The Future Is In Our Hands

As you may know, I love to read - especially in the summer when I can actually read a whole book without interruption. This summer’s best read was The Coming Jobs War by Jim Clifton. Clifton is the chairman of the Gallup organization. Gallup has studied human nature and behavior for more than 75 years. Gallup has a reputation for delivering relevant, timely, and visionary research on what people around the world think and feel is the cornerstone of the organization. It employs many of the world's leading scientists in management, economics, psychology, and sociology, and their consultants assist leaders in identifying and monitoring behavioral economic indicators worldwide.

According to a recent Gallup poll, “Humans used to desire love, money, food, shelter, safety, peace, and freedom more than anything else. The last 30 years have changed us.” People around the globe indicate that their desire is to have a good job. According to labor economists, a good job is defined as a job with a paycheck from an employer and steady work that averages 30+ hours per week. This is important to us as principals, leaders in our communities, and Americans. It is our responsibility not only to understand this desire, but also help prepare our students for a future where jobs may not be easy to come by.

The Coming Jobs War highlights the global economy, the need for Americans to be creative and start businesses to spur on our economy, the competition with China and the American advantage of freedom, and the importance of great Universities that are typically the hotbed for creativity and innovation. Entrepreneurs that built Microsoft, Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer along with the creator of Apple, Steve Jobs helped to create an economic dominance in technology that has not been seen anywhere else in the world. To continue to keep our economic dominance, 5 million new jobs must be created within the next five years. This is where we, the Secondary School Principals, must pay attention and take action.

According to Clifton (and to those of us who have been around a while), too many of our students drop out of school and dropouts do not get good jobs. Students drop out of school because they lose hope. They lose hope in themselves, they lose hope in the adults around them, and they lose hope in their future. If we can build up their hope and support their dreams, they will graduate from high school. Gallup has researched this very fact. They discovered that hope predicts academic success and graduation better than grades or test scores. To measure your students’ feelings of hope and mindset, Gallup has developed a free and easy to use Student Poll. By gathering the data, principals will have the advantage of determining their students’ state of mind and addressing their needs before it is too late.

According to Clifton, “The fate of our nation rides on the financial literacy and entrepreneurial energy of our kids.” To encourage innovation, our students must be in school, engaged, encouraged, and willing to take risks. As principals, we have the opportunity to provide our students with the avenues to follow their dreams.

Have a great start to the 2012-13 school year!