Breakthroughs
Breakthrough only comes through new paradigms and perspectives. The following outlines NewERA's game changing paradigms.
It is Time We Face Reality. Our K12 educational system is not getting it done - because it was not designed to meet the needs of today, much less those of tomorrow. Nor was it designed to cure modern economic, social, and familial ills. We know that is an awful lot to ask. But, we contend that we cannot continue to ignore the big picture and expect to get any better results. We must design educational systems that take these new forces into account. Expecting to get results from anything less is completely unrealistic.
The two big questions are "what to do?" and "how to afford it?" It is easy to say "we need this", or "just add that", but the key is figuring out how to pay for the this and that - systemically, sustainably, affordably. NewERA believes we have the answers to these questions. Our model confronts modern realities with an integrated, proactive, holistic approach - a solution that will improve student outcomes,
positively change American lifestyles, save families a little money, and help rejuvenate communities.
The Changing World Demands A New, Unprecedented Level of Education. The world is changing whether we like it or not. Our children face an infinitely more competitive future. The kind of education we received is no longer adequate. It used to be that anyone willing to put in a hard days work, could find a decent, well paying job, with or without a great education. Up until the 1970's, the output of our K12 educational system matched the needs of our economy. Those days are long gone.
Today, twice the percentage of jobs require at least a "college ready" skill set. Only 8% of jobs can use (hire) a dropout. It is even tougher in growing fields and it is only going to get harder in a "flat world." Twenty five years ago "A Nation At Risk" warned America that action was required. Unfortunately, the plea fell on mostly deaf ears. For our children to get a job, have a career and a great standard of living they are almost certainly going to need a college degree. It is the new prerequisite. NewERA's model assures students will be fully prepared to succeed in college and beyond.
We Are Naïve To Believe Every Parent Has The Time, Energy, Inclination and Aptitude to Effectively Tutor All of Their Children in All of Their Subjects. The reason our educational system produces the results it does is completely tied to the broader economic, social, and familial circumstances our children and their families face. They are inseparable!
The reality is every parent works in 80% of households. Parents have significantly less time to help their children. More and more families only have a single parent and/or are living at or near poverty. On top of that, the majority of parents are not able to tutor their children in the classes needed to be ready for college - because they never took or passed the classes themselves or because they have simply forgotten the material.
California's diversity adds even more challenges when one considers that close to 40% of our parents are not themselves fluent in English. Add to that, the fact that 10% of adults have a felony on their record and probably do not see as much value in an education. It is actually amazing that the current system gets the results it does.
We Can No Longer Risk A Child's Future By Depending On Their Parents. It is Time For Schools To Take Full Responsibility For The Academic Success of All Their Students. Unfortunately, the current educational system (and society) puts our nation's educators in such a bad position that it results in a push back of responsibility. Hence, the pleas for parental involvement, smaller classes, etc. Who can blame them. Teachers are caught in a system that is designed for exactly the results we have always gotten - failure. NewERA's model gives educators the means to and then expects them to take full responsibility for the academic success of the children they teach.
Paradoxically, We Expect To Get An Order of Magnitude More Parental Involvement. All parents love their children. Some have more time to be involved than others - particularly if that means tutoring subjects they may not know or remember. NewERA takes a different approach. We entice parental involvement by offering fun family activities and by encouraging parents to get involved by sharing their personal passions with our teens. We believe it is much easier to get a parent to coach a team, organize a club, teach cooking and nutrition, or teach kids how to start a service organization, than to get them to tutor in a subject they have forgotten. So that is our approach.
In addition, lots of senior citizens and business people would love to get involved and help students, but that is foreign to most schools, partly because the facilities were not designed for it. We purposely make room for on-site senior and business centers that create a natural space and environment for the extended community to help.
We Already Missed The Chance To Design An Educational System For The Information Age. A 21st century education already requires a lot more than knowing how to use a PC, a word processor and a spreadsheet. Not only are the agricultural and industrial ages a thing of the past, before long the information age will be too. [What information is not now available on your phone?] The knowledge age endures. It is timeless. It is not a fad. Those with a NewERA style education can adapt.
So then, what will be required? We contend, that it will require a modern renaissance education. Deeply rooted in mastering the fundamentals, but with modern application as a source of tangible experience and apprenticeship. We believe that the current approaches of either skimming the surface, or specifically concentrating on a subject are both wrong, and not enough. NewERA students are trained to know a lot, about a lot, which ultimately means hard work. We will teach students to be adept at synthesizing solutions using both sides of their brains. They will become flexible enough to adapt to the changing times, whatever they may bring.
Either-Or Is Not The Answer. Like Moore's Law (where computers have to get smaller, faster, cheaper, and more powerful -- all at the same time), a great education does not involve trade offs or compromise. It is not easy, but particularly in tomorrow's world. Our children MUST be fully prepared to challenge life. That requires an outstanding education because ultimately, smart wins.
