What's on the horizon: Key Trends in k-12 for the 2024-25 Academic Year

By Amos Fodchuk

As we begin the 2024-25 academic year, the education landscape continues to shift under the weight of rapid technological advancements, evolving pedagogies, and new demands on school leadership. Since 2009, my colleagues and I have earned the opportunity to engage with hundreds of communities across North America, gaining insight into the trends that are shaping teaching, learning and leadership in K-12 education.?

As we find ourselves at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, I see at least six tangible opportunities to deepen learner-centered outcomes. Many of these opportunities have been around for some time. In my view, it’s a question of timing, technological capacity, and urgency that position them in our grasp this year.

While I’m hopeful that leaders in my network will appreciate these thoughts, this exercise is also important for me in my own leadership role. I’m working especially diligently to be intentional and transparent about where I’m prioritizing my time and capacity.

Questions for my network:

• Which of these trends seem more like opportunities than challenges?
• Are there specific developments that are especially compelling or urgent in your community?

6 Opportunities to Deepen Learner-Centered Outcomes

1. The Carnegie Unit is exposed.

The Carnegie Unit—an enduring fixture in American high school education for over a century—is being challenged by the evolving needs of students and educators. As highlighted in the Aurora Institute’s 2023 blog post Rethinking the High School Transcript for the Future of Learning, Laurie Gagnon writes, “The Carnegie Foundation, which originally created the Carnegie unit, is calling for a transition to a new system that aligns with the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be ready for the future.”

Our traditional grading and reporting system is no longer aligned with the dynamic, personalized, and competency-based approaches that are gaining traction across districts. The Carnegie Foundation itself is now advocating for new measures, with Diego Arambula , Vice President for Educational Transformation, stating: “It’s time to replace seat time with new, flexible, and rigorous metrics to describe learning over time.”

2. Generative AI will flood classrooms and schools.

In less than two years, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have made an indelible mark on education, offering new ways for students and teachers to engage with content. According to ISTE 's Evolving Teacher Education in an AI World white paper, “The rise of GenAI marks a shift in how we approach teaching and learning. There is no going back to ‘before generative AI’.”

This fall, Microsoft and Google are embedding AI into their education platforms, creating both opportunities and challenges for K-12 districts. On top of these mega-powers, literally hundreds of additional AI tools are freely available to students and educators. The ‘wild west’ metaphor often used in this early-phase application of AI in education is an apt one.

Schools that invest in clear guidelines and professional development for teachers will be well-positioned to harness the power of AI, while those that do not may struggle with the consequences of unstructured adoption.

A 2024 article from Jobs for the Future (JFF) emphasizes the need for “lifelong learning models to ensure institutions of higher education and employers alike are encouraged to continue proactive upskilling and learning opportunities as AI evolves”. This highly desirable outcome exists, at best, in pockets today.

3. Workplace Wellness is essential for student success.

The last few years have placed unprecedented stress on educators and school staff, making workplace wellness an essential priority. In June 2024 Wellness Education Magazine, ALP published an article citing 58% of teachers experienced high levels of stress, comparable with police officers and paramedics and “85% of teachers felt that a work-life imbalance was affecting their ability to teach.”?

In a blog post from Learning Forward, Eight Dimensions of Wellness for Educators, Angel Montoya and Laura Lee Summers discuss the critical link between educator well-being and student outcomes, noting

“to support students equitably, we must support educators in a range of ways, large and small, so that they can achieve [their own] wellness. We are past due in attending to educator wellness, and every step counts."

Districts such as Elk Island Catholic Schools are leading the charge by investing in comprehensive workplace wellness programs, which have the added benefit of reducing attrition and ensuring that educators can be fully present for their students. By addressing educator burnout, these districts are fostering environments where both teachers and students can thrive.

4. Teacher certification and colleges of education are primed for innovation.

The traditional model of teacher certification is under pressure to evolve. In a rapidly changing education landscape, the current pathways for preparing and certifying teachers are being challenged by new demands for flexibility and skill specialization.

Peter Laipson blogged about a local effort to prepare new educators through a competency-based framework: ”In most educator preparation programs, teaching is taught in separate courses as a series of discrete skills. Pedagogy is the subject of one class, “classroom management” another. From the outset, however, the designers of the High Meadows program recognized that they wanted teacher candidates to learn to teach in an integrated way. So they envisioned a curriculum consisting of what we called “challenges”: scenarios based on complex, thematic problems of teaching practice that involved learning objectives drawn from multiple competencies.” While the High Meadows program did not successfully endure the adversities brought about by the pandemic, it’s nonetheless a worthwhile case study for how teacher preparation can be re-imagined.

There is a growing need for competency-based teacher preparation programs that are more aligned with the demands of modern classrooms.

Some districts are already experimenting with micro-credentialing, offering teachers the opportunity to develop specific skills that are immediately applicable in their teaching environments. This innovation in certification is essential if we are to meet the needs of both teachers and students in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

5. A new age of educational leadership and entrepreneurship.

We are witnessing the rise of a new type of educational leader—one who blends visionary thinking with entrepreneurial acumen. I particularly enjoy Entrepreneurial Leadership: Strategies for Creating & Sustaining Partnerships for K-12 Schools, whose authors Shelley P. Wepner and Diane W. Gómez highlight how today’s leaders are leveraging partnerships, technology, and community collaboration to drive meaningful change.?

Whether it’s developing new instructional models or spearheading community initiatives, these leaders are not just reacting to challenges—they are actively shaping the future of education through creativity and innovation. As we enter this new age of leadership, there is a growing emphasis on agility, adaptability, and collaboration to meet the evolving needs of students and schools.

6. The ubiquity of technology requires a strategic refresh.

Technology has become a staple in classrooms, yet many schools have not taken the time to reassess how these tools are used to enhance learning. As the U.S. Office of Educational Technology points out in its National Plan, “Somewhere between the promise of transformation and the barriers to realizing that promise lies the potential for states, districts, and schools to build systems that better ensure that edtech’s promise is afforded to all students, no matter their geography, background, or individual context.”?

While many districts have integrated technology into daily instruction, a strategic refresh is necessary to ensure that these tools are being used purposefully.

Schools that take the time to revisit their technology plans—ensuring alignment with pedagogical goals and providing professional development for teachers—will see the greatest gains in student engagement and success.

Looking Ahead

At ALP, we are proud to be at the forefront of these trends, partnering with districts across North America to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

I invite you to follow along as we dive deeper into each of these topics. Your feedback and insights are welcome as we collectively explore how education can continue to evolve in ways that benefit students, teachers, and communities.