Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools--Now and in the Future

by Barnett Berry

In the raging controversy over the purpose of public education and how to fix the nation’s underperforming schools, the voices of America’s best teachers are seldom heard. Now for the first time, in a provocative book about the future of teaching and learning, 12 of America’s most accomplished classroom educators join a leading advocate for a 21st-century teaching profession to bring expert pedagogical know-how and fresh and provocative policy ideas to the national school reform debate. Together they identify four emergent realities that will shape the learning experience of children born in the New Millennium — and propose six levers of change that can ignite a bright future for our nation’s students by ensuring they all have access to excellent teaching. To create the public schools all students deserve, today and tomorrow, the authors call on policymakers and the public to work with teachers Teaching 2030 provides a refreshing, grounded, and lively examination of what we need to know and do in order to ensure that every public school student in America has access to qualified, caring, and effective teachers. “A fresh take on the real future of teaching.”
— Richard Riley , former U.S. Secretary of Education
“Brilliant….Everyone who cares about teaching and learning should read this book.”
— Linda Darling-Hammond , Stanford University
“In this engaging volume, a notable and diverse team of accomplished teachers, and a researcher who advocates for them, explain why the teaching profession needs a dramatic overhaul and present an intriguing path to a more promising future. Whatever one's take on the particular recommendations put forth, this provocative work is a welcome contribution to thinking about how we can get our kids the teachers they need.”
— Frederick M. Hess , Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
“ Teaching 2030 is a remarkable, revolutionary picture of the future of our schools. Blasting the intellectual meltdown shaping too much of today's education policy, Berry and his colleagues reveal extraordinary opportunities to improve our schools and serve every student. Deeply respectful of teachers, Teaching 2030 proposes how teachers and support professionals can help craft and take more ownership of their professions. This is an exciting and hopeful vision of possibility.”
— Dennis Van Roekel , president, National Education Association

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2011

Reviews

[Jennifer Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously, as a co-author of this book, I think it is wonderful. Great read for anyone who cares about education and how we can are/are building a new future for students now.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaching 2030, written by Barnett Berry and a team of teacher leaders, takes a critical look at the current education system in the US, carving out a path towards cohesive education reform that redefines the profession of teaching, allows for innovative leadership roles for teachers, and introduces concepts like technology integration in classrooms and evolved learning ecologies that will shift the education environment in a new direction by 2030. His “emerging realities” and “change levers” describe reframing outdated, irrelevant ideas about education and the teaching profession to create a new framework that will provide autonomy, transparency, and accountability to a system in dire need of remodeling. While these ideas may come across as idealistic in a system that has remained stagnant for so long, one only needs to observe the current trends in education and in teacherpreneurship to realize that these changes are already taking place, and Berry’s book acts as the perfect guide for these burgeoning reforms.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a discussion starter books as the group that is involved in the creation of a new generation of teacher who need to face a group of students from the new generation that is growing in the tech savvy world. Those who are interested in education and the teaching profession, I highly suggest and recommend and this book to read. This book though deals with the aspects of education in USA I am sure the changes are happening in the global level need to look in to the aspect of learning and schooling so as to make the education from the new angle.

[Steven Kolber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong vision for a better future

[Fed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the few books that I have read about the future of education that has given me some hope. Berry talks about the problems of our society and about solutions from the education , technology, and business stand-point.

I would recommend this book to educators and to parents who are raising children born after the digital era (born after 1993). The world of the future demands a generation of students prepared on much more than core subjects and intellectual facts. Successful individuals of the future will need the type of skills which will make them citizens of a global technologically-driven world. The future needs individuals with intellectual, interpersonal, and technical skills - innovators and problem solvers who will be prepared to tackle issues with creative solutions and thinking outside the box.

I agree with the author that we need to rethink education and how we are preparing students; we can no longer teach children skills which will only prepare them to solve packaged problems. Education needs to give students a foundation of skills which will prepare them on how to confront different situations and find customized solutions for the problems that they will have to overcome in life.

[Ivychang14 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaching 2030 is based on the reality of education at this time, analyzing the education for the future. Also, this book gives us a very brief history of teaching in America, helping us thoroughly recognize the education chronologically. The author of this book makes me feel so excited to predict the future education from different aspects by listing six emergent realities. The most inspiring reality to me is technology and education. Although my major is Computer Science, I have never thought to relate the technology and education together before reading this book. In order to be a good teacher and leader, we should follow the step of 21 century, using all available resources to help our students to access to more information and think globally. The most moved reality to me is to help and consider the special need students, because in this unfair world, we do need to help the poor students and special students in order to consummate the education system and achieve Teacherpreneurism. After I finish reading these six realities and discuss with my friends and teachers, I 100% recommend this book to every one, no matter what job you have, because every one should actively take the responsibility of education, improving the quality of education and helping people to learn more.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I'm capable of liking any non-fiction book, I really enjoyed this one. Particularly, I enjoyed Berry's well-rounded look at the issues facing education and the myriad of facts he uses to support his claims. Though I didn't necessary agree with the political undertones of all this text's contents, I found his vision compelling and inspiring. It certainly got me thinking about my potential roles in helping to transform a profession I feel passionately about, even if it's only from the classroom. This is a text I'll certainly be recommending to my like-minded teacher friends. I've also already consulted Berry's works cited, using it to order more books on this topic.

[akaBreeee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every teacher in the profession should read this book! I have read all of it except for the policy chapter and plan on buying it for a number of people. This collaborative effort opens the door to imagining what education could become and how classroom teachers should be at the center of that transformation. The part of this book that I find most inspiring is the chapter detailing how the teaching profession could provide more differentiated tracks for teachers to grow and use their expertise to not only impact students but also future teachers, novice teachers, and educational policy at both a local and national level.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for school. Nice idea, but overall pretty boring. Not super applicable to people like me working directly in the schools now. More for people in leadership positions who can help make some of the changes the authors suggest.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 but extra points for being sort of out there when it comes how out schools will look in 15 years.

Some implicit digs at administrators even as they purport to be more inclusive in their vision but a good read nonetheless.

[Anise Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good look at how we need to work towards changing our vision and understanding of education to meet the growing demands of a tech-savvy global community.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am now rereading to prepare to lead a book study...provocative, challenging...I like this view of the future of my profession.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking, optimistic, and rooted in the real world. Worth a read.

[Diane Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Very inspiring and overwhelming. Seems like it's almost a wish for the future. I say read it and cherry pick your takeaways.

[Trish Bodine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berry outlines great information about the education's past and what may or should happen in the future.