Dangerous intersection ahead: Stephen Covey, Daniel Pink and Michael Gelb question how a narrowing curriculum and high-stakes testing will prepare students for the world they'll inhabit.

The reality that no one wants to leave anyone behind is the one fact that everyone--educators, politicians, moms, dads and the media--can agree on. However, our schools' narrowing focus on reading, math and science test scores may be putting this generation of learners even more at risk, according to some of the leading thinkers in our society today.

As schools spend precious instructional time with test-taking prep courses and forced-choice bubble sheet practice exams and as many schools increasingly follow a scripted pace for delivering the curriculum, one must ask: "Are we focused on the right things, to position our children to be successful 21st century global citizens?"

If the 21st century global economy is aligned to what Thomas Friedman describes in his best-seller The World Is Flat, then the nation's curricular focus needs to develop the whole child, not just the academic one. (Interestingly, Friedman tells audiences that most of the revisions he has made in the most recent printings of his book deal with education in the global society.)

Daniel H. Pink, writing in his much-admired 2005 work A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, describes the need for developing a creative, relationship-focused and communicative global citizen. Michael Gelb, internationally recognized pioneer in creative thinking, stakes out specific needs for the next generation in his book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci--an insatiable sense of curiosity and a willingness to embrace ambiguity. These are natural tendencies in children but do not align to a one-right answer testing focus. (See Michael Gelb interview, page 34.)

Stephen Covey, an internationally recognized leadership specialist and the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and The Eighth Habit, points to the need for all individuals, regardless of age, to find purpose in their lives. Whether discussing the curriculum for a child or the needs of an adult learner, Covey encourages the development of the whole person. (See Stephen Covey interview, page 37.)

Inherent to this process is the creation of a personal mission statement and the development of insight, compassion, self-responsibility, dialogue and fitness.

If not in our nation's public schools, where will tomorrow's leaders learn how to agree to disagree, to solve problems on a deep conceptual level, to value self and others, to openly consider new and differing ideas, to ask questions and seek answers?

A Deficit Focus

How can we effectively prepare for tomorrow's economic, intellectual, spiritual and psychological needs with a 19th century deficit-based system? At an early age we identify what is wrong with a child and then we spend the rest of their P-12 academic life proving we are right. This system is obviously flawed. It requires more and more resource allocation yielding less than positive results.

Acknowledging the research of Martin Seligman, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Marcus Buckingham, a researcher credited with creating the "strengths revolution," Pink says he believes a strengths-based system to be more in line with the likely needs of life in the 21st century.

In a recent interview, Pink said: "We tend to have this garage repair mentality of education--we fix what's wrong with kids. The truth is people are happier and perform better when they are building on their strengths. Obviously we need to make sure that children are literate and numerate, but beyond that base of fundamental skills we must believe it is important for children to discover their own strengths. Unfortunately, I believe it is taking hold more slowly in schools than other parts of society."

Research increasingly supports the development of a well-rounded student. The connections between academic achievement and social-emotional development indicate the need for an integrated relationship between the two. Development and improvement of one is difficult to maintain without similar investments in the other. Further, to turn around schools, the system needs to focus on the three basics: literacy, numeracy and emotional intelligence.

Much is lost when the myopic view of achievement is solely focused on tests and measurements. When the doing becomes more important than the being, joy and passion can be lost.

This loss would be more than incidental as it jeopardizes both our national purpose and international standing. Covey clearly understands the power and need for passion. It is the fuel that lights the fires of dreams, innovation and vision. It is a necessary ingredient in the work of continuous growth and development--at both the individual and national levels. All that is good and right in our accomplishments, Covey would say, has been fueled with such passion.

Few would argue that the spirit of a child contains many ingredients: laughter, curiosity, love, adventure and creativity. Yet in our push for a testing-focused accountability movement, stress levels are running high and creativity may be running at an all-time low. When making decisions about the lives of children, we cannot afford to examine them in hindsight and determine that we were incorrect. We must get it right the first time.

The world of work, reports Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, is calling for greater creativity, flexibility, less brawn and more brain. The world of relationships as described by Pink increasingly needs diverse design, stronger problem-solving skills, and the capacity to pass on legacies and life through story telling. Where in our current curriculum are we teaching and honoring these needs?

All are in agreement on a need for better accountability in public education. There is also agreement that programs in too many school districts have not been monitored well for results. But is our current push for testing and one-sided school report cards the right answer? Are we heading toward a dangerous intersection--between the 20th century American school and the 21st century global economy and citizenship--with our eyes covered and our pedal to the metal?

