Is the Pendulum Swinging Back?

Accountability has defined the last decade of K-12 education in the U.S., with No Child Left Behind and the ascendance of standardized testing.

Is the pendulum finally swinging back in the direction of holistic student education? Every week, it seems, a new bestselling book or a major article discuss the role of non-cognitive success factors such as character or leadership.

For example, consider:

Race to Nowhere: A movie that has swept the nation by exposing the harms of unbridled test-based competition.
How Children Succeed: A new bestselling book that analyzes non-cognitive success factors, particularly in early childhood.
The Power of Habit: Another bestselling book that demonstrates the vast power of habits.

These are just a few examples. Many of my district partners are now including character and leadership training as both a means and end to student achievement.  My personal opinion is that accountability isn’t going anywhere – but the pendulum will swing to a more balanced place.