Are high school students getting the education they need for a rapidly changing world?

Schooling for the future

Not only were we on location in a high school theatre to talk about a subject critical to all Canadians—education. We've also dubbed this as our "back to the future" episode.

Because thirteen years ago, in 2005, Cross Country Checkup broadcast from this very school asking the very same question. How are high schools doing at preparing students for work and life in a world of change?

Back then, there was good and bad news from the audience at Glenlawn Collegiate, in Winnipeg, MB.

Some students didn't feel challenged enough. Others felt schools needed to do better at teaching students to accept constructive criticism. We heard from teachers about the difficulties of accommodating conflicting learning styles.

We tracked down former students—now working adults, teachers and parents who spoke in 2005. On Feb. 4, they came back to tell us how their lives unfolded and share their thoughts on education now.

The circumstances youth face in 2018 are far different. The pace of change has become dizzying. Thirteen years ago, Twitter and iPhones didn't exist. Nowadays, smartphones—and access to information—are ubiquitous, the "gig economy" is ever-growing and politics seem more and more divisive in an era of fake news.

In a fast changing world, how do we prepare young people to thrive and prosper? What should students learn in school? What should they learn at home?

What do you wish you had learned in high school to prepare you for life as an adult?  

Our question: "Are high school students getting the education they need for a rapidly changing world?"