The challenges facing current education reform efforts
Our experience in schools and districts across the country has led us to design a school model in response to the intractable problems that have prevented well-intentioned reform efforts from significantly improving struggling schools. Five such obstacles encountered time and again by districts are:
1.) Shrinking Educator Pools
With fewer people entering the profession, schools are forced to rely on underprepared or inexperienced teachers. The issue isn't just quantity—it's a lack of deep training and mentorship that leaves many new teachers unequipped for the classroom. As a result, students face instructional inconsistency.
.png)
2.) Lack of Time with Teachers
Schools struggle to provide enough time for teachers to engage in small-group tutoring, which has proven to drive significant gains in education. Developing and funding staffing plans to sustainably reduce the ratio of students to teachers is a persistent challenge.
3.) Failure to Address Individual
Student Needs
Many students receive a generic educational experience that fails to address their unique interests and learning needs. Schools need to allocate time for teams of educators to review student work and differentiate instruction to meet students where they are immediately.
4.) Unchecked Use of
Technology
5.) Insufficient Support and Time for Effective Curriculum Use
Rapid tech integration is transforming the core school experience without a full understanding of the potential unintended consequences. Schools must preserve the mentor-mentee relationship between teachers and students amid these changes.
Simply adopting standards-aligned curricula is not enough. Educators require continuous support and amplte time to effectively implement teaching strategies and understand critical moments in lessons that drive student learning.