Leading Insights

To answer these questions, several notable individuals in education and leadership circles were asked about their perceptions about the direction our nation is taking with its focus on testing. All of those interviewed supported accountability, and each could identify a school or schools where the lack of accountability had resulted in inadequate education.

Dennis Sparks, executive director of National Staff Development Council, shared his concern for a test-focused nation.

"Curriculum in many schools is narrowing, becoming focused on a smaller number of subjects, a focus on test preparation and kids scoring well on tests--things that have traditionally been a broad curriculum for kids," he said. "Consequently this has resulted in a narrowing of experiences. Sometimes really important learning doesn't take place."

"At the same time," Sparks added, "I realize that schools must teach core skills such as reading and math. I have been distressed for some time that too many students of poverty or minority have not had access to quality and diverse programming and instruction. I support all efforts to bring these skills and opportunities to all kids. I am also concerned that this focus on testing has made teaching less satisfying for teachers and learning in many schools has become less enjoyable for too many kids. There has to be a balance between prescriptive teaching and creative energy."

Mary Feldt, a physical education teacher at Waupaca Learning Center in Waupaca, Wis., and her state's 2006 teacher of the year, pointed to her biggest concern--the focus on high-stakes student testing. She stated: "If we truly want to help develop a well-rounded child, then art, music, physical education, science, math, reading and agriculture, as well as others, are all of equal importance. I know that many schools are cutting back or eliminating non-NCLB programs in order to have more time and money to focus on preparing kids for 'the test.'"

Pink, who worked as a speechwriter for Vice President Albert Gore and a special assistant to Labor Secretary Robert Reich, harbors concerns about the antiquated system still in control at the nation's public schools. He believes a pressing need to be addressed is the indoctrination of the baby boomers to a "one-right-answer" framework.

"It's not teaching for right answers," he said. "It's making sure students have the capacity to see the world fully. The capacity to use all of their strengths. To see themselves as citizens of the world, that they are functioning empathic human beings, that they can see the world fully, that they are not just spewing right answers for the wrong reasons." (See Daniel Pink interview, page 35.)

Feldt expressed concerns over the lack of a well-thought-out, research-based, adequately financed educational plan that recognizes the uniqueness of each child. "You can't take the class of 2012 and determine that we are going to do this, this and this and then determine when we are done exactly how they will turn out," she said. "There are many diverse personalities and learning styles. It is going to take a lot of different interactions and a lot of diverse experiences to help all children reach their potential. There is no one-size-fits-all and the harder we work to create one the greater the number of children we will leave behind."

A Silver Bullet 

If we truly don't want to leave anyone behind, we must ensure all children develop to their greatest potential--and that may not be in science or math but painting a beautiful canvas or writing a poem or bringing about peace on the playground or in their neighborhoods.

Added Pink: "At a very significant level of who we are, we know that when we focus on a single area of anything we are grossly overlooking other areas of significance. Twentieth-century thinking looked for one right answer, one right program, one right piece of legislation--a silver-bullet mentality that does not exist. It never has and certainly in the complex world of the 21st century never will."

Ignoring the yellow light of caution will not be good for this country, its future nor its children.

Michael Gelb: Thinking Creatively

A retired professional juggler who once performed on stage with the Rolling Stones, Michael Gelb uses a juggling metaphor in his work as an organizational leadership specialist. While he mostly works with corporate clients, Gelb's ideas on creative thinking skills and cultivating spiritual potential have considerable application to the leadership of elementary and secondary education.

A passionate student of the Renaissance, Gelb ignited the current fascination with all things Da Vinci with his How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. His latest book, Da Vinci Decoded, taps into the seven DaVincian principles outlined in his earlier book.

He was recently interviewed by Donna McCaw about the application of his ideas to education. An excerpt follows.

Q: When you think of teaching to the whole child, what comes to mind?

Gelb: Teaching to the whole child requires a whole curriculum. A curriculum and structure that views all of the different elements of intelligence, not just IQ. Most of us grew up with a very limited notion of what intelligence happens to be. At the very least, we want to look at the application of Howard Gardner's work on seven intelligences. Schools need to develop a curriculum that cultivates all seven areas, all of which are very important to the development of the whole child.

We need to look at how to develop not just the verbal/linguistic and the logical/mathematical but also interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. It's just plain ignorant not to do that. What ultimately leads to civic intelligence is an expansion of interpersonal intelligence. This is in partly why I use Leonardo as a compelling model--he was a genius in all of the intelligences.

Q: Creativity is viewed by progressive thinkers as vital to the 21st century economy, yet it is seemingly lost in the wave of testing and accountability. How important do you view it and what do schools need to do?

