Project-based learning. Student-centered classrooms. Real-world application. As publication advisers and journalism teachers, these practices are commonplace in our classrooms; however, these pedagogies are not everyday occurrences in most schools throughout the country. What if every classroom was modeled after our newsrooms? What if schools focused on the 4Cs: communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration? That’s the dream of Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith, who co-authored the Fall 2016 One Book: “Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids For the Innovation Era.”

In “Most Likely to Succeed,” Wagner, a bestselling author and education expert, and Dintersmith, a venture capitalist, call for a complete overhaul of the function and focus of American schools so that we better equip students for the realities of the twenty-first century economy.

Today more than ever, we prize academic achievement, pressuring our children to get into the “right” colleges, have the highest GPAs, and pursue advanced degrees. But while students may graduate with credentials, by and large they lack the competencies needed to be thoughtful, engaged citizens and to get good jobs in our rapidly evolving economy. Our school system was engineered a century ago to produce a workforce for a world that no longer exists. Alarmingly, our methods of schooling crush the creativity and initiative young people need to thrive in the 21st century.

To help create a sense of community, JEA leaders and members will conduct a series of online chats, podcasts and discussions about “Most Likely to Succeed” in the fall, culminating with an informal book club meeting at the organization’s fall convention.

The JEA Bookstore is offering a special sale on the One Book: $21.77 for members and $24.30 for non members, using the bookstore discount code at checkout, plus shipping, at the JEA bookstore at store.jea.org. Members should login to the members-only area jea.org/membersarea before ordering to get the discount code.

You can follow the authors on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrTonyWagner and https://twitter.com/dintersmith.

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