14: Zak Stein - Why All Global Crises Are Crises of Education

Dr Zak Stein is a writer, futurist, and transformative educator working to bring a greater sense of justice and sanity to education. He is also a founding member of The Consilience Project, aimed at improving public sensemaking and dialogue. Zak was educated at Hampshire College and received his PhD from Harvard University, where he studied educational neuroscience, human development, and the philosophy of education. While at Harvard, he also co-founded Lectica, a non-profit organization dedicated to redesigning standardized testing infrastructures. His most recent book, Education in a Time Between Worlds, grapples with the dangers posed by a profound learning and capacity deficit in a time of civilization-wide transformation. From climate change to politics, agriculture to economics, Zak argues that the world we have known is rapidly disappearing and it is now an existential imperative that we transform education systems if we are to survive the planetary crises currently underway. Planetary wellbeing ultimately depends upon schools, technology and society being re-envisioned toward empowering the world’s youngest citizens to comprehend and respond appropriately to global challenges of unprecedented size and scope. Zak currently serves as the academic director for the Center for Integral Wisdom, and offers human development and learning science consultations to schools, organizations, and educational technology companies. For more information about The Consilience Project at https://consilienceproject.org/ Zak has published two books: Social Justice and Educational Measurement: http://www.zakstein.org/social-justice-and-educational-measurement-book-release-announcement/ Education in a Time Between Worlds: http://www.zakstein.org/education-in-a-time-between-worlds-book-release/ A range of other publications, including his essay ‘If education is not the answer you are asking the wrong question’, are available here: http://www.zakstein.org/publications/