One Size Fits All Education Won't Cut It For Today's Young People
"Baby Boomers changed politics, Gen X changed family, Gen Y changed work, and Gen Z will change education." When Penelope Trunk wrote this on her blog last month, it caught my attention, and since that time a string of articles has been written supporting this theory about just how Gen Z will lead this shift. Last week Viacom and the Associated Press teamed up to release a new study evaluating how the education system is meeting the needs of today's 18-24 year-olds. While respondents skewed a bit older than members of Gen Z, we can already tell the tide is changing.
Looking at high school and college age students as "core consumers of education," the Young Adult Perspectives on American Education study found that this age cohort are generally optimistic that high schools and colleges can prepare them for the workforce, but they feel these educational institutions aren't adapting quickly enough to meet their changing needs. The result? More and more 18-24 year-olds are taking a less traditional approach to higher education through a combination of self-directed curricula, internships and self-teaching. Today's young people are more accustomed to figuring out what they like to do, and then with an almost innate entrepreneurial spirit -- figure out how to do it. They are rewriting the rules within the classroom and beyond, and the implications are not only impacting our education system, but will have a profound impact on the future workforce.
According to the study, today's young people are taking longer to graduate because they feel that, by combining school with work and internships, they stand a greater chance of finding a desirable job. Not surprisingly, they are also relying more on their own social networks of family and friends and less on community or religious institutions and high school counselors when it comes to making education decisions.
Earlier this month, Cynthia Gibson and Nicholas Longo released their new book, From Command to Community: A New Approach to Leadership Education in Colleges and Universities. In it, Cindy and Nick challenge the traditional notion of learning that is focused on the individual, in favor of a more collective leadership built on any number of individual actions that collectively contribute to the greater good. Fueled by technology, globalization and demographic shifts, the book calls on institutions to start thinking differently about leadership, and challenges institutions to create new opportunities for young people to apply their leadership in organizations and communities across the country.
Members of Gen Y who recently entered (or have "attempted" to enter the workforce) have found that despite their best efforts to do everything right in preparing, it hasn't helped them get a job -- and to further exacerbate things, they are finding themselves in huge debt without the ability to pay it back. My hope is that through a combination of new collaborative styles of leadership and new curricula that emphasizes teams and breaks down the hierarchical structures, that Gen Z will be even better positioned to take on the great challenges of their time and ours.
While it's clear that Gen Z will be taking matters into their own hands by finding new ways to get an education, how do you think "external" and environmental factors are impacting them? Are educators paying attention to this shift, and will they adapt accordingly? Only time will tell, but something tells me Gen Z won't wait for anyone else to figure it out before they do.
Comments
not to be a naysayer (I agree with everything that you're saying Kari about the needs and drives of millennials and Zs), but I'm not sure that the dynamic is changing, but rather that technological advances are making the dynamic more pronounced. That is, for decades thousands and thousands of students have been working to help pay for college, taking 5, 6, 7 years to graduate, and engaging in co-educational experiences (Northeastern is one of the granddaddy's of the co-educational experience). An issue that first generation college-goers often deal with is that their families and peers do not necessarily know how to navigate the post-secondary waters (and, for some, their families and peers do not necessarily appreciate the value of post-secondary education vs. entering the workforce). Thus, there's actually a need for institutions to step up in more pronounced ways to connect with these youth.
I think you raise some great points, and I appreciate your weighing in on the conversation. I agree that technological advances are making the dynamic more pronounced - but I also believe that younger generations are just wired a little differently. This may be in large part because of these technological advances, but the way that young people are being taught right now - with so much focus on memorization, and standardized tests -- isnt going to cut it in the workplace or the real world. They need real experiences and the opportunities to collaborate on projects in the classroom and outside of it, in order to prepare themselves for a rapidly evolving workforce. Sure, students have been working hard to put themselves through school for hundreds of years as you note, that's nothing new....and I dont see that changing any time soon. But I don't think the time it takes one to complete college is as important as what they are learning while they are there. There should be more schools that follow Northeastern's lead by creating more robust co-educational experiences (and there are some great examples out there). But until more schools adopt this as a practice and see it as a benefit, I'm afraid students who would otherwise go to college, are going to turn away from institutions and find education elsewhere - and I think that's different from what we've seen in generations past.
There is definitely a shift from public education to personal education. This shift should have taken place many years ago.
I also see the coming of a new classroom subject that will begin in Kindergarden and continue into college. This subject is called the study of success. The reason why many students in Gen Z are able to step away from traditional education and pass bye the everyday student, is because they have an interest in the study of success. This material is all over the internet and millions purchase success books every year that give students of all ages an advantage. This new age is learning to first give themselves a purpose (usually one that they choose) and they are able to understand how and why their curriculum exists.
The only obstacle left for most of these students is how to finance their opportunities. But this will also be eliminated with the introduction of social innovation. Social innovation opens the doors of hope and poses the question of "How willing are we to help each other?"
Social entrepreneurs are leading the way for understanding the power in GIVING. It is clearing explained with a company called L-O-V-E, LLC. www.givingdreamsanopportunity.com They are raising the awareness for the power of giving by providing an outlet for everyone to join together and contribute toward one another's success. It pretty amazing! Its creating an environment that eliminates a big chunk of the procrastinations that keep us from not pursuing goals, and uses small contributions to fund the involvement required to understand talents and abilities. It a giant step toward personal education.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Braxton. In particular I like how you drew out the concept of how the rising generation is learning to give themselves a purpose - and one of their own choosing. I think this is true as more and more young people are searching for ways to give back and make a difference whether in their communities or around the world - finding purpose seems to be a common theme and the shift from a public education to a personal one is an interesting distinction.
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