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In The News

Published April 2008

Study Finds Curriculums Not Keeping Pace With Workforce Needs

  Lindsay Edmonds Wickman

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A recent survey found that school superintendents and employers agree that creativity is becoming increasingly important in U.S. workplaces, according to a report by The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).

“Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce?” states that 99 percent of the 155 school superintendents surveyed and 97 percent of the 89 employers surveyed believe that arts training — and, to a lesser degree, communications studies — are crucial to developing creativity. But findings indicate that most high schools and employers provide such training and studies only on an elective or as-needed basis.

“As long as creativity is identified as a skill that can be developed and recognized as an integral input for innovation, and corporate leaders emphasize the need for innovation in order to meet their business objectives, the need for including creativity enhancing programs [in] the requisite training curriculum should be obvious,” said Jonathan Spector, chief executive officer of The Conference Board.

Comments

Posted By Stephen Carman Thursday April 10, 2008 08:17:56 AM In a marketplace that places an more value on rational organizational systems versus natural and open, the following is the result when it comes to creativity and innovation: "conformity to institutionalized rules often conflicts sharply with efficiency criteria and, conversely, to coordinate and control activity in order to promote efficiency undermines an organization's ceremonial conformity and sacrifices its support and legitimacy" (Capella, 2007, pp. 135-136). Put another way, I agree improving creativity and critical thinking skills is needed, but the organization has a way of beating innovation and creativity out of its people in favor of standardization. References Capella University (2007). OM8010: Principles of Organization Theory and Practice (An edited work). Acton, MA: Copley Custom Textbook. Scott, W. R. & Davis, G. F. (2007). Organizations: Rational, natural, and open systems perspectives. (1st ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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