The Covid-19 pandemic has shown people some real flaws in our public education systems. If Joe Biden is elected, will he fix them?
Many school districts had trouble adapting to the sudden closure and were never able to deliver effective distance learning. Many parents were surprised how low schools’ expectations were and disappointed by the quality of education their children were receiving.
Different children had very different experiences with distance learning. Even more than usual, they will arrive at school next fall with different needs. Batch processing—teaching an entire classroom the same thing at the same pace—will work even worse than usual.
We need an education system that is adaptable, that meets all students where they are, that helps them move at a pace that works for them, and that has high expectations for all of them. As many schools have demonstrated, children rise to the expectations we set for them.
As we reopen schools, we shouldn’t simply restore the old public education system. We should aim higher and apply the lessons of the last four months to building a more flexible, resilient K-12 school system.
Read more here.