The ability to listen and really take in what someone is saying is a skill that requires focus and dedication.  It is something that must be nurtured and truly practiced to become skilled in. As adults, this is one of the most common things to focus on for improvement. 

I want to challenge you with a question: How well do we listen to kids? Do we really listen to what they tell us when they say school is boring? Do we really listen when the tell us the all too familiar response to what did you learn in school today? I challenge us all to be really honest in our responses to these questions. I think the truth is that we do not listen.  Our kids are trying to tell us that schools are not working.

Consider this body of data and research that The XQ Super School Project has compiled on student voices.
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This body of work is another example of how XQ has challenged what is happening in schools. We have to be willing to rethink why a system is the way it is. Are we continuing to run schools based on their effectiveness or are we doing it because that is always the way it has been done? Challenging questions! Challenging work! Our kids deserve it.

Join the conversation! Tell me what you think. 

I often wonder how much time is spent in education really thinking about what our students need to be prepared for the 21st Century. It seems this has become a tagline that we all use but what does it really mean? As XQ states " Today's global society demands new thinking skills and higher levels of educational achievement. "

One of the many things that the XQ Super School challenge has done so well is building out quality information about what makes education tick. Here is their module that explains what these skills are. gives current research, and links to help us dig in deeper.

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