extremely angry. (291)  This fact was very evident in the photos shared by Huey.

The public school systems and communities need to look at the role poverty has played throughout history and the challenges it presents for the future for education and the country as a whole.  The cost of sustained poverty is high.  As Huey demonstrates the cost is hope and human dignity.

The future of our nation and world depend on addressing the impact of poverty on education as well as the impact of education on poverty. (284)

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Aaron Huey: America's native prisoners of war

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Rebecca Crocker
EDI 710

Trend 6 discusses the implementation and origin of standardized testing for all American students.  According to the author "more and more schools and students are being declared failures because they have not measured up on high-stakes tests."

The era of personalized education seems to be growing, driven by the push for standardized testing and a "one size fits all" model. Schools across the nation are looking at "ensuring standards do not limit the curriculum or push students out of school."  One way to answer this question is mastery learning.

In the video clip below Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy asks the question "why do we rush students through education when they haven't always grasped the basics?"  Mr. Khan gives the analogy of a home that is built on a rock foundation.  If we are satisfied with 75 -80% accuracy in that building, our house would fall.  Why are we satisfied with the same mastery of learning?  What happens to the other 25% that the student has not mastered?

A particular quote resonated with me: "We let people tap into their potential by ALLOWING them to master content." Perhaps the answer to our failing schools lies in the philosophy of mastery learning.

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Let's teach for mastery -- not test scores | Sal Khan

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Erica Sharp
EDI 710
Trend 13: Give me a break! 
Greater numbers of people will seek personal meaning in their lives in response to an intense, high-tech, always on, fast–moving society.

Reading this chapter, I can relate to the ideas presented, the need for personal connection and wanting to spend more time with friends and family (273).  I worry though that our young students may not have reached the awareness of that need, but are clearly demonstrating the near dependency on technology.   Another point made by Marx is that some “people have been busy for so long that they either feel guilty or have no idea what to do when presented with leisure time.” (277).  This is spot on for our young people as well, they just don’t know what to do with themselves if they are “unplugged.”

What to Watch: This clip is just over 10 minutes and  looks at the impact that cell phones have on the adolescent mind and on relationships.  I would encourage you to watch it all, very powerful is at 3:45 when Sinek describes the message your cell phone gives others: “you’re not the most important thing…(even if you turn it over.)”

As educators we are all acutely aware of the problems created by technology, specifically social media, but students rarely are, and even if they see the “drama” that can come from technology, they don’t know how to live without it.  The fast paced world of “likes” and “shares” is a huge part of teen self-esteem and self-worth.  The question for educators is how do we shift our students to the realization that there is a need for human connection.
Although this video focus on the impact for students, I would argue that it is applicable for all of us, adults included.  How many times have you walked into the staff workroom or a professional development before it starts and they are on their phones rather than talking to one another? Even outside of the school setting, when you are in a doctor’s office, most patients waiting will be on a device - can we no longer wait a few minutes without being entertained? 
Trend 13 is the idea that we all need to slow down, connect more, and take care of ourselves.  I agree wholeheartedly, just worry about how we all get there.



(As a side note, Simon Sinek has several great videos and his conversation style is, in my opinion relatable and hold the attention of staff a PD.  He has several other great videos on leadership, a google search will bring them up.)

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Erica Sharp
EDI 710
Trend 13: Give me a break! 
Greater numbers of people will seek personal meaning in their lives in response to an intense, high-tech, always on, fast–moving society.

Reading this chapter, I can relate to the ideas presented, the need for personal connection and wanting to spend more time with friends and family (273).  I worry though that our young students may not have reached the awareness of that need, but are clearly demonstrating the near dependency on technology.   Another point made by Marx is that some “people have been busy for so long that they either feel guilty or have no idea what to do when presented with leisure time.” (277).  This is spot on for our young people as well, they just don’t know what to do with themselves if they are “unplugged.”

What to Watch: This clip is just over 10 minutes and  looks at the impact that cell phones have on the adolescent mind and on relationships.  I would encourage you to watch it all, very powerful is at 3:45 when Sinek describes the message your cell phone gives others: “you’re not the most important thing…(even if you turn it over.)”

As educators we are all acutely aware of the problems created by technology, specifically social media, but students rarely are, and even if they see the “drama” that can come from technology, they don’t know how to live without it.  The fast paced world of “likes” and “shares” is a huge part of teen self-esteem and self-worth.  The question for educators is how do we shift our students to the realization that there is a need for human connection.
Although this video focus on the impact for students, I would argue that it is applicable for all of us, adults included.  How many times have you walked into the staff workroom or a professional development before it starts and they are on their phones rather than talking to one another? Even outside of the school setting, when you are in a doctor’s office, most patients waiting will be on a device - can we no longer wait a few minutes without being entertained? 
Trend 13 is the idea that we all need to slow down, connect more, and take care of ourselves.  I agree wholeheartedly, just worry about how we all get there.



