Think Globally: Big Changes Made to the Wake County Public School System Curriculum

In the 1960s Bob Dylan sang, “The times they are a-changin.’” This classic phrase has come to light again in our fast-paced times which are full of technological advancements and worldwide changes.

Here are some statistics to put things into perspective. Soon China will become the number one English-speaking country in the world. And the 25 percent of India’s population with the highest IQ is greater than the total population of the United States; thus, India has more honor students than the United States has students.

These statistics prove that it is high-time we changed with the world. Proposed new “world-class standards” for the Wake County Public School System will alter the methods of teaching as well as the tools used to teach.

This change to the curriculum is founded upon the idea that we are preparing students for jobs that do not exist yet and technologies that have not been invented in order to solve problems that we do not know will exist.

In terms of the WCPSS, this means it is time to increase the degree of competencies of the average graduate. These competencies include:
• Use all forms of information especially current media and technology
• Be culturally aware
• Communicate effectively across cultures
• Be aware of events and global dynamics
• Work together in multicultural teams
• Learn how to learn

The motif of these competencies is being globally aware and the idea of quality over quantity. The structure of WCPSS is to be reformatted to cut curriculums in half to promote a deeper understanding of the material rather than a greater amount of material.

For more information about this process, visit this Carolina Newswire article.