Gelb: We need to be much more creative about how we do testing while understanding that the current model of testing isn't going to go away. The nature of testing is to get a number or grade by which we can be compared. What we need to do is examine the narrow framework within which intelligence is being measured. We need to ask what is being measured and why. People want to jump through the hoops for which they are getting the rewards. Stop and think about what gets rewarded in this country. Is creative thinking given a grade on student report cards?

Standardized thinking doesn't prepare us for the real world in a real company. It prepares you for a world where people follow orders; where you focus on getting the right answer for the teacher, professor or boss. Every company that I work with now--and I work with many of the top companies in the world--are desperate for people who can think like Leonardo, think for themselves. They desire individuals who can come up with new ideas, aren't just saying "yes" for the boss but are opening up new avenues of exploration and innovation. They need people who can think like Leonardo, integrating logic and analysis with imagination and intuition.

A lot of what I do is help people to unlearn the standardized test thinking they developed from all of those years in the school system. It's a lot of unlearning that's needed.

Daniel Pink: A Whole New Mind

Daniel Pink is a diversified thinker whose intellectual and emotional understanding of the world resulted in the writing of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

His book charts the rise of right-brain thinking in modern economies and explains the six abilities individuals and organizations must master in an outsourced and automated world. A Washington-based contributing editor at Wired magazine and independent business consultant, Pink sees the world as it is and can be.

Pink worked in the White House as chief speechwriter for Vice President Albert Gore from 1995 to 1997. He also has worked as an aide to Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.

Pink will be the keynote speaker at the 3rd General Session at the AASA National Conference on Education in New Orleans in March.

He was recently interviewed by Donna McCaw.

Q: On a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being highest, how would you rate the performance of U.S. schools in readying learners for the global job market? And what do we need to do to get to a 4?

Pink: That varies greatly from place to place, but I think on average public education would get a 1.5.

At one level it requires thinking about education in an entirely new way. So much of education within this country has been focused on routines and right answers. That approach has a number of different weaknesses: It doesn't teach the whole child, and it leaves a lot of human potential underdeveloped.

At another level it is dangerous because it is not what the economy has been. Schools obviously have a function broader than simply preparing people to take their places in labor markets. They have a role of helping educate children to become citizens. On that particular dimension, preparing kids for becoming economically productive members of society, it's fundamentally flawed because our economy, the American economy, the Canadian economy, the western European economy, the Japanese economy is less and less about routines and right answers.

Routines and right answers are commodities. They are essentially free, anybody can do them, therefore they have zero or almost zero economic value. Whereas the ability to think, being able to be creative, to empathize with others, to tell a story, to listen to other people's story; being adept at design, at connecting the dots, at recognizing patterns, at pursuing a life of purpose--those are not just the things that are going to enrich the young people as human beings, but those are the types of things that our children are going to be doing for a living. So there is a sort of double whammy flaw in this routines and right answers obsession being used right now by many public school regimes.

We are on the brink of perfecting the industrial-age model school now that we are leaving the information age.

Q: So how do we move to that paradigm?

Pink: Well, I think it is difficult and not that difficult. In my experience, teachers and principals get this. A lot of them are doing the rogue work of trying to navigate their way through a very, very challenging campaign of legislators, state and federal. I think legislators don't have a fricking clue about what is going on inside of schools. They are basically engaged in a form of press release politics where they feel if they do something, anything involving schools, they can then put it on TV or issue a press release about it and their job is done. I actually think that many of them are violating the political Hippocratic Oath by actually doing some harm through the things they are proposing for schools.

The other thing is parents. They have a role in this too, in recognizing how much the economy is fundamentally changed. Telling your kid today to be an accountant, doing routine work, or being an engineer doing routine work is like telling your kid in Ohio in the 1970s, "just go get a job in a factory--everything will work out all right." It is fundamentally flawed advice.

Our parents as well need to shake off the legacy of what they learned and recognize that their kids are living in a fundamentally different world and will be operating in a fundamentally different labor market--the reward of a very different set of abilities.

Q: It's difficult to get people to believe that teaching to the whole child will not only result in higher test scores, learners better prepared for employment, and a country of happier people. How do we get them to pay attention to the fact that the world is changing and that our children need to be prepared for a world vastly different than anything they can imagine?

Pink: You need to keep repeating it, repeating it, repeating it. Going out and making the case. Going out and making the case. Going out and making the case. This is why maybe after 1,000 times someone might say, "Hey, I think he is trying to tell me something."