Kids Are Kids. People are people. We at NewERA, do not buy into the excuses and code languages like "at risk" or "these kids." We all have challenges, some more than others, but we believe nearly every child is capable of making it to and through college. Gender, nor the color of one's skin makes a difference. We believe our children are looking for structure and boundaries, for new challenges, for people who believe in them and do not give up on them, for role models and ultimately for people that care about them and their future.
It Is Impossible To Educate A Child Who Is Not There. Once a child drops out of school, teachers can not teach them the lessons they will need to get a job, support a family and contribute to society. Forty percent of our students are dropping out! Based on national statistics, that means that over 60% of our male students are leaving school. Don't we care enough about these young men and women to do something about it? What is it going to take. We must recreate our schools to directly deal with this.
NewERA's model does just that. First, by making sure students succeed. Second, by making school relevant. Third, by creating a place where teens can have fun too. What makes us think this will work? Well, others around the country have had similar ideas. So it is already been proven to work. We have visited them, and studied what they do. But, more importantly, we have figured out how to pull it off in California, even with our chronically lower levels of funding.
We Have Not Succeeded Until The Parents of Children In Communities Like Ours Turn Down Scholarships To Private Schools. It is not good enough simply to do better. This kind of thinking is what got our country into this mess. We have to play to win or our children and our grandchildren will lose. We believe NewERA style schools can directly compete with this country's finest, most expensive institutions. Give us a chance to explain how and why, we think you will agree.
Traditional School Logistics Add To The Problem. Better logistical design of our school schedules has the opportunity to greatly improve student performance. Start with the current day, students are bounced from class to class, by the time they settle in, there is only enough time to listen to a 30 or 40 minute lecture. Assuming a student takes good notes (which is never taught in most schools) they have got a chance to review the lecture later, but the reality is that, that is not happening. Students also, do not have a good opportunity to practice what they just learned while the material is still fresh, instead they have to wait until later, when there is not a teacher or fellow student around to ask questions.
Add to this wasted (or even worse, negative) after-school time and the lost learning over summer breaks and it is hard to conclude that a new school schedule is not overdue.
The format also negatively impacts parents who either worry about what their children are doing after school, or they leave work (or have someone else do it for them) to bounce kids around town (to soccer or a learning center). This makes no sense, kids do not drive, just leave them at school. Have them finish their homework in class (by having longer periods in core subjects), and then let them hang out and have fun on campus until their parents are available to either pick them up or come and join the fun.
New Facility Paradigms Are A Key Part of The Solution. Long established ideas of what a school facility consists of, and how it can be utilized, have confined the possibilities for decades. NewERA's campuses completely change the game. Our Educational EpiCenters become learning villages and help revitalize entire communities. See our vision brochure or attend an event to learn more.
Breakthrough only comes through new paradigms and perspectives. The following outlines NewERA's game changing paradigms.
It is Time We Face Reality. Our K12 educational system is not getting it done - because it was not designed to meet the needs of today, much less those of tomorrow. Nor was it designed to cure modern economic, social, and familial ills. We know that is an awful lot to ask. But, we contend that we cannot continue to ignore the big picture and expect to get any better results. We must design educational systems that take these new forces into account. Expecting to get results from anything less is completely unrealistic.
The two big questions are "what to do?" and "how to afford it?" It is easy to say "we need this", or "just add that", but the key is figuring out how to pay for the this and that - systemically, sustainably, affordably. NewERA believes we have the answers to these questions. Our model confronts modern realities with an integrated, proactive, holistic approach - a solution that will improve student outcomes,
positively change American lifestyles, save families a little money, and help rejuvenate communities.
The Changing World Demands A New, Unprecedented Level of Education. The world is changing whether we like it or not. Our children face an infinitely more competitive future. The kind of education we received is no longer adequate. It used to be that anyone willing to put in a hard days work, could find a decent, well paying job, with or without a great education. Up until the 1970's, the output of our K12 educational system matched the needs of our economy. Those days are long gone.
Today, twice the percentage of jobs require at least a "college ready" skill set. Only 8% of jobs can use (hire) a dropout. It is even tougher in growing fields and it is only going to get harder in a "flat world." Twenty five years ago "A Nation At Risk" warned America that action was required. Unfortunately, the plea fell on mostly deaf ears. For our children to get a job, have a career and a great standard of living they are almost certainly going to need a college degree. It is the new prerequisite. NewERA's model assures students will be fully prepared to succeed in college and beyond.
We Are Naïve To Believe Every Parent Has The Time, Energy, Inclination and Aptitude to Effectively Tutor All of Their Children in All of Their Subjects. The reason our educational system produces the results it does is completely tied to the broader economic, social, and familial circumstances our children and their families face. They are inseparable!
The reality is every parent works in 80% of households. Parents have significantly less time to help their children. More and more families only have a single parent and/or are living at or near poverty. On top of that, the majority of parents are not able to tutor their children in the classes needed to be ready for college - because they never took or passed the classes themselves or because they have simply forgotten the material.
California's diversity adds even more challenges when one considers that close to 40% of our parents are not themselves fluent in English. Add to that, the fact that 10% of adults have a felony on their record and probably do not see as much value in an education. It is actually amazing that the current system gets the results it does.
