IS THIS THE END? OR THE BEGINNING?
In the aftermath of COVID-19, how do we safely reopen schools so that all learners will thrive?
How might we redefine education in the midst of the COVID crisis and beyond to recognize the current spectrum of how learning occurs in school, in the community, and at home? Never has so much thought been put into reimaging schools. We have an amazing collective opportunity to determine what we really want for the future of learning.
By Jay Litman, AIA, with contributions by Jill Ackers and Nathan Strenge The ending of “school” exposed the intrinsic problems of our antiquated, traditional “Cells and Bells” system of education that exists everywhere on earth. The “traditional” system represents a compartmentalized, analog world that no longer exists. With all schools closed, all notions of sustainability, equity, and access have evaporated. On April 2nd, NPR reported that “right now students are out of school in 185 countries. According to UNESCO, that's roughly 9 out of 10 schoolchildren worldwide (Kamenetz, 2020a). The CDC recommendations for a return to school call for classroom modifications that will result in a return to a 1950s arrangement of desks and chairs, all in rows, facing forward. As well-meaning as this advice is, it does not recognize what is happening in the classrooms 58
of today’s schools, nor is it a good strategy to minimize the spread of COVID infections. We cannot underestimate the long-term impact COVID will have on the direction of education in the 21st century. One thing is for certain: We must move forward to find solutions instead of stumbling backward. We must find solutions to amplify student voice, not minimize it! Ironically, the worldwide pandemic wrought by COVID-19 is launching us all into the 21st century, creating a final clean break with the 20th century. COVID-19 has accomplished this feat by exposing many of our obsolete notions of who we are and educational practices that should have been replaced long ago. Our took-kit of solutions no longer works!
The American Consortium for Equity in Education
