Do students who do not enjoy participation or “the stimulation of group work” but still excel on class work and exams deserve to be punished?

Not according to Susain Cain, who in her 2012 book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking looked at an education system that time and time again favors extroverts, says the District Administration.

Indeed, the District Administration says Cain’s research indicates one-third of the U.S. population identifies as introverted, and that the 20th century proved to be a much better time for these kinds of learners.

But with the implementation of the Common Core, a focus on communication and collaboration skills increasingly forces introverted students to conform to a norm not natural to them.

Indeed, the Common Core standards are driving a form of project-based learning that is largely based on collaboration, going against its ultimate goal of creating individualized learning.

In order to remedy this problem and celebrate the introverts in the class, author and former superintendent Ann Meyers told the District Administration that teachers should make an effort to focus on all student’s unique contributions.

“...class work should be varied between group and individual work, Myers says."

“'We need to look for environments in which everyone has an opportunity to shine and make their unique contributions.’”

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

11/23/2015