Will post-pandemic school be different? The affirmative argument

The last post made the case for why post-pandemic public education in the U.S. might not be any different than pre-pandemic education. The summary, in short:

For every aspect of education that one person might like to change, another person will want it to stay the same. Maybe that person wanting stasis feels that the current system is better for students. Maybe they are scared of losing their job or influence. Maybe they believe that the desired change won’t be successful. Maybe they’re lazy and don't want to put in the extra effort. The reasons why they will resist change matter less than the fact that someone will resist change—and those someones are often in positions of influence.

For every change that education reformers seek, somebody has pushed back or, at least, dragged their heels. The question for those suggesting that this time is different: if someone opposed this change pre-Covid, why will they support it post-Covid?

In this post, I’ll lay out some reasons for optimism that public education will be changed, long-term, by the pandemic.

First, though, we have to examine what the differences may be. Some common arguments suggest that there will be:

·      More online learning, evidenced by more online, blended, and hybrid schools

·      Less testing and/or less focus on test scores

·      An enrollment increase in charter schools or private schools (some of which might be online or hybrid)

·      Increased focus on competency-based learning

·      An increased role for families in their children’s education       

We can put these shifts into three general categories based on where the changes would likely originate:

1.     Changes in state and federal policy

2.     Changes in family expectations

3.     Changes in mainstream school district operations.

Of course, in many ways these are intertwined. Families may expect more school choices, which would lead to policymakers pushing for more charter schools, private school vouchers, education savings accounts, etc. Although treating them as separate areas may be a bit simplistic, it allows for useful analysis.

Let’s first look at changes in policy.

In my view, state and federal education policy seems the most unlikely to change significantly in the post-pandemic world, at least in ways that can be directly attributed to the pandemic. Why? Because most state and federal policies represent the current response to political pressures, and political pressures (mostly) build slowly. If the 2020 elections result in significant power shifts, some changes in education policy may occur simply due to the change in power and not necessarily in response to Covid-19. To the extent that policies change, my expectation is that such changes will be a lagging indicator of broader changes and pressures in public education. 

What might those other changes and pressures be? Let’s look at the second category—family expectations.

School closures have forced many families to be more involved in their children’s education—particularly those that felt that their local school was doing a good job prior to the pandemic (which is most families.) Some companies providing online courses that families can buy for their children are reporting a large recent increase in interest in these options, suggesting that families have looked for public education alternatives, if they can afford to do so (which raises equity issues which I’ll look at in an upcoming post). In addition, we are hearing of growing interest in publicly-funded summer online courses and schools, again suggesting that families are taking an increased role in their kids’ education and seeking new options. (Some of this interest—but probably not all—may be due to the absence of traditional summer options, such as camps and organized sports). Newly empowered families are unlikely to forget the options that they have discovered—including online, blended, and hybrid public schools—when the pandemic has passed. They are likely to push their local school district to offer these opportunities, so that they can take advantage of flexible learning options without having to look for a new school or district.

Of course, for parents to increasingly choose new options, such innovative options must be available. In addition to pressure from families, there is one key reason to believe that mainstream school districts will make more such options available (thus changing their operations noted as the third category above): teachers are increasingly on board.

To be clear, teachers’ experience with remote learning has been highly varied, with many teachers expressing frustration with their options during school closures.

But online learning observers have noted a common pattern that has repeated itself many times over the last two decades, and has become prevalent during the pandemic. Before beginning to teach online, the large majority of teachers are skeptical about online learning. They don’t believe that the personal connection with students that is so important can be replicated online.

Many teachers who shift to teaching online, when given a reasonable level of support—which many have not received during the pandemic—are pleasantly surprised by their online teaching experience. This view has been supported by previous research as well as current anecdotes. Few would say that teaching online is the same as teaching face-to-face, but most report that they find new ways to reach students. They explain how some students are hard to reach online, but some students who were disengaged in the physical classroom blossom in the online environment. Freed from the constraints of peer pressure and expectations, these students participate much more freely in online classes. In addition, many students are so accustomed to sharing their experiences on social media, that they open up in online classes more than they do in a face-to-face environment.

If these teachers become major online and hybrid learning supporters—admittedly a big if—that will create a major force in support of a radical transformation of public education.

To this point, many teachers have had a negative experience with teaching remotely. But the fall semester may represent a new opportunity, particularly if schools are forced into rolling closures or having to deliver instruction online to some students who are not comfortable attending physical schools because of safety concerns. In addition, online and hybrid school options may protect vulnerable teachers and students from exposure to the virus, making teachers, and potentially teachers unions, into supporters of new options.

School and district leaders have myriad pressures that they must balance and respond to. If, post-pandemic, they are hearing from both families and teachers who are seeking new options, that could lead to the long-term changes in public education that advocates seek.

Having now made the case for and against significant post-pandemic changes in public education, in an upcoming post I’ll share what we’re hearing, and make a prediction.