Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students' Networks - Hardcover

Fisher, Julia Freeland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1119452929 ISBN 13: 9781119452928

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2018

Synopsis

Improve student outcomes with a new approach to relationships and networks Relationships matter. Who You Know explores this simple idea to give teachers and school administrators a fresh perspective on how to break the pattern of inequality in American classrooms. It reveals how schools can invest in the power of relationships to increase social mobility for their students. Discussions about inequality often focus on achievement gaps. But opportunity is about more than just test scores. Opportunity gaps are a function of not just what students know, but who they know. This book explores the central role that relationships play in young people's lives, and provides guidance for a path forward. Schools can: Integrate student support models that increase access to caring adults in students' lives Invest in learning models that strengthen teacher-student relationships Deploy emerging technologies that expand students' networks to experts and mentors from around world Exploring the latest tools, data, and real-world examples, this book provides evidence-based guidance for educators looking to level the playing field and expert analysis on how policymakers and entrepreneurs can help. Networks need no longer be limited by geography or circumstance. By making room for relationships, K-12 schools can transform themselves into hubs of next-generation learning and connecting. Who You Know explains how.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES BY DRAWING ON A DISRUPTIVE APPROACH TO RELATIONSHIPS AND NETWORKS

"This book suggests a structure of school that would allow more individuals--even those that we don't think of as part of our traditional education system--to mentor, support and inspire young people. In that vein, Julia's research and vision is indispensable to building a world in which individuals--even those from wildly different backgrounds--can help one another.

I'm indebted to Julia for helping me see how disruptive innovation can play a part in providing diverse, meaningful, and enduring relationships for our students. How can schools take advantage of this monumental opportunity? Who You Know points the way forward."
--From the Foreword by Clayton M. Christensen

"Opportunity is social, but schools ignore it. With this provocative observation, Julia Freeland Fisher launches what will be a revolution. To the rise of project-based learning and social intelligence, schools will add social capital as a named and measured outcome--and a new generation of tools and partnerships will help deliver on the promise Julia outlines."
--TOM VANDER ARK, CEO of Getting Smart and author of Better Together, Getting Smart, Smart Cities, and Smart Parents

"At a time when our technology platforms have us caught in an echo chamber of our own social filters, rarely exposed to new perspectives, Julia brilliantly makes the case that we must help the next generation intentionally build diverse social networks--and schools are the best place to start. It's not only critical for the health of our democracy, but it will improve the odds that every child has access to the American dream. Parents, school leaders and education technologists would greatly benefit from the data, research and most importantly, Julia's insights on how we can give all children the opportunity they deserve."
--JENNIFER CAROLAN, Co-Founder and General Partner, Reach Capital

"Many thanks to Julia Freeland Fisher for being willing to explore how 'who you know' is as important as 'what you know' in a student's learning experience. While the neighborhood school may offer community and security, it can also be increasingly limiting if students are not developing far-reaching relationships that move them from the schoolyard to the world."
--BOB WISE, President, Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia

"Who You Know is an engaging, compelling, and thought-provoking look at how schools could--and should--help students build and maintain social networks, and why this matters so much. It's a must-read for both school system leaders and educational entrepreneurs who seek to serve them."
--JOANNE WEISS, former chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan

About the Author:

JULIA FREELAND FISHER is director of education research at the Clayton Christensen Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. She leads a team devoted to informing policymakers and community leaders on the power of disruptive innovation to transform schools. DANIEL FISHER works as a subject matter expert for the U.S. government. Previously, he was an officer in the U.S. Army and a veterans' field representative for Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02).

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1119452929
• ISBN 13: 9781119452928
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192