Even though we would all like to be able to anticipate the future, it is impossible.

But we can peek around corners.

We may start to foresee some of the issues and opportunities that are likely to come into focus in the upcoming weeks, months, and year(s) by taking a close look at the emerging patterns and the well-considered projections of individuals in a certain field.

In light of all of that, I wanted to use my first post of the year to highlight five significant developments that I believe will affect education and learning in the future.

Learning Will Be Transformed By Artificial Intelligence And The Application Of New Technology.

In the last year, there has been enough written about the potential effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on education, learning, and society to fill a dozen encyclopedias; in the coming year, there will likely be more.

In actuality, artificial intelligence while yet in its infancy represents a revolution comparable to, if not greater than, the industrial revolution. Humanity is about to enter a new era a new AI epoch, if you will. One of the first areas of life and society to undergo this transformation will be our schools.

This degree of change can be cause for legitimate fear, but it also heralds the birth of whole new worlds of ways to act, be, and think. In the field of education, we’ll see the creation of new means of applying technologies to the learning context.

Intelligent agents, virtual tutors, ever-more-responsive and adaptive curriculum, and new technology have the potential to support the success of learners regardless of age, ability, experience level, or background. It’s the customized education that has been long promised but hasn’t materialized as of yet. The development and spread of personalized learning technologies has the potential to completely change the how, when, what, and where of learning as artificial intelligence (AI) is used in our classrooms.

Leader And Teacher Pipelines

In 2023, shortages of teachers and mismatches in supply were prominent in the news. In 2024, expect a greater emphasis on the problem’s resolution. Thankfully, excellent work is being done all around the nation.

School districts and teacher preparation programs have been working harder to cooperate more efficiently, and professional associations like the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity are carefully attempting to support these collaborations. Responses like “grow your own” teacher and leader development models and state-led initiatives like Pennsylvania’s PA Needs Teachers are probably going to continue to gain popularity as more states and districts allocate funds to talent pipeline health initiatives.

These discussions need to center on how our leaders and instructors represent all genders and races. The demographic mismatch between our predominantly white teaching staff and the majority Black and brown student body is being addressed with the aid of organizations such as the Center for Black Educator Development. Similar to this, groups like Women Leading Ed attempt to close the chronic and unacceptable gender gap in education leadership, which sees only 3 out of 10 women hold the highest positions in school districts, despite the fact that nearly 8 out of 10 teachers are women.

These admirable endeavors must go on in the upcoming year and years because of their proven influence on student progress as well as our unmistakable moral commitment to enhance equity in education.

Participation, Advocacy, And Agency Of Students

The post-COVID school years have seen a full-blown catastrophe due to chronic absence. In the years following COVID, millions more kids miss school on a daily basis than in the years prior, with widespread chronic absenteeism occurring in almost 70% of the most impoverished schools as opposed to 25% in the previous years. The social disconnection and distance from schooling during the pandemic is proving more durable than anticipated.

As we approach 2024, student engagement rebuilding that sense of connection and reducing the gap between students and education must thus be prioritized. For such endeavors, the experience of the best educational systems in the world can be instructive. As students advance through grade levels, there is an increase in student engagement in many of these systems. High school students in the US have the highest rates of chronic absenteeism.

The fact that education in those systems is increasingly tied to students’ interests and more applicable to their futures whether they be in college, the workforce, or another type of training is one explanation for this. In the US, this is frequently not the case. For many students, the coursework at higher levels seems increasingly disconnected from their college plans. That results in waning interest and excitement for what’s on offer at school.

More strong career-connected pathways, culturally relevant courses, and newly individualized learning are all viable methods to raise student engagement and attendance. As is the understanding that student voice must be central to education as well as to the larger operations of communities and institutions.

A new generation of bright and gifted youth is spearheading that field of endeavor. This new generation of student leaders inspires me, and I have no doubt that you will be as the year goes on. One of this generation’s amazing, globally impactful projects is a new national initiative to train and assist student school board members. The goal of the National Student Board Member Association, which was founded in 2023, is to uplift and empower students who serve on boards of education so that they better represent students and strengthen the boards on which they serve.

A renewed emphasis on student agency is indicated by the elevating of student voice and the initiatives to raise participation levels generally. It’s in line with how Gen Z leaders are entering their careers with hopes of making a positive influence and appropriate given the apparent need to address chronic absenteeism.

Reevaluating What, How, And When We Evaluate Student Learning

The traditional, stale arguments over assessment will continue, as usual, in the upcoming year. However, the more fascinating and significant discussion will center on how assessments are used to better understand students’ learning processes and not just what they already know.

This entails a greater emphasis on evaluating the application of knowledge and more inclusive conceptions of the primary subjects of assessment. Our understanding of how to quantify the things that truly matter to us is being advanced by gifted and dedicated educators. These include, of course, academic learning, but also social interaction, personal welfare, and civic involvement.

In addition to making sure we have the resources and knowledge of how well students can cooperate, communicate, create, and much, much more, we also need to address the very real fall in mathematical performance of students in our schools.

Future-Ready Curricula And The Delivery Methods For Them

The world of work is undergoing significant changes, such as the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) mentioned earlier, the acceleration of automation, and the ongoing internationalization of talent sourcing. These alterations will only quicken. Pupils will require an education that prepares them for a world where these dynamics will rule the future as well as one that will enable them to learn new things all throughout their lives.

This entails examining the entire state system and coordinating it to guarantee the academic success of every kid. These initiatives are starting in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and other states, and they are now in progress in Maryland. Systems must be aligned to produce graduates who are prepared for the future by departing from what is now known as P-20, or pre-school through higher education, thinking.

As the new year dawns, this shift’s key components are expanding career-connected learning, adopting a modernized perspective on career and technical education, and shifting to a lifetime learning paradigm.

Conclusion

Looking forward with optimism in the upcoming years, there will be more topics that legitimately need our attention and more unanticipated occurrences that take up our time.

Regardless of the matters we decide to tackle or are compelled to in the upcoming years, our shared objective must be centered around delivering a top-notch education to every student.

While we may differ on the specifics, we should always strive to find answers that will benefit our kids, our communities, and our nation as a whole.