Educating the Net Generation: How to Engage Students in the 21st Century

Educating the Net Generation: How to Engage Students in the 21st Century addresses the national problem of escalating high-school dropout rates and student disengagement, and offers solutions as to how to best involve students of the millennial generation. The book examines the unique characteristics of the Net Generation and explains how the educational expectations and needs of the Net Generation differ from their Gen-X parents and Baby Boomer grandparents. It also looks at why many students resist engaging in formalized education in schools and ultimately drop out.

Chapters featuring student interviews and photographs synthesize the perspectives of current high school students regarding their experiences, beliefs, and thoughts on learning, while a parallel set of parent interviews reveals what parents feel is important in their child’s education and how they would like to see schools engage their children in learning.

Recommendations for changes in school policy and the financial investment critical to turning the situation around are also included, along with an inventory/ checklist for parents, teachers, and school administrators to determine if their individual school environment has what it takes to keep students motivated and engaged.

Bob Pletka, Ed.D., is the creator of My So-Called Digital Life and an associate superintendent of Vista Unified School District in Southern California. He has been a teacher in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, an associate professor in education at National University, and a director of instruction and technology for Covina Unified School District. He also served as a city commissioner for the city of Murrieta. Bob lives with his wife, 10-year-old son, and 13-year-old daughter in Southern California.