In the opening chapter to his 2011 book, On Critical Pedagogy, Henry Giroux writes, "Public school teachers were deskilled as one national political administration after another embraced a stripped down version of education, the central goal of which was to promote economic growth and global competitiveness, which entailed a much-narrowed form of pedagogy that focused on memorization, high-stakes testing, and helping students find a good fit within a wider market-oriented culture of commodification, standardization, and conformity" (7-8). While I respect the work of Giroux greatly, his view on the relationship between schools and markets has not evolved since the 1980s. The standardized, hegemonic practices in schools does not reflect the current market logic, but is an antiquated system reflective of the factory society. Students are unable to meet employers expectations because schools are not giving students the skills needed to succeed in today's market.
In a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education, half of the companies surveyed stated they had difficulty finding college graduates with the right qualifications to meet the requirements of their job openings. That is not the worst of it: "Nearly a third gave colleges just fair to poor marks for producing successful employees. And they dinged bachelor's-degree holders for lacking basic workplace proficiencies, like adaptability, communication skills, and the ability to solve complex problems."
Companies no longer want passive cogs who will perform a task without questions. While students are leaving colleges with technical skills, they lack the critical thinking skills necessary to problem solve and innovate. The New York Times interviews Jaime S. Falls, the vice president of a large Human Resources Organizations. He states that college graduates starting out “are very good at finding information, but not as good at putting that information into context."
In addition to problem-solving and critical thinking skills, another buzz word that often comes up is "flexibility." This seems in direct opposition to conformist and standardized educational practices. While the argument in critical pedagogy has often been these practices are harmful to democracy, it appears they are also harmful to the economy. Who benefits from standardized education?
