Our fundamental approach to public education in America today has been more or less the same in the nearly 400 years since the first public school was established in Boston. Despite tremendous growth and change — the rise of charter schools and the proliferation of technology-enhanced learning are just two recent examples — the ideology and practice of public education has continuously centered on schools. Particulars aside, the idea of school as the sole place and time where young people learn dominates our collective understanding of what public education is and can do.
Despite its prominence, this school-centered approach precludes the opportunity to explore new, relevant, and engaging approaches to learning, which are already being conceptualized and implemented in select communities across the country. These are transformative re-imaginations of where, how, and when teaching and learning take place, showcasing what is possible if we bring these educational opportunities into the mainstream. To elevate and catalyze these exciting new alternatives, we must re-consider the prominence and scope of the outsized role