Global Gap - "Brain dump"

Writing - today's writing, as taught in schools, is formulaic and the topics are dull.  GAP introduced the idea of an interesting, well researched essay that presents new ideas and critical thinking.

Teach to the test - most schools today teach to the test, and even then, many schools are performing poorly.

Teacher support - teachers do not receive support and feedback from other teachers.  There is no mentoring in the teaching field.  Teachers are given a room with students and then ignored by the system.  In schools with teacher mentoring, team teaching efforts, and feedback to help the teachers become better at their craft, the teachers excel, the students excel, and everyone is happier.

Drill / rote memorization - in the past, drill and memorization was necessary, as those same resources weren't readily available.  However, nowadays, we are saturated with information.  Students should know how to access this information and decide critically what is true and what is important.  Some information still needs to be memorized (math facts, some history dates, geography), but the educational system no longer needs to be fixated on rote memorization as its sole method of instruction.

Ask good questions - the good teachers ask good questions.  They help direct and instruct their students by asking them questions and getting them to think.  Likewise, they encourage student questions and exploration.  This teaches the problem solving skills that students will need in college and in the workplace.

Even jobs that can be attained without college requires the same basic 7 Survival Skills.  The plumber that fixes a leak, the mechanic that fixes a car, or the factory worker on the assembly line...jobs nowadays requires problem solving (oftentimes, creative problem solving), critical thinking, analysis, etc.

The good schools taught the 7 Survival Skills.  Teachers asked interesting questions (not the obvious questions, but the ones that required deeper thinking, and which challenged the students).  Teachers received support from each other, and valuable feedback.  The schools did not teach to the test.  Many of the exemplary schools encouraged and supported student discovery and project-based learning.  Students are graded by their projects; they are expected to do their best, must present their projects orally and show good written communication skills.