Conclusion
Emergence of Ecosystems
When we look back on this time from the distant future, we will think of it as the turning point. Rather than trying to reform and fix an education system that was built for a different era, there emerged an overwhelming and influential call for the transformation of the system itself.
The industrial model of schooling that was built for standardization and compliance could not lead us forward. The growing awareness of the need for change created a shift in the public narrative, and the urgent need for transformation came into the mainstream. The great challenge we faced was that this transformation could not be prescribed, duplicated, and mandated. We needed a new kind of education infrastructure, one designed for thriving.
That brings us back to today. What will it take to create an environment where each community can build upon their unique assets, diversity, culture, and history to grow ecosystems of learning that are more equitable, community-based, and learner-centered? We can choose to trailblaze a new path, one aimed at bringing to life all of the wisdom, learnings, and creations of leaders to date through new ways of organizing, supporting, and credentialing learning. This is a new endeavor, and we can make our best bets and move forward. These are our bets:
- Invest where ecosystems are already emerging to create demonstrations of what they can look like and make possible. Find the champions, intermediaries, and anchoring organizations that bring together workforce development, afterschool alliances, citywide coalitions, childcare providers, and school districts. Identify the constraints and opportunities for expanding their vision into a full demonstration of ecosystems that would inform the education field of new possibilities and impact for education. Invest there.
- Begin with conversations in those communities. Listen to youth, families, educators, and community leaders. We can hear from them what their hopes, dreams, and commitments are, planting the vision for their own unique, equitable, community-based, learner-centered ecosystem. Listening closely and being responsive is a function of a thriving ecosystem. Their stories and aspirations will set the foundation for the work.
- Pilot and create alternative structures of governance, assessment, and people systems. Design structures to showcase the infrastructure that both has spreadable solutions within it, while still being unique to each community. It is these structures that can enable and enliven ecosystems within communities and, if proven effective, will replace those of the current system. If we are to design a system that is fluid, responsive, and living, rather than bureaucratic, standardized, and driven by compliance, we need to grow this system organically with the intent to show what is possible.
Our goal is that this exploration of providing an equitable, learner-centered education for all children in the United States has helped to clarify your own stand for what is possible. Our hope is to ignite (or reignite) your passion for the kind of transformation we need for our children, our families, our communities, and our society.
This vision for transformation gives us the opportunity to create stronger communities and deeper connections. We can together make this time a turning point in the purpose of public education.