(As a side note, Simon Sinek has several great videos and his conversation style is, in my opinion relatable and hold the attention of staff a PD.  He has several other great videos on leadership, a google search will bring them up.)

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Simon Sinek Q & A: How Do Cell Phones Impact Our Relationships

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Trend 2: Highly diverse… and looking good.  Majorities will become minorities, creating ongoing challenges for social cohesion.

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Trend 2: Highly diverse… and looking good.  Majorities will become minorities, creating ongoing challenges for social cohesion.

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Aaron Noordhoek

The demographics of the United States are changing, especially amongst the 0-19 population.  By 2050,  non-hispanic whites will equate for only about half of the overall population and less than half for youth.  This exciting shift in the makeup of our country will present both unique opportunities and unique challenges for the nation

One of those challenges, as Marx describes, is the demographic disconnect between teachers and students.  A large majority of teachers across the country are white.  In fact, most teachers in urban schools are white and often disconnected from the values, culture, and realities of their student population.  This can have huge effects on what Marx describes as “minority student achievement.”

In the video, Christopher Emdin, a Columbia University professor and author of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education discusses the need for educators to reframe their understanding of what urban education can and should be.  Emdin challenges his audience to rethink not only their perceptions about what K-12 education is, but their perceptions about how academics look, speak, and act.  Emdin shows us that while Marx is correct in asserting that each child “will be expected to live, work, and thrive in a highly diverse world;” doing so does not mean that a child must disconnect from their own identity or culture.

Emdin understands and is on the forefront of responding to the educational implications of Trend 2.  In fact, when Marx discusses the need to attract and keep excellent teachers and role models, he is discussing the focus of Emdin’s research and work with Reality Pedagogy.  As a product of New York Public Schools, a self-proclaimed fan of all things Hip Hop, and the O.R. “Original Rachetdemic” Emdin is uniquely suited to help educators understand the changes necessary to  better engage an increasingly diverse student population in urban schools.  Marx tells his readers that “pursuing social cohesion, seeking common denominators, and adjusting our identity” will be a key educational implication of the diversity trend.  Emdin gives school leaders bold ideas about how to be at the forefront of this inevitable change and own the growing diversity of their schools.

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Teaching & Being Rachetdemic | Christopher Emdin | TEDxBerkeley

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“Our failing schools. Enough is enough!” (Geoff Canada, 2013)

Nicole Price

EDI 710

Trend #7

Human ingenuity is defined as using our mind to not only think, but also to act, in order to overcome the difficulties we face in our life by taking advantage of the opportunities that come our way.  In this video, Dr. Geoffrey Canada unleashes his anger regarding the systems of education in today’s society and how closely they resemble the same educational systems that were seen 50 years ago, all with the same results.  In order to change these end results, American education needs to change its system of thinking that these results will improve using the same old processes that have yielded less than desirable outcomes year after year after year.

While this video in its entirety is only 17 minutes long, Dr. Canada hits the nail on the head in his message around the 13 minute mark.  Shortly after, he is questioned about his own school’s astonishingly high statistics of student success despite the poverty and circumstances that surround them.   He takes a look at the data and then works to figure out why it is like it is.  Marx’ Trend #7 ties directly to this message in that this is that breakthrough thinking that ignites human ingenuity.  Creating knowledge and solutions to problems that seem radical in theory are really just practical thinking objectives.   The next step is to shift practices (which requires a shift in same age old thinking) to make a difference in helping students reach their full potential.  The old business models aren’t working anymore so why keep on keeping on? It is no longer a one size fits all model!  Questioning the status quo is necessary and vital to seeing learning take place across disciplines and for all students.  This becomes the expectation. No excuses!

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Our failing schools. Enough is enough! | Geoffrey Canada

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The Cost of Neglect is Too Expensive

EDI 710- Aliya Armstrong

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The Cost of Neglect is Too Expensive

EDI 710- Aliya Armstrong

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Gary Marx, Trend 14: "Poverty Makes us All Poor"

Understanding will grow that sustained poverty is expensive, debilitating, and unsettling

How America's Public Schools Keep Kids in Poverty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O7BMa9XGXE

The entire clip is less than 14 minutes so I encourage you to watch the entire video. It is powerful.

According to Marx some people are born into poverty while others are limited by discrimination or lack of educational opportunity (282). We bear witness to achievement gaps in standardized test scores, dropout rates, college entrance and completion and more.

