Essential schools aim for teaching students how to find out and critically evaluate the facts they need in a particular situation- the thoughtful habits of mind that are sometimes called the "higher literacies." Most standardized tests, critics say, lack the subtlety and sophistication needed to test such critical thinking skills.
But here's the irony: I'm going to post this article to twitter and probably start a conversation along with the comments that are below. Is not having big ideas a big idea? Are we still wrestling with the big questions that people like Friedan and Freud and McLuhan especially posed? I think there is a lot of conversation out there around the influence of media in our lives, with people choosing to disconnect and discussion about appropriate uses, etc. What do you think?