Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-282) and index.

Our education DNA -- The purpose of education -- What's at stake? -- The formative years: K-12 -- The gold ring: The college degree -- Teaching, learning, and assessing -- A new vision for education.

Today more than ever, we prize academic achievement, pressuring our children to get into the "right" colleges, have the highest GPAs, and pursue advanced degrees. But while students may graduate with credentials, by and large they lack the competencies needed to be thoughtful, engaged citizens and to get good jobs in our rapidly evolving economy. Our school system was engineered a century ago to produce a work force for a world that no longer exists. Alarmingly, our methods of schooling crush the creativity and initiative young people need to thrive in the twenty-first century. Education expert Tony Wagner and venture capitalist Ted Dintersmith call for a complete overhaul of the function and focus of American schools, sharing insights and stories from the front lines, including profiles of successful students, teachers, parents, and business leaders. They present a new vision of American education, one that puts wonder, creativity, and initiative at the very heart of the learning process and prepares students for today's economy.