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The Making Schools Work Podcast
Join us each week as we talk to different SREB team members and educators across the country to find out the latest in school innovations. From classroom instruction to school leadership, we are going to examine what it is that makes schools work!
The Making Schools Work Podcast
The GPA Myth: Reframing Education as a Solution, Not a Problem
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Student engagement is at an all-time low, while student anxiety and behavioral challenges are at an all-time high. How do we turn the tide? Mark Perna, a public speaker, best-selling author and founder of TFS Results, joins Daniel Rock and Chris Bailey to offer a game-changing framework: competitive advantage.
By moving beyond a singular focus on high academic grades, Perna outlines how schools can blend robust academics with technical competencies and professional life skills to get every student—from the 4.0 high-flyer to the struggling 1.5 student—fully locked into their learning journey.
Key Takeaways
- The Three Pillars of Competitive Advantage: Discover the modern definition of a well-rounded education: robust academic knowledge, technical competencies and professional life skills working in perfect concert.
- The Solution vs. The Problem: Why straight-A students inherently view education as their solution, while lower-achieving students see it as their problem—and how to bridge that massive engagement gap.
- The 2.5 C-Student Paradigm: The eye-opening statistical reality of why close to 100% of major business leaders and CEOs would eagerly hire a 2.5 GPA student who possesses exceptional professional life skills over a high-achieving student without them.
- Overtly Teaching Professional Skills: SREB’s Chris Bailey shares insight from aerospace giant Boeing on why workers are never fired for a lack of hard technical skills, but rather for a lack of professional skills.
- The AI Tripwire in Workforce Funnels: A critical warning for business and school leaders regarding the fourth industrial revolution and how the blind elimination of entry-level jobs via AI is destroying the talent funnel.
- Skills-First Hiring: Navigating the rapid global shift away from degree-based hiring frameworks toward a skills-first employment ecosystem.
Resources Mentioned
- Answering Why: Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose and Performance in Younger Generations by Mark Perna.
- The Perna Syndicate: Host of the global education and workforce development podcast.
- Mark Perna's Official Website: markcperna.com.
The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce.
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