Saving Our Schools: The Rise, Decline, and Resurrection of

American Education in Schools and Learning Centers

Paul E. PetersonHenry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government

Director, Program on Education Policy and GovernanceHARVARD UNIVERSITY

EDVentures ConferenceJuly 15, 2011

Two Main Points

1. Bad News: Our Schools have become Stagnant

2. Good News: Technology provides a chance to transform the way students learn

Howard Gardner

“So long as we insist on teaching all students the same subjects in the same way, progress will be incremental. But now for the first time it is possible to individualize education—to teach each person what he or she needs and wants to know in ways that are most comfortable and efficient.”

Capital, Spanish style

Capital, Gilded Age

Coolidge Capital

Grandma’s Capital

National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1978-2008Age 9, Math

National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1971-2008Age 9, Reading

National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1978-2008Age 17, Math

1978

1982

1986

1990

1992

1994

1996

1999

2004

2008

255

265

275

285

295

305

315

325

White African-American Hispanic

Scale

score

National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1971-2008Age 17, Reading

1971

1975

1980

1984

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1999

2004

2008

225

235

245

255

265

275

285

295

305

315

325

White African-American Hispanic

Scale

score

Trends in high school and college participation

and completion, 1940-2008

1940

1944

1948

1952

1956

1960

1964

1968

1972

1976

1980

1984

1988

1992

1996

2000

2004

2008

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

H.S. En-rollment

H.S. Gradu-ation Rate

College Enrollment

Bachelors Degree

A lot of U. S. Athletes Stood Here

Number of Medals Won2010 Winter Olympics

Percentage of students at or above the Advanced Level - Science

Percentage of students at or above the Advanced Level - Math

International Secondary-School Completion Rates

Remarks of President Barack ObamaWeekly AddressMarch 13, 2010

Remarks of President Barack ObamaWeekly AddressMarch 13, 2010

Co-production

Number of professionalsper 100 students

1960 1970 1980 20050

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Number of staff per 100 students

1960 1970 1980 20060

1

2

3

4

Expenditures per pupil and class size

1920

1936

1944

1952

1958

1965

1971

1975

1979

1983

1987

1991

1995

1999

2003

2007

$0

$2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

$12,000

$14,000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Total Per-Pupil Expenditures Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Cons

tnt 2

006-

07 D

olla

rsP

up

ils p

er T

each

er

The Magic Kingdom

Julie Young, CEO Florida Virtual School

Teaching P. E. Virtually

Wellville

Curriculum will be:

A. At the price-point (adaptive)B. Game based (partially)C. 3-dimensionalD. Open source

“Working on problems that are of the right level of difficulty is rewarding, but working on problems that are too easy or too difficult is unpleasant.” University of Virginia cognitive scientist

For Virtual Learning to Succeed, Four Basic

Rules:

1. Transparency2. Accountability3. Flexibility4. Competition

Curriculum of the Future

• At the Price Point• Game-based (partially• 3-dimensional• Interactive and adaptive• Open source