We Can No Longer Risk A Child's Future By Depending On Their Parents. It is Time For Schools To Take Full Responsibility For The Academic Success of All Their Students. Unfortunately, the current educational system (and society) puts our nation's educators in such a bad position that it results in a push back of responsibility. Hence, the pleas for parental involvement, smaller classes, etc. Who can blame them. Teachers are caught in a system that is designed for exactly the results we have always gotten - failure. NewERA's model gives educators the means to and then expects them to take full responsibility for the academic success of the children they teach.
Paradoxically, We Expect To Get An Order of Magnitude More Parental Involvement. All parents love their children. Some have more time to be involved than others - particularly if that means tutoring subjects they may not know or remember. NewERA takes a different approach. We entice parental involvement by offering fun family activities and by encouraging parents to get involved by sharing their personal passions with our teens. We believe it is much easier to get a parent to coach a team, organize a club, teach cooking and nutrition, or teach kids how to start a service organization, than to get them to tutor in a subject they have forgotten. So that is our approach.
In addition, lots of senior citizens and business people would love to get involved and help students, but that is foreign to most schools, partly because the facilities were not designed for it. We purposely make room for on-site senior and business centers that create a natural space and environment for the extended community to help.
We Already Missed The Chance To Design An Educational System For The Information Age. A 21st century education already requires a lot more than knowing how to use a PC, a word processor and a spreadsheet. Not only are the agricultural and industrial ages a thing of the past, before long the information age will be too. [What information is not now available on your phone?] The knowledge age endures. It is timeless. It is not a fad. Those with a NewERA style education can adapt.
So then, what will be required? We contend, that it will require a modern renaissance education. Deeply rooted in mastering the fundamentals, but with modern application as a source of tangible experience and apprenticeship. We believe that the current approaches of either skimming the surface, or specifically concentrating on a subject are both wrong, and not enough. NewERA students are trained to know a lot, about a lot, which ultimately means hard work. We will teach students to be adept at synthesizing solutions using both sides of their brains. They will become flexible enough to adapt to the changing times, whatever they may bring.
Either-Or Is Not The Answer. Like Moore's Law (where computers have to get smaller, faster, cheaper, and more powerful -- all at the same time), a great education does not involve trade offs or compromise. It is not easy, but particularly in tomorrow's world. Our children MUST be fully prepared to challenge life. That requires an outstanding education because ultimately, smart wins.
Kids Are Kids. People are people. We at NewERA, do not buy into the excuses and code languages like "at risk" or "these kids." We all have challenges, some more than others, but we believe nearly every child is capable of making it to and through college. Gender, nor the color of one's skin makes a difference. We believe our children are looking for structure and boundaries, for new challenges, for people who believe in them and do not give up on them, for role models and ultimately for people that care about them and their future.
It Is Impossible To Educate A Child Who Is Not There. Once a child drops out of school, teachers can not teach them the lessons they will need to get a job, support a family and contribute to society. Forty percent of our students are dropping out! Based on national statistics, that means that over 60% of our male students are leaving school. Don't we care enough about these young men and women to do something about it? What is it going to take. We must recreate our schools to directly deal with this.
NewERA's model does just that. First, by making sure students succeed. Second, by making school relevant. Third, by creating a place where teens can have fun too. What makes us think this will work? Well, others around the country have had similar ideas. So it is already been proven to work. We have visited them, and studied what they do. But, more importantly, we have figured out how to pull it off in California, even with our chronically lower levels of funding.
We Have Not Succeeded Until The Parents of Children In Communities Like Ours Turn Down Scholarships To Private Schools. It is not good enough simply to do better. This kind of thinking is what got our country into this mess. We have to play to win or our children and our grandchildren will lose. We believe NewERA style schools can directly compete with this country's finest, most expensive institutions. Give us a chance to explain how and why, we think you will agree.
Traditional School Logistics Add To The Problem. Better logistical design of our school schedules has the opportunity to greatly improve student performance. Start with the current day, students are bounced from class to class, by the time they settle in, there is only enough time to listen to a 30 or 40 minute lecture. Assuming a student takes good notes (which is never taught in most schools) they have got a chance to review the lecture later, but the reality is that, that is not happening. Students also, do not have a good opportunity to practice what they just learned while the material is still fresh, instead they have to wait until later, when there is not a teacher or fellow student around to ask questions.
Add to this wasted (or even worse, negative) after-school time and the lost learning over summer breaks and it is hard to conclude that a new school schedule is not overdue.
The format also negatively impacts parents who either worry about what their children are doing after school, or they leave work (or have someone else do it for them) to bounce kids around town (to soccer or a learning center). This makes no sense, kids do not drive, just leave them at school. Have them finish their homework in class (by having longer periods in core subjects), and then let them hang out and have fun on campus until their parents are available to either pick them up or come and join the fun.
New Facility Paradigms Are A Key Part of The Solution. Long established ideas of what a school facility consists of, and how it can be utilized, have confined the possibilities for decades. NewERA's campuses completely change the game. Our Educational EpiCenters become learning villages and help revitalize entire communities. See our vision brochure or attend an event to learn more.