I do believe in my gut there are more people today in the choir saying the same thing. There is a shift that has been noticed by many individuals, but it scares people. The schools we are talking about look different, they feel very different. When we undergo rapid change people tend to cling even tighter to the known. They become nostalgic and schools are about as nostalgic as you can get.

Q: How would you describe the heart of a global citizen?

Pink: Each child would recognize that he is important in his own right and understand how he (or she) is connected to a broader society. That society includes the people in their own country, most of whom they will never know, in addition to the billions of individuals in other countries to whom they are also connected. The more you understand this array of diversity and responsibility, of opportunity and performance, of connectedness to others and to the planet, the greater your demonstrated ability to succeed in this world.

Q: Are there any thoughts you would like to share with every superintendent in this country?

Pink: First, our kids are not going to be doing routine technician white-collar work. They are going to be doing work that requires greater degrees of artistry, empathy and big-picture thinking. They will be doing high-concept work, high-touch work, not so much high-tech work. If we start training these little automatots, training these technicians, you are doing these kids a horrific disservice, both at the human level and at the level of being able to flourish in the economy.

The other thing is, and I think superintendents get this, there is incredible power in intrinsic motivation. This power is overlooked throughout society, schools being no more guilty than anybody else. There is a power when people are able to find out what they are good at and do it. Do what they do out of a sense of joy and talent, rather than in pursuit of some kind of external award. I found that people who are intrinsically motivated are happier, more productive, perform better and contribute more.

To the extent that schools can, they need to model, encourage and support the development of each kid's intrinsic motivation. When you do so, you are doing those kids a powerful service as well as society as a whole.

Q: Any thoughts about the whole accountability movement?

Pink: I am actually sympathetic to the movement. Some schools are so pathetic, despicable, disgraceful, especially those found in areas of high poverty. Someone needs to hold their feet to the fire. The general principle of accountability is very good--it's just what are they accountable for?

The accountability is flawed in a number of ways. They are measuring only the left-brain abilities and not the right-brain abilities. Secondly, and probably more importantly, they are measuring them at the level of the school rather than the level of a child. Parents care about the aggregate numbers of a school, but even more so, they care about how their own kid is doing.

Under No Child Left Behind, the unit of analysis is the school. Therefore the reward or penalty system is not at the level of the child. When this happens you have individuals who are gaming it. You have schools that discourage lower-performing students from attending on test days, making sure they are above the required number of attendees. You have teachers who are basically spending all of their time getting kids prepared for the test because that is what their own reward scheme is about.

Current accountability has a very narrow kind of a regime with all kinds of unintended consequences. They are accountable for the wrong things, putting their limited resources into the wrong things, rather than developing brain power as well as interpersonal and intrapersonal power.

It takes time for change to happen. The more people who are talking about it the better, but this is a big ship and it takes time to turn it. l am somewhat optimistic the ship will turn because more of these conversations are happening. I also believe the pace is picking up a little bit. I have been heartened by recent columns in print, conversations in meetings, and a growing sense of understanding and urgency.

It also doesn't change in a linear way. It goes slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly and you turn around and it actually has made its turn.

Stephen Covey: Well-Rounded Individuals

A gentle teacher with a deep compassion for leading the world in a journey toward peace, maturity, and continuous improvement, Stephen Covey is best known as the author of several acclaimed books, including the international bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other bestsellers include First Things First and Principle-Centered Leadership.

Through his writing and speaking, Covey voices the need for developing balanced, well-rounded individuals.

In a recent interview by Donna McCaw, Covey identified his most significant concerns about preparing today's children for tomorrow's world.

Q: What do you believe is fundamental for the children of today to be ready for the world of tomorrow?

Covey: It's about the golden rule. It's about a place where we live out possibilities and imagination, not our history. These must be the main things of public schools--not a multiple-choice test that ranks you against everyone else.

These are inadequate comparisons established to foster competition and a scarcity mentality. They do nothing to support the emotional and spiritual development of individuals. It encourages a fear of being wrong, of making mistakes. More than ever we need individuals who are brave enough to take on new and challenging endeavors, to take risks. But when they make a mistake, admit it, correct it and learn from it--immediately. This is what grows character.

The 21st century is open to endless possibilities for the development of the mind, body and soul. No one will find the answers to those possibilities on a fill-in-the-blank test but in the centered peace that comes from knowing yourself, liking yourself, finding purpose.

Q: How can schools effectively prepare kids for the world of tomorrow?

Covey: The best way to prepare them is for the very young and teachable to be involved in principles that are universal and timeless. They need to learn and live the win-win principle and the golden rule. They need to learn to see these as the basic principles to govern their whole lives--somewhat like gravity. Whether we are aware of them, they still operate and are still in control.

