January 8, 2021 View as Webpage
The Increasing Necessity of Adaptability
Adaptability to change is itself
a hallmark of successful education. – Peter Hilton 

You are likely familiar with the 21st Century concepts of artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, robotics, biometrics, augmented and virtual reality. Today, where rapid transformation is the new normal, how will we integrate the changes that are coming? How will we prepare students to succeed in an environment of constant change? What additional tools will everyone need to meet this ever-changing economic landscape?

According to Harvard Business Review, it is your Adaptability Quotient (AQ) that provides a true competitive advantage. The Adaptability Quotient is the ability to deal effectively with changes and involves the ability to change course or strategy when needed in order to be successful. This pandemic year has shown how agile thinking and adaptive strategies can have a significant impact on survival for some businesses. Having a strong Adaptability Quotient will help businesses compete and will help our citizens thrive. AQ is becoming increasingly important to meet the challenges of advancement – now and those still to come. 

As schools prepare the future workforce, finding ways to strengthen students' AQ skills will be
imperative. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Arizona State University chief research and innovation officer, recommends that all students develop an entrepreneurial mindset along with expecting and embracing change. STEM/STEAM programs help develop adaptability by focusing on interdisciplinary work while encouraging flexibility and problem-solving. Moreover, schools need to teach resilience and self-regulation, eliminate the fear of failure, and promote lifelong learning. 

Greater Stark County students are ahead of the curve in developing entrepreneurial mindsets thanks to district-led project-based and career technical educational experiences and to community-led initiatives such as TomTod Ideas, Stark Tank1 and Junior Achievement.
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1A middle school, high school and college initiative sponsored by Strengthening Stark, Stark Education Partnership, Local entrepreneurs and greater Stark county school districts, colleges and universities.
The Stark Education Partnership (a 501(c)3 non-profit organization) collaborates with education, business, civic and community members across the entire spectrum – cradle to career – to create and respond to opportunities that will provide ALL students with education and career success.