Modernization for education: A pandemic silver lining

COVID-19 has made decentralized living a reality. Society has proven that we can live, work, learn and provide healthcare virtually. This monumental impact will undoubtedly change the footprint of our country — and likely our world.

In particular, the pandemic has corroborated prevailing opinions about education:

• Virtual learning can work and will most certainly be necessary for the future, so it’s essential to have a functional system;
• The virtual education apparatus we currently have in place is weak and ineffective; and
• We can quickly lose a generation of children if students aren’t educated properly.

These facts have paved the way for the long-overdue digital revolution, as well as a new group of advocates, primarily composed of parents, who will undoubtedly be more vocal about their children’s education needs moving forward.

The long-overdue digital revolution

While the pandemic has proved virtual schooling is feasible, there are barriers to access and implementation.

By and large, broadband access has been the most observable challenge, as we’ve seen rural institutions throughout the state — across all industries — struggle to get online because they lack the necessary infrastructure. Broadband adoptability (or the number of people who actually purchase reliable internet service), access to hardware like computers and tablets that can support online learning, and digital literacy (the ability to operate this technology) are additional obstacles that we see in both rural and urban areas. Unfortunately, our underserved, lower-income communities are impacted most.

Other challenges surround distance learning. Legitimate distance learning is a blend of digital online curriculum and instruction. It allows teachers to provide real-time instruction on the screen while students participate and interact with their classmates. Many of our schools use simple video and web conferencing programs like Zoom and have placed the burden of figuring out an engaging online curriculum on their teachers. This is ineffective and unsustainable for effective learning. We need more focused curricula and a wider variety of educational tools in our schools that are specifically designed to be online — like those provided by ST MATH and Teaching Strategies. We also need to make sure teachers are adequately trained for both in-person and virtual learning. Many of them haven’t been sufficiently trained in the digital computer skills required to function immediately in this new environment.

Funding should be provided to schools to purchase more of these types of products and pay for adequate training, while policy needs to be constructed in a manner that removes barriers to these solutions.

A new cohort of advocates

COVID-19 has adjusted mass public opinion on education and its impact on the future, particularly among parents. Having paid tax dollars to ensure their children receive a quality education, many adults now find themselves in a position where the status quo is not up to par.

To get their children in the best scenario possible, parents are exploring alternative pathways, such as hiring teachers to instruct “pods” of students in small, safe settings, enrolling their children in established virtual schools or private schools with more autonomy or taking education into their own hands with homeschooling. This investigation of unconventional models has a two-fold impact: Parents now know a wide variety of high-quality, personalized learning options are available; and these alternatives come with a cost.

As a result, parents will be more vocal about increasing school choice and their involvement in the decision-making process. It will birth a new group of powerful advocates at local board meetings and our state capitals.

These advocates are going to demand control over the money given to the state to fund education, so they can have more significant influence over their children’s education resources.

The focus on racial inequalities in our nation has also ignited a new group of advocates — not just those personally affected — who will fight for better funding and school choice for all children. Not all families can afford to hire a tutor for their “pod” or even support a full day of online learning with high-speed internet access; more parents than ever are hyper-aware of these equity gaps in education and will be eager to challenge the status quo this coming year.

This school year will continue to be painful. Teachers will be stressed; parents will be frustrated; school leaders will feel the pressure. But I am confident that this pandemic will have a positive impact on public education. It has brought prevailing issues to the forefront and has ignited advocacy. We will see the need for quality digital learning options and educational options that better fulfill the needs of students, parents, and educators. There will be growing pains, but out of adversity comes change.