Change is Disrupting the Education World

How Can Schools Respond?

The world has been living in a state of global tension, sadness, and anger, with war in the Middle East and intensifying conflict in a U.S. society riven by vastly different visions for America to outright blue-red hostility on a wide range of touchy subjects: race relations, abortion, climate change, gun control, and even democracy itself. Simultaneously, education itself is under pressure, both in private and public schools:?

• Despite progress on some social issues, many private and public schools arestruggling with cultural battles over curriculum, specific books, DEI and gender identity, class offerings, and the like

• Covid required rethinking key processes and policies, many of which caused confusion and hurdles that have still not been resolved. Now studies from Harvard, Stanford and other sources are also revealing that thepandemic has had significant negative effects on student learning in math,

• reading and other subjects, setting student educational development back by as much as two decades
• Vast reductions in the number of teachers have reduced the effectiveness of instruction; the Covid hangover, stagnant wages, and a dimmer view of

• education have all contributed to the decline of such an important position in the education ecosystem.
• ?Several private and public schools, including some elite institutions, have been sullied by sexual abuse scandals, tarnishing each school’s sterling reputation while prompting serious reconsideration among potential applicants and families.
• ?Massive tuition hikes mirroring skyrocketing costs in higher ed, leave millions of middle class families unable to attend private school without substantial financial aid.

In just a few years, Artificial Intelligence (initially referred to as “machine learning”) has evolved from a vision to a curiosity to a global force of stunning power but, remains an enigmatic service. As the business debate swirls over

the rollout strategy and pace of AI deployment, some aspects are coming into focus, while many elements are shrouded in mystery:

?******* AI will surely increase efficiency and productivity, facilitate data retention and application, empower our devices, homes, and vehicles, and offer adult professionals an easier way to write content and solve problems. These valuable services are likely to change the dynamics of work and research....and AI is still in its infancy. Truly brilliant? – but this freight train also carries many potential downsides and is fraught with unknowns and risks for society and education. Many workers will be displaced by AI-related efficiencies. For students, the option to let AI write their papers or solve math problems will be tempting. AI is on its way to transforming perceived reality; some reports from recent war zones have been flagged as misleading or even fraudulent.

Consider the effects on young people tethered to social media if AI-driven falsehoods (“deepfakes”) on platforms like X, which has dropped most content moderation, and Meta, continue to grow…scary stuff. ?Toss in the prospect of young people gaining controversial or dangerous ideas about society and ethics. What about the compromising of student data, and distractions and overload from multi-tasking? Consider potential side-effects such as reduced creativity and original thinking, and reflect on the influence of gender bias, a characteristic many observers seeas inherent in AI today. As you can tell, AI offers ?enormous potential... and ?serious risks for students, faculty and the broader education community.?

• Another troubling trend for high schools may be stirring in the broader goals of American society relative to education. A recent New York Times article described the erosion of interest in liberal arts among college-seekers on the premise that history, English, and Art graduates earn much less attractive and lucrative job offers than?those in computer science, economics, biology and other more “practical” majors. Might this trend filter down to the high school level, further dampening interest in traditional prep schools???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
• In addition to these disparate challenges, one more concern for private and public schools, with greater potential harm for private and public is the steady growth of “alternative schools.” These schools are best-known for their “nontraditional” philosophy for curriculum and teaching methods, for caring about “the whole child,” and for reduced discipline and troublesome behavior. In a surprise to me and perhaps many educators, alternative schools emerged in the 1960’s and have grown moderately since, with over 36,000 of them active in 2020; there were roughly 5,000 private schools, with the remainder public, serving over 800,000 students, mostly in urban areas. The definition of “alternative schools” is fascinating and broad-reaching, encompassing some of the following categories:? charter, magnet, virtual, Montessori, religious and parochial and home schooling. A few of the better-known names include Acton Academy, Thomas Jefferson High, Florida Virtual School, Steiner (Waldorf) and Basis Chandler. Will these alternative schools continue to grow and siphon off more private and traditional publicschool candidates?

How Can Schools Address These Complex Education and Social Forces?

Given a long career as a marketer, I typically advise schools to pursue marketing tools such as strategy, personalization, campaign integration, and thoughtful automation. While each of these tools remains essential for success in our competitive education world, marketing alone can’t address the unique new challenges I have noted above. Here are some ideas for school leaders to consider in today’s challenging and topsy-turvey times:?

** Cultural battles: ??Given the complexity of these highly sensitive topics in not only education but also in our broader society, be clear on your philosophy for these tricky topics. What areas do you cover in class? How much leeway does your faculty have? Are there counselors your child can speak with about questions or concerns relating to DEI, gender identity, and the like? Ensure your schools has an open door to listen to both student and parent concerns in this minefield.????????????????????

?** Concerns about abuse and respect for students: Schools that have never faced complications in this arena can tout their sterling records of supporting young people and any specific steps they use to achieve these positive results. Schools that have confronted bad behavior can describe what they have learned and what safeguards they put in in place to assure student safety and well-being.

?** AI: many colleges are training students how to recognize – and ignore - malicious articles, posts, and other content, and not accept internet information as gospel. Would it benefit schools to begin hiring disinformation experts or training school leaders to offer this guidance? This process appears to make strategic sense, though many questions remain, e.g., who are the instructors, how are they trained, and what biases might they bring to that role?

?** Skyrocketing tuitions: With a family history in prep schools that dates to 1907, I see this as a tricky situation for all private schools and colleges today. I was always swayed by hearing what unique benefits I or my family would receive for the cost. What is your school’s unique selling proposition – best teachers or coaches, welcoming community, notable expertise in specific subjects, terrific college placement, awesome facilities, beautiful campus? Emphasizing these consistently, with an integrated message, in your publications, on your website, in social media and videos, and in personal testimonials can help to reduce questions and cognitive dissonance among your audience.

?** Covid recovery: Another area to tackle head-on: What changes have you made since the pandemic to normalize the teaching process? How are you helping students recover their academic knowledge from the lost years? What resources are available for those students whose performance has dropped the most?

?** Decline in teacher applications and interest: Start with your current faculty – are you respecting them, treating them well, and giving them challenging assignments and room for growth? Are you being creative with how and where to recruit knowing that many traditional outlets are not producing as well now?

?** Potential impact of Alternative schools: Educate a few key people on your team to do some homework on these schools. What can you learn from their strategy, class offerings, and other services that may offer value to families? Could any of these philosophies or resources help your community? Does any of the alternative schools in your area (day schools) or generally appear to be a potential competitor for your institution??

We live in a world in which disruption has become a norm, and which requires innovative thinking by leaders of governments, businesses, and schools and universities? to ensure they continue to deliver a robust, challenging, and yet still-welcome experience to their constituents. Is your school up to the test?

The author would like to thank John O’Brien, former Head of Several private Schools, for his insights.