In the 1950’s, the Air Force realized performance results for pilots were improved when they stopped designing for “average” but made jet cockpits adjustable. Todd Rose, author of The End of Average, uses the story to wonder how our children’s potential can be unlocked by considering how schools can be re-designed and updated for the future of learning.
“There was not one single pilot that was average…If you designed a cockpit on [the basis of] average, then it actually fit nobody. The parallel to education is pretty straightforward. We are still the only industry left that encourages designing to averages.”
If The End of Average resonates with you, explore the content below to see how this shift has been underway for quite some time in NH public schools and how it is gaining ground across the U.S.
- Explore the essential questions of Sean, Ryan, and Emily – three High School seniors at Souhegan High School in Amherst, NH. This interactive web documentary takes the terms and concepts educators often talk about — student-centered, personalized education, equity, rigorous standards, deeper learning and shows what they look like in action.
- Read the “Carnegie Unit” and see what a year of reconsidering “seat time” turned up at the Carnegie Foundation.
- Hear Chris Emdin put forward ways culture and young people need to be considered in the redesign of learning.
- Check out When The Focus Is On The Student, Not The Class to see how student-centered learning has transformed the entire school culture in Pittsfield, NH.
