The Current Crisis
Five years after the pandemic disrupted education, public schools are still struggling to recover. Achievement gaps have widened, student performance is in decline, and many schools have reverted to an outdated, ineffective system that fails to meet today’s challenges. The pandemic exposed longstanding weaknesses in the education system—rigid structures, inequities, resistance to change, and an over-reliance on traditional instructional models that do not meet the needs of today’s students. Despite the urgency of the crisis, schools lacked the incentives, flexibility, and leadership to embrace transformational change.
Instead of leveraging innovative solutions that emerged during the pandemic—such as personalized learning models, microschools and learning pods, and community-led initiatives—education leaders defaulted to pre-pandemic norms. Funding was misallocated, bureaucracy stifled adaptability, and political battles over school closures and safety measures overshadowed the need for long-term systemic reform. The result? A generation of students is falling further behind, and public confidence in education is eroding.
The Opportunity for Change
We cannot afford to ignore the lessons of the pandemic. The current system was not designed to handle today’s realities, including increasingly diverse student needs, the rapid rise of technologies like AI, and persistent challenges like learning gaps, chronic absenteeism, and mental health crises.
It’s time for a bold approach and to implement proven models and learning interventions. It’s time to do what we know works for the next era of education.
Key Recommendations
- Personalized, flexible learning models: Schools must move beyond one-size-fits-all instruction and adapt to highly varied student needs. Solutions should be designed for students at the margins to benefit all learners.
- Career-connected high schools: High schools should ensure that every student graduates with a concrete postsecondary plan that maximizes their future opportunities. Early college experiences, internships, and workforce preparation must become standard.
- Smart use of emerging technologies: Schools need to harness AI and digital tools to provide personalized learning pathways while safeguarding against biased or ineffective implementations.
- Modernized teaching roles and staffing models: The traditional, isolated teacher model must give way to collaborative, team-based teaching structures that make the best use of expertise across schools and communities.
- School choice with transparency and accountability: Families should have access to high-quality school options and clear, comparable data on school performance to make informed decisions. Publicly funded schools must be accountable for student outcomes.
- High expectations paired with strong support: Schools must maintain rigorous academic standards while ensuring that students receive the support they need to succeed. Lowering expectations is not an option.
- Strong state and local leadership: With federal oversight waning, state and local leaders must take bold action to drive meaningful reform, ensuring schools have the flexibility to innovate.
- A portfolio strategy: States and districts should allow schools to specialize, innovate, and adapt while ensuring strong oversight and accountability. This approach enables a more flexible, student-centered education system that meets diverse needs
