Hacking the Future of School

The pandemic has drastically influenced the way that we’re going about school. Making sense of the sudden shift to learning from home, rather than in a school setting during the beginning of the pandemic, was extremely difficult, but certainly not without its benefits. In fact, today the majority of students would prefer to stick with online learning rather than return to the traditional setting. 

The truth is that 60% of Americans believe that the traditional model of learning just isn’t working that well anymore. Our students are not getting what they need. They aren’t retaining information well, and they’re getting bullied on top of it all. The stress of simply showing up can be overwhelming for some students, which is a major part of why 6 million students are chronically absent every year. Bullying and other stress factors are also contributing to the rising rates of mental illness among teens. 

The issues with our educational system have been present, looming, and growing for many years, but it took a pandemic and a sudden shift to the “new normal” for us to make significant changes. Some of which highlight things that aren’t working, new things that are working, and new pathways we can take in the post-pandemic world. 

Although the online learning model has been veritably forced upon us, teachers, students, and parents are learning that it may be a much better way to go for the majority of educational purposes. Families are enjoying the flexible schedule, the safer environment, greater family involvement, and the ability to avoid bullying. Studies have shown that while 22% of in-person students experience bullying in school, that percentage comes down to 16% for online learners. 

Not only is online learning improving family interactions and reducing bullying stress, etc., but it’s proven that online students are able to learn better with fewer distractions, and to retain what they’re learning with fewer hours put into it. 

Online learning also lends itself to helping students to acquire the skills needed, in preparation for the kinds of jobs that will be most prevalent for them in the future. Although it came about least desirably, online learning is having a positive impact and is likely the future of education.