The Sun Shines a Little Brighter

This morning I woke up and the sun was shining a little more brightly, the air was a little bit fresher and optimism was a little bit higher. It's incredible that one individual can have such an impact on the world. It's time for a transcendental leader and Barak Obama has demonstrated that he may just this leader. Watching his speech last night made me think about HIS. We are working to build a school that transcends traditional stereotypes of education. It's not going to be easy but together we will succeed. HIS students will be the future leaders of this world. They will be the types of individuals who actively work to change the world. Because of this, the HIS Advantage will become the world's advantage. Congratulations President Obama, you have inspired the world as well as many member of the HIS community. Yes We Can!

Reflections from EARCOS

I returned from EARCOS last night and would like to share some random insights from the conference. I think the biggest insight that struck me (yet again) was how innovative and progressive HIS is. Alan November is a world leading progressive educator and during each of his presentations he argued for just the type of school HIS is becoming. Not only have we embraced the digital world, we have also changed the way we educate children. This is very exciting and demonstrates once again the HIS Advantage. Check out Alan's website for more information about transformational educational practices. We are on track for WASC accreditation and are working extremely hard to prepare for the visit in 2 years. The second workshop on Good to Great set up a protocol on how to transform your school from a good school into a great school. International School of Beijing gave some wonderful insights on how they are implementing this at their school. Overall, it was a very informative conference and provided a great forum to help others get to know HIS.

It's about time

The SAT exam has had good run. For many years, universities and colleges have relied almost solely on this exam for admission. This "magic" exam is supposed to sum up a students capabilities in three hours. Is this possible? In the United States alone, the SAT and ACT prep industry generates more than $1 billion annually. Finally, universities and colleges are starting to come to their senses. Wake Forest is the first top-30 National University to become test optional Other colleges that have done the same are: Mount Holyoke, Middlebury, Hamilton, Union, Dickinson, George Mason, Providence College, Hobart, William Smith Colleges, Bowdoin and Bates. The SAT will most likely be around for a few more years but it's hopeful that universities and colleges are beginning to put the SAT in it's place. I've seen too many amazing students value (or devalue) themselves based solely on their SAT scores. The SAT does not predict college or future success. In fact it is a poor indicator of these things. If we truly value the Whole Child then we need to begin taking the SAT a little less seriously and celebrating students for what we really value in them.

The HIS Advantage

THE HIS ADVANTAGE
Over the next few months I will be sending home articles and information on what I like to call “The HIS Advantage”. Colleges, Business leaders and governments are calling for a change in education to meet the needs of the 21st century. At HIS we are not only talking about these skills, we are doing it! Colleges are excited about HIS and especially our students after meeting them because they possess the 21st century skills needed to be successful in today’s world. Many states in the US are revamping their curriculum to help students learn these “21st-Century Skills”. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a Tucson, Ariz.-based coalition of business leaders, has been helping states as they rework their academic standards, curricula, assessments, and other touchstones to ensure that students are well prepared for college or work (21stcenturyskills.org). “Fifty years ago, the ticket up the economic ladder was content mastery of four or five subjects,” said Ken Kay, the partnership’s president. “Today, it’s the ability to think critically, solve problems, communicate, collaborate, use technology and be globally competent.” The world is changing rapidly and we are preparing our students to meet the challenges ahead. It’s a great time to be an HIS student!