Schools must become relevant again, and this is how we do it

Millennials live in a world of contradictions.

They are the most educated generation in U.S. history, yet they earn less than previous generations of young workers. They live in the richest economy the world has ever seen, yet stable employment remains elusive.

In Texas, key metro areas — Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin — are growing at a record pace, and a big reason for that is millennials, those born between 1980 and the early 2000s. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that millennials make up a greater share of the workforce than any other population segment.

Millennials are coming of age at a time when many of our notions about work, identity, opportunity and mobility are undergoing profound change.

Unfortunately, our schools are not adapting.

Since the middle of the 20th century, “making it” has meant going to college, earning a degree and eventually settling into a job that lasts a lifetime. But the world is different.

College is no longer a guaranteed path to stable employment, and most young workers will change jobs about every four years. That means they must be open to and capable of learning new things.

How can schools become more relevant in a world like this?

Schools, it turns out, could learn a lot from the inventive ways millennials are upgrading their skills and designing spaces that catalyze creativity and economic opportunity.

For example, a surging number of young people are enrolling in coding academies and design schools. These are schools that offer accelerated training in such skills as web programming, design or mobile apps that are in great demand in today’s economy.

The schools immerse students in a social and educational environment that is bustling with energy, hands-on learning and rich social and professional networks.

This is what’s needed across Texas, where more than half of the nation’s population growth has occurred, according to the most recent census.

Texas’ schools and lawmakers would do well to invest in curricula that replicate the social, collaborative and creative ethos that kindles millennial innovation.

If a student has skills that are a complement to smart machines — computers, robots, smartphones — they will have more options for employment compared with those whose skills are being replaced by smart machines.

Coding is the new language of the digital economy, and those with the ability to write code continue to find brighter employment prospects.

This year about 16,000 students will graduate from coding academies, compared with 6,700 in 2014.

Design schools immerse students in learning environments that take on real-world challenges and cultivate the skills of inquiry, problem-solving and prototyping.

In one Austin design school, for example, aspiring young professionals have taken on problems related to the delivery of healthcare, connecting young students as apprentices to designers, makers and entrepreneurs, and leveraging smartphones to engender civic engagement.

Schools across Texas must strive to be more responsive to the demands of our times, and that means teaching students the skills that are fit for an innovation economy.

Texas and its lawmakers, school administrators and others need to make school relevant again.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Schools must become relevant again, and this is how we do it."