Chapter 1 Questions from The Global Achievement Gap by tony Wagner

The Global Achievement Gap
by Tony Wagner

Introduction and Chapter 1 (pgs. xix through 42)

Wagner says that schools are not failing; rather, they are obsolete. What’s your reaction to this statement? (p. xxi)



Why is the global achievement gap invisible to most of us? (p. 9)



Karen Bruett of Dell Computer Corporation says that corporate work is no longer defined by one’s specialty; rather, it’s defined by the issue the team is trying to address. If schools were no longer organized by specialties (departments, teacher licensure), what would the organization of schools look like? (p. 15)


What’s in place in schools today that would encourage this new definition . . . and what would repress or block it?






Annemarie Neal of Cisco Systems agrees that global awareness is essential to success in the 21st century, but she says that it’s hard for people in the U.S. to work globally. Why?
What does this mean for schools? (p. 25)



If adaptability and the ability to learn are more important than technical skills, what does this mean for a school’s curriculum? (p. 30)







Wagner speaks of the concept of disruption as being the norm in the world today. If that’s true, what’s wrong with our schooling where there is one right answer, and students are rewarded by getting the right answer? How will schools have to change to produce students who can operate in an environment of disruption? (p. 31)







Industry and business have changed over the past 50 years but schools have not. Why?
(p. 41)