For Tuesday, January 8

For class on Tuesday, January 8, read “Redesigning American High Schools for the 21st Century” by Patrick Cook-Deegan from The Stanford Social Innovation Review. In your journal / workbook, make note of at least two things Cook-Deegan criticizes about American secondary education that you agree are problematic, outmoded, or counterproductive, and note at least one aspect of American high school practices he criticizes that you feel is actually worthwhile or valid. Then write a couple of paragraphs responding to the essay's suggestions about what high school might or should be. What are we not doing in school that you think is essential, or at least more important than the outmoded or counterproductive aspects of school you currently experience? What aspects of high school might once have been worthwhile that are no longer relevant in the twenty-first century? If you like, comment on Uni and the extent to which our school is doing better (or not) than high schools conjured up by Cook-Deegan's generalizations.