Roadmap forward: Some of the changes resulting from the pandemic are likely here to stay While 2020 brought a world of problems to the education sector, it also provided the beginnings of a roadmap for what education will become. The damage to business models and revenue streams wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic is only beginning to be tabulated. Educational institutions have had to cut costs across the board as well as find ways to become nimbler as they navigate a pandemic-induced adaptation. The move to online learning — or at least a hybrid of online and in person — is expected to have far-reaching effects for the sector. Schools not only in Greater Fort Lauderdale but nationwide have spent the past year experimenting with the model and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Ultimately, as both schools and students face financial challenges, it may come to pass that online pedagogy provides a sustainable way forward. Landscape In an unprecedented year, educational institutions from K-12 to universities and colleges were forced to suddenly pivot in the past year. Closures forced the move to an online environment from March 2020, while pandemicrelated concerns exacerbated a disturbing trend for many 140
| Invest: Greater Fort Lauderdale 2021 | EDUCATION
schools in Greater Fort Lauderdale and countrywide: a decline in enrollment. As the past year progressed, and a new landscape took shape, attention turned to sorting out unanswered questions, some of which remain today: Are schools, if open and doing in-person classes, taking the right precautions to ensure the safety of their students? If learning has moved online for many, then how does this affect the pricing assessment of an education? Testing — in which large numbers convene in a large room — is out of the question until widespread vaccination has been achieved, at least, so how does this affect admissions and grading? How will schools address the lost revenue of 2020 as they face a surplus of students in 2021? Further added to this mix are the social justice movements that, while sparked in the streets, found some of their most ardent supporters on college campuses across America. The problems faced by society are also in abundance on campuses. Students of color have reported receiving less attention than their white peers, being treated more harshly by faculty and coaches, intimidation by campus police, and white pastoral care workers failing to understand the extent of the race problem. Addressing these issues in the past ( )
