I’ve worked in a lot of school innovation and school redesign spaces over the years, where there always seems to be a strong push for greater integration of technology into the learning experience of young people.  In some camps, the call has been to allow technology to provide students with a completely student adaptive experience, often through a strong component of virtual or hybrid learning.  Even 10 years ago, the push from the education innovation community to get students more personalized online learning was very strong.  I’ve always been a proponent of integrating technology in ways that provide students with greater access to learning opportunities, and where appropriate, as a tool to deepen student engagement and ownership of learning in the classroom.  

Then the pandemic hit, and all of sudden we were forced into a great experiment.  Virtual education for all, and then hybrid education for all.  Of course you could argue that forcing teachers and students into modes of learning that they weren’t exactly prepared for was not a great experimental design.  Certainly the motivation levels of students and staff alike to engage virtually was extremely variable.  I have enough anecdotal experience myself to know that some very strong classroom teachers really struggled with the motivation and ability to transfer their instructional practice to virtual settings, perhaps hoping that they could get back to their classrooms quickly (and the classroom practices they had developed over years).  Things obviously did not turn out exactly that way.  

What is so interesting to me is that after a year of virtual and hybrid learning, when we gave our families the opportunity to choose virtual modalities or to come back in-person full time, the result was near 100% in favor of in-person learning.  In other words, after testing what virtual learning might be, almost everyone opted for something that resembled a more traditional in-person school day.  People protested in the streets to open schools.  In a world where many industries really have been transforming in significant ways, K-12 education again seems less apt to move.    

Certainly, there are shifts that I believe will be permanent.  Many families do prefer the added flexibility of both hybrid and virtual options.  Some families have left their schools on a permanent basis to explore possibilities in online and home school settings.  I don’t have the data in front of me to measure well the size of the market shift, and I imagine that the next few years will see the ongoing fallout and adjustment in the education sector.  But in my own school, the data is pretty clear.  Parents and students mostly want in-person learning.

The other more permanent shift will be stronger integration of technology in our in-person learning settings.  I can say confidently that my staff is much more skilled in their ability to navigate the different systems that make up our virtual suite of programs, including content focused software and the tech platforms that facilitate communication and collaboration.  Before the pandemic, it seemed that many teachers could passively opt-out of some, if not most, tech integrations, with perhaps the acception of attendance and grading software which were typically mandated and enforced.  I believe teachers will more universally be expected to integrate digital tools and communication channels into their regular routines and instructional repertoire.  

Yet despite these shifts, the traditional model of K-12 education seems to be remarkably persistent.  The pandemic gave us a glimpse of what virtual learning and hybrid learning might look like when adopted by a large portion of the education sector.  In my experience at least, that type of adoption is not what families wanted.  It seems the pandemic has validated the core value proposition of teachers and schools – as physical places where students can access structured learning, quality instruction, social interaction and friendships, and safe places for student growth while parents are largely at work.  There will be more opportunities for alternative programs for students and families who don’t want the traditional school experience, and only time will tell how deep the shifts away from traditional school will be.  But from my vantage point, it doesn’t look like computer screens will be replacing our brick and mortar school experience.