The Global Achievement Gap

In The Global Achievement Gap, education scholar Tony Wagner argues that even America’s best schools are failing to teach the skills students need for work, citizenship, and lifelong learning in a global knowledge economy. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with CEOs, college professors, and recent graduates, Wagner contends that the emphasis on standardized testing has narrowed curricula and rewarded memorization over inquiry, leaving a gap between what schools measure and what employers and universities actually value. At the center of the book is Wagner’s framework of the “Seven Survival Skills,” which he presents as the new core competencies: critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurialism; effective oral and written communication; accessing and analyzing information; and curiosity and imagination. He contrasts these with the “school skills” of test preparation and compliance, arguing that the two are often at odds. Wagner illustrates his case through visits to classrooms and schools he regards as exceptions, including High Tech High in San Diego and other innovative models, alongside interviews with leaders at major corporations who describe struggling to find employees who can ask good questions, work in teams, and communicate clearly. He also examines how the Advanced Placement curriculum and No Child Left Behind-era accountability measures can discourage deeper learning. The book closes with recommendations for reinventing the teaching profession, rethinking assessment, and motivating students through relevance and rigor, making a case for systemic reform rather than incremental tweaks.