In order to understand the achievement gap, why it exists and why we should be concerned with it Marx suggests we should understand the history of poverty, how it came to be and examine segregation. This includes the Brown vs. Board of Education case, the War on poverty, and other separate but equal historical events.

In the video, teacher Kandice Sumner grew up with parents who worked in public service careers, her father a minister, her a mother a educator details “A survivor’s Remorse.” Why should a good education be exclusive to rich kids? This has a real impact on the potential of students, but not just students of color and not just students from limited income neighborhoods. This video is a direct correlation from Trend 14. It is the perfect back drop for Marx's narrative. Kandice Sumner sees the disparity every day in her classroom in Boston. In this inspiring talk, she asks us to face facts -- and change them.
If you start at marker 8:29 she tells about a moment when her professional life shifted and the students in her classroom begin to realize the VALUE on their lives from perfect strangers. She then places a CHARGE on the audience to volunteer, cooperate, donate just some of her challenges for each educator, as Marx suggested, When a student is lost because of poverty, WE ALL LOSE! If we choose not to learn from history then we may be forced to relive it (291)

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How America's public schools keep kids in poverty | Kandice Sumner

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We are Educating People out of their Creative Capacities (Example from Doug)

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We are Educating People out of their Creative Capacities (Example from Doug)

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This is the example video that I posted last Friday in class.
Source-Trend 6 Let's Get Personal
Why you need to watch- From Page 155 in the Marx text"...communities that are prospering are the ones most able to attract creative, imaginative people, not just those that test well..."
What to watch-Note the comment at 5:21

"What these things have in common is that kids will take a chance. If they don't know, they'll have a go. Am I right? They're not frightened of being wrong. I don't mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. What we do know is, if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original -- if you're not prepared to be wrong. And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this. We stigmatize mistakes. And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities."

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Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

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Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

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The Ripple Effect of Training Young Leaders

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The Ripple Effect of Training Young Leaders

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqIVuGkE99k

Kristin Goethals-EDL 710

We have a new generation of people with new ideas and who are going to need to have the skills necessary to lead our school systems and all of our organizational systems. The leaders of our schools are responsible for carrying out the visions of our school districts and helping staff and students rise to their ability. Through relationship building and a focus on the goal this initiative was able to get students into school and keep them in school in the poorest parts of Africa. The implications of this are profound when looking at the levels of poverty that are occurring right now in parts of America that at times seem impossible for educators to address. This seems to happen more and more as we focus on high stakes testing and achievement scores instead of looking at the basic needs of the whole child and focusing in on what we know we can change.  This ted talk focuses on how leadership is the key to change in the systems. They have formed the African Leadership Academy that focuses on training leaders who can go out and help their community by educating others. The message that I get from this video is we can see people struggling across the world in refugee camps facing poverty that it almost impossible to imagine and yet there are young leaders who are banding together to give back by educating others within the camps. The potential to fight the cycle of poverty exists by starting small.

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The ripple effect of training young leaders | Fred Swaniker | TEDxEuston

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ACE Scores, Social Cohesion, Common Denominator and Role Models

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ACE Scores, Social Cohesion, Common Denominator and Role Models

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EDI 710: Peter Middleton

Gary Marx’s Trend #2: “Majority will become the minority, creating on going challenges for social cohesion.” It is interesting to look at aspects of demographics and the psychosocial development of children in regard to Adverse Childhood Events (ACE).  A collaborative study, in 1996-97, between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente's Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego (Felitti, et al, 1998), connected the number of adverse childhood events and toxic stress led to health problems in adults.  In the further studies that followed this initial research and findings, including brain imaging, showed how stress adversely affects neurological development and function in children.  As demographics shift, children growing up in poverty, with the stressors associated with socioeconomics, ethnicity, and population changes the population of students attending schools.  In Nadine Burke Harris’ “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime,” she speaks about the ACE research and her work as a pediatrician in a low income, African-American urban population.  Using ACE as an indicator for treatment, Harris identifies ACE scores and toxic stress among all ethnicities and calls ACE the #1 health crisis in America. In the TedTalk, Harris speaks about brain function and how ACE affects people physically and neurologically (video cue 6:50). People working in education and community members need to seek common denominators and attract and keep teachers as role models. All students have ACE scores; Harris points out in the TedTalk that all people have ACE scores.  Marx points out the need for a common denominator among all demographics (58). In addition to attracting and keeping teachers as role models (59), combined with professional development, the best intervention is role models and positive environmental shifts for young people exposed to toxic stress.

Felitti, V. J.,  Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D. Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., …Marks, J. S.,  (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 14 (4), 245–258.

