“To have good prospects in life – to be most likely to succeed – young adults now need to be creative and innovative problem-solvers.” – Tony Wagner 

Our school system has been based on an agrarian calendar; the earliest American schools were based around farming and societal needs. For generations American schools prepared students to live, work, and succeed in an industrial economy. Students were trained to be compliant, to follow directions, and to act with the highest respect for authority figures.

Our work is much more difficult today. As Tony Wagner points out, our students need to be creative problem solvers. I couldn’t agree more; we must continue to inspire life-long learners. What we have been failing to say is that we must also be imparting the essential knowledge required for success. For the Hilliard City School District to live our mission to prepare every student to be Ready for Tomorrow, we must provide both academic and life skills.

Creative students and innovative problem solvers must still have a strong foundation on which to build. Solving problems – creativity – isn’t possible without a fundamental understanding of the problem itself. Success in the future – Ready for Tomorrow – has never been more of a challenge. Providing students with both life and academic skills has never required more from us as educators. We won’t back down . . . public schools have built the foundation of this country for over 200 years. Public schools are the future of this country . . . we will meet the challenge.