School of the Future

How can today's schools meet the challenges of the future? Filmmaker Phil Bertelsen's PBS-aired NOVA documentary, narrated by LeVar Burton, notes that inequality is the Achilles heel of American education, which ranks behind many other countries in the developed world. The documentary emphasizes the importance of early skill development, including the need for students to learn how to focus, which isn't easy given that many are the products of broken homes, violent neighborhoods, and a generally chaotic environment. The film repeatedly stresses the importance of parental involvement and good reading habits, the latter being a skill that is not naturally hardwired into the human brain. The infamous decline in reading comprehension over the summer is discussed (although some mention of public libraries as essential partners in reversing this trend would have been welcome). Featuring comments from teachers, administrators, students, and researchers, School of the Future addresses topics including customized learning environments, "alt" or alternative schools, student sleep deprivation, the question of meeting expectations, the meaning of learning, promoting a feeling of belonging, harnessing the power of emotions, and the information revolution. So, what does the school of the future look like? Not surprisingly the students see no books ("online everything"), while educators hope that school will be a happy place, attentive to the whole child, offering an environment in which every student can reach his or her full potential. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)