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How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris | TED

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Bring on the Learning Revolution!  Trend 6:  Standards and high-stakes tests will fuel a demand for personalization in an education system increasingly committed to lifelong human development

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Bring on the Learning Revolution!  Trend 6:  Standards and high-stakes tests will fuel a demand for personalization in an education system increasingly committed to lifelong human development

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EDI 710  Carrie McGuire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFMZrEABdw4

Sixteen Trends, Their Profound Impact on Our Future: Implications for Students, Education, Communities, and the Whole of Society by Gary Marx.

Trend #6: Standards and high-stakes tests will fuel a demand for personalization in an education system increasingly committed to lifelong human development.

According to Marx, a demand for personalization seems to be growing.  Students and parents are feeling the effects of the narrowing of education to fit the needed learning of what is being tested.  Students’ individual intelligences, needs, and dreams are being pushed aside to make sure they meet certain standards set for them.

In this video clip, Ken Robinson argues that “reform” isn’t what is needed to fix a broken education system, it’s a “revolution” in education that is needed. He has the audience ponder the fact that our education system has become linear and we have set a path for all students with the end factor all at the same outcome.   He states that it needs to be transformed into something else.  Something that is personalized for each student.  It needs to be based on students’ dreams and choices they make based on their interests and desired outcomes.

At marker 14:45 he interestingly discusses the shift in our industrial type education system to a needed organic, agricultural one.  A system where, just as a farmer, we cultivate and nourish the ground, environment and feed and water the plants to provide an environment where each plant can “flourish” and develop into a healthy, mature plant.  We need to make learning more personalized for each individual student and that with that engaged learning will emerge.

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Bring on the learning revolution! | Ken Robinson

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As an example, here is an approximately 200 word excerpt from a student's 300 word post in a previous class. This former student makes a strong case for why "doing the right thing" is harder than it seems.

Trend 9 (beginning on page 199 of the Gary Marx unabridged text)-Let's try to do the right thing. Scientific discoveries and societal realities will force widespread ethical choices.

What to watch- 0:00-9:11 and 13:17-16:00

It is important that you view this video to better understand the nuances of doing the right thing and to better understand the reasons for bad judgment that often accompany leadership as discussed in the Trend 9 section of our text. "...Sandel begins his lecture with a scenario regarding ethical decision-making. Throughout his lecture he presents four scenarios where you asked to consider saving 5 people versus 1 person. Through voting, you discover that for two of four scenarios, students voted to take action necessary to save the 5 people at risk for death. In the remaining two of four, students voted to save the 1 person, instead of saving the 5 people at risk. Ultimately you discover that when making ethical decisions we use two types of reasoning, Consequential and Categorical. Our reasoning decision would produce two different outcomes."

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Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 01 "THE MORAL SIDE OF MURDER"

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Trend 7--Human Ingenuity--Release of human ingenuity will become a primary responsibility of education and society

How We’ll Earn Money in a Future Without Jobs

EDI--710  Nate Fowler

Each generation faces a set of unique challenges and problems.  Rising inequality, the impact of a warming climate, increasing human migration, and technological advancement (Trend 4) pose challenges for social, political, and economic systems across the globe.  Technological advancements have raised the quality of human life around the world, but rising anxiety and social alienation grip many of the students in our schools.  Not all the news is grim.  New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote that 2018 was the best year ever as a follow up to his 2017 column that argued that year was the best ever. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/05/opinion/sunday/2018-progress-poverty-health.html

Trend 15 focuses on the careers of the future, but when Sixteen Trends was published the realities of an automated economy seemed much further off than it does today.  Educators need to prepare students with the skills to solve problems collaboratively, communicate, and treat their fellow humans with kindness and respect.  I share the video below not because I’m completely convinced it is the best way to deal with issues of Trend 14-poverty, Trend 10-personal security, or the ethical questions posed in Trend 9.  I share it because it provides an example of the thinking required for solutions to the challenges posed by current crises like our dysfunctional political system, economic inequality, racial inequities, declines in human wellness and environmental degradation that face students.  It will be up to our students to build a society that protects human value in a world where machines provide not only the physical labor provided by our economy, but more and more of the intellectual and creative labor as well.  How are winners and losers going to be determined in a system where wealth continues to be concentrated?  Inequality.org produced a graph that demonstrates that Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett have more combined wealth than the bottom 50% of Americans.  The wealth gap between white and African and Hispanic Americans continues to widen at alarming rates as well.  There are lots of TED talks on the power of design thinking, but I chose this video because it goes big and proposes change at the systems level.  Maybe a universal basic income is a solution to one of the main problems facing our students.  More importantly, it is an example of the thinking that we teachers need to empower our students with to believe that they can meet the challenges faced by their generation.

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How we'll earn money in a future without jobs | Martin Ford