The phrase “21st Century Education” is an intensely discussed topic. You can Google it and be presented with 25,800,000 links in .33 seconds. Yet what does this simple search tell us? With more and more information only a click away, how do we distinguish fact from knowledge, consensus from judgment, and short-term expediency from wise action?
We are engaging in Strategic Plan 2010 to evolve our educational program. We see this as an exciting opportunity to reaffirm our founding values, while reinterpreting them for the ever-changing conditions of the 21st century. We call on our community to join us in thinking deeply about these issues. This is a chance for us to be visionary, to think beyond our immediate horizons. For example:
- What will our children need to be prepared to enter this rapidly changing, complex, inter-connected, culturally diverse, and technology- immersed world?
- What curriculum content, reading/writing/math/science skills, research and inquiry strategies, psychological strengths, personal values, and habits of mind will they need to be innovative problem solvers?
- How do we nurture the capacity to “learn how to learn” in this complex world?
- How can the students’ experiences at SFDS help them develop the capacity to find personal meaning, sustain interest and effort, and behave ethically as global citizens and workers?
These are just a few questions for you to consider. I invite you to give some thought to the issues that are of greatest concern to you and your family as you think about the future of our children and grandchildren. How can the Day School be a leader in preparing our students for the world of tomorrow?
We understand that our most pressing human problems – from global warming, to intractable poverty, to ethnic violence – require a multi-disciplinary approach. Economists, geographers, anthropologists, statisticians, geneticists, and biologists must work collaboratively to find solutions to hunger, disease, political violence, and sustainable and just economic development. So too, we look to you, our diverse and accomplished community of friends and supporters, to help us determine our direction and priorities during the next phase of our history.
We hope you will join us in this process by adding your thoughts and experiences to the SFDS vision of an education for the 21st century.
Sincerely,
David E. Jackson
Head of School