The earlier that kids can get into them they learn to treat people with respect, say "thank you, please, how can I help, I love you"--these types of small expressions can turn their lives around. People will see them as different people and they will become like magnets. People will be drawn to them. It's a kind of contagion and they can influence their parents. They can become transition figures.

If schools focused more on the character side and not so much on doing well on tests, a whole new world would soon open up. Testing supports an artificial educational system. I will often ask audiences, "How many of you crammed in school?" Almost everybody raises their hand.

You can get a degree in school and not get an education and everyone knows that. If you learn how to cram you can do well but not be better prepared for life. The cramming in life will always end up in some type of tragedy.

Q: If you could change one thing in today's schools what would it be?

Covey: I would get character education introduced right at the very beginning.

Q: Some schools would argue that they provide for the social-emotional development of their students through character education curricula and instruction. A lot of schools have what they call character education. It might consist of "the word of the month." Teachers introduce the word, some might have students write about the word, yet there is little follow-up.

Covey: It's not institutionalized. They move from one word like fair to honesty to caring.

The teachers must be so deeply involved in the process of developing the mission statement for the school, they must be so committed to it that they are living it. It's not an extra, not an add-on or a "flavor of the month."

The goal of AB Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C., is to produce the future leaders of the world one child at a time. Here, educators and administrators have instituted Covey's principles with the goal of developing the whole child. They give each child the understanding that you are a leader: You are going to make a difference. Life is not about me and mine but about me and thine.

"Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work. Until the modeling comes from the teachers, administrators and staff, it won't be inculturated. It will be another program provided so that schools can say they are doing something. Everyone in the school must work to create a culture of support, enthusiasm for learning, mature demonstrations of caring and love, respect, empathic listening. The focus must be on modeling for all children a passion for purpose and meaning.

How can you test that? You can't. It can ultimately prove to improve test scores. Again, AB Combs school has seen remarkable improvement in their test scores but its focus was on the whole child.

Testing nurtures a scarcity mentality rather than an abundance mentality where you want other people to succeed. Instead, they get cynical of competing, complaining, comparing and contending with other people. They stop believing in possibilities because they have been beaten up. And those cancers literally metastasize themselves throughout the body, mind and spirit of a person and their relationships. They don't learn to listen to their consciences enough. They are focused on what's in it for them instead of how can I help.

Q: How important is it for children to sharpen the saw and find their voice to a successful future for our country?

Covey: I think it's tremendously important because people need to see that their legacy makes greater contributions than they themselves are making. So that we feel a profound gratitude to our founders but also we need to give back.

A great teacher helps children discover their unique worth and potential and talent. They get affirmed by it. I will often ask my audience, "How many of you achieved your level of success partly or largely because someone believed in you when you didn't believe in yourself?" A full two-thirds of the audience will raise their hands. And then if you ask them to talk about their experience, who was it? What did they do? What impact did it have on you? Are you trying to do the same thing for other people? The audience gets very, very sober and very emotional and passionate.

This is the key to life, to help people find their voice, to communicate their worth and potential so clearly they come to see it in themselves. This is what leadership is--it's not management. It inspires people to become not just what you or I want them to become but what their gifts and talents, dreams and desires, their inherent purposes lead them to become. We have a responsibility to nurture, to model, to challenge when appropriate that becoming, but we don't have the right to determine or restrict that becoming. It will always be bigger than an individual but will always function at the level of individualism.

Q: What ultimate consequence do you see the public school focus on testing will have on our children?

Covey: It will tend to focus on secondary successes. You will also secularize our society so that we don't give God credit for the divine principles. It will develop and foster a scarcity mentality rather than abundance mentality where they can be genuinely happy for the successes of others.

The lens of the normal distribution curve informs through limitations. How many children leave the testing situation feeling like a failure, hating school or themselves, seeing no connection between what they were tested over and what they have learned? In some cases the feeling of failure is tied to other areas of academic or extracurricular performances.

They carry this perception of being a failure with them, sometimes for the rest of their lives. The legacy of this experience is too often lived and then passed on to their children. These results are not acceptable. If we know that what we are doing isn't working for all children, then we need to change the focus. Otherwise, aren't we part of the problem?

Excitement and joy are contagious, and when you have individuals, such as teachers and administrators, competing with each other, everyone loses.

Donna McCaw is an associate professor of educational leadership at Western Illinois University, 81-G Horrabin Hall, Macomb, IL 61455. E-mail: [e-mail]