Changing the Game for Generation Alpha: Teaching and Raising Young Children in the 21st Century by Valora Washington. Redleaf Press, 2021. ISBN: 978-1-60554-726-8
Changing the Game introduces readers to Generation Alpha's gifts and challenges, then offers recommendations for helping it become a healthy, well-adjusted segment of society.
Author Valora Washington's introduction to Generation Alpha confirms other publications' descriptions of it but focuses on attributes that predict its educational and professional future. Alpha includes people born since 2010. It is the first generation born entirely in the 21st Century and among the first in which children of color are a majority (22). Alpha is smaller than its predecessors due to changing family size and structure in the U. S. Households where two parents live together have become increasingly rare; between 1960 and 2019, the average number of children per household fell from 2.33 to 1.93 (26-28). Alpha has been “infused” with technology from birth despite recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that
children 8-10 months have no screen time
children 18-24 months watch only high-quality programming with a parent
children 2-5 years have less than one hour a day of high-quality programming (30-31).
Technology's infusion and America's diversifying family structure indicate that Alpha will be comfortable freelancing or having “gig” jobs that change frequently throughout their lifetime (40-41).
Like many experts, Washington is worried about Alpha's lagging educational progress. She argues that early childhood education is the crux of the problem, noting that in 2019, only 11% of programs were accredited, regardless of cost (83). Similar data from 2019 shows that by fourth grade--a key period of development in predicting future academic habits--65% percent of U.S. children U.S. read below the proficient level (83-87). Alpha lags in other areas, too. Studies reveal that children in 12 other countries are “improving academically 2-3 times faster than in the U.S." (83).
Although Washington's overview of Alpha and spotlight on their educational challenges is helpful, her recommendations are problematic. She cites specific data to describe narrow problems but links them weakly, at best, to sweeping societal changes she touts as solutions. Her solutions match an agenda pushed by Critical Race Theory (CRT) activists and Word Economic Forum (WEF) Great Reset proponents, suggesting her perspective isn't grounded in educational research or educator experience but her observations as an educational consultant and wishes for societal reorganization. I couldn't find a record of classroom or in-school teaching experience among numerous CVs and bios available for her, which makes me skeptical of her recommendations and grounding in pedagogy or practice.
Washington's presentation of CRT and WEF talking points is also concerning because her book doesn't acknowledge that
CRT's origins have been traced to pre-World War II Marxist and German communist movements that ushered in the Nazi uprising;
CRT has a limited and shaky basis in peer-reviewed research or proven practice;
CRT has a divisive effect on relationships and negative impact on organizational effectiveness according to published research and individual testimonies;
WEF is a secretive group of the world's financial elite who seek to reshape human society based on their personal beliefs about what's best for the rest of humanity.
Even more concerning, Washington includes an unprompted and explicit denial that her book's content is political, ideological, or influenced by special interests before she calls on politicians to implement her recommendations (48, 123). For example, she advocates for Universal Basic Income (UBI) despite admitting that “the effectiveness of that strategy is unknown” and its benefits are “yet to be fully proven” (63). Such concessions are intended to reflect her neutral, data-based perspective and distance from groups like WEF but reveal her bias because they rest on an inherent assumption that UBI will be proven effective.
Washington argues that Alpha’s success depends on America implementing the "It takes a village to raise a child" philosophy that some high-profile white Westerners, like Hillary Clinton, credited to African culture (despite Africa's many and varied countries and cultures) and sought to import. As an aside, it's worth mentioning that Washington spent portions of her childhood in "four West African countries," though that isn't mentioned in her Changing the Game bio ("Meet Dr. Valora Washington"). As proof that America should become "a village," Washington cites correlational, not causal, survey data from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, and Russia that show adults who have children are happier than those who don’t, before blaming America's capitalist individualism for Alpha's problems (53). She points to those countries' socialist governments and/or collectivist cultures as the ideal. It's not hard to see WEF's influence in her conclusion, given that WEF seeks to create a global socialist government that facilitates UBI for all the world's citizens.
Ultimately, Washington's argument relies on too many assumptions and is riddled with too many holes and contradictions to be convincing. I would not recommend Changing the Game; it reads more like propaganda than a studious, reflective guide for educators or parents.
Work Cited
"Meet Dr. Valora Washington -- the CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition." Council for
Professional Recognition. 14 Oct. 2015. https://www.cdacouncil.org/en/meet-dr-valora-washington-the-ceo-of-the-council-for-professional-recognition/