No Such Thing As An Average Student

American agronomist Norman Borlaug invented drought resistant wheat that saved a billion people from starving to death.

But he was rejected by a college after failing an entrance exam.

Got into a junior college by the skin of his teeth.

How many Norman Borlaugs have we lost?

Potential world-changers who fell by the wayside because our education system didn't deem them worthy.

For every Norman Borlaug, there are countless others who are equally as talented, but for whatever reason, never got the chance.

Harvard professor Todd Rose is another example of how the education system isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Rose dropped out of high school with a 0.9 GPA.

He attended night classes at a local college, eventually earning a doctorate in human development from Harvard.

Todd Rose has written two books and is the cofounder of Populace, a think tank that advocates for a world where all people have a chance to be thriving members of society.

Early on in his career, Rose concluded that there is absolutely no such thing as an average student.

The average represents nobody.

We have a big problem.

We have built an entire education system assuming the average kid exists.

That kids know the same things, learn the same way, at the same age.

They don’t.

By any measure, this system doesn't work.

Frederick W. Taylor, founder of scientific management, figured the way to prosperity is to forget individuals.

Take control away from workers.

Put it into the hands of a select few of the most intelligent people.

He goes about implementing that in factory after factory.

Early pioneers of modern education system decided if it works in factories, it will work in schools.

We adopted a one-size-fits-all system based on the idea that fast equals smart and slow equals dumb.

We even used bells that indicate shift changes in factories to move kids from room to room.

That's how close our schools mirror the industrial factory.

School is not based on mastering the material.

It's based on not failing.

Kids are the most engaged when they are in kindergarten.

By 5th grade, 26% of students are disengaged.

Goes up to 55% by the time they are in 8th grade.

By the time they are high school seniors (12th grade), 66% of students are disengaged in their learning.

Depending on the year, close to a million kids drop out of school.

This is an unacceptable loss of talent.

There are 3 principles that will contribute to a better education for all kids:

1. Mastery learning

Kids learn at their own pace, and keep going, until they reach a high level of achievement.

Mastery Transcript Consortium works with member schools to create a high school transcript that reflects the unique skills, strengths, and interests of each learner.

2. Deep flexibility

Not everyone has to do the exact same thing the exact same way.

We empower kids by giving them a lot more choice to connect to the things that matter to them.

Kubrio offers kids 8-18 100+ learning experiences, giving them choice and flexibility.

3. Divergent outcomes

Success doesn't have to mean one thing.

We need our education system to have a much broader view of success.

The truth is, human potential is nowhere near as limited as the system we have put in place assumes.

This newsletter is based on a Freethink video in partnership with Stand Together.

If this was useful to you, please share it with your friends!

Subscribe now and follow me on Instagram and Twitter for thoughts on raising curious, self-directed learners.

Remember, it's hard work being a great parent to your child. You're doing your best.

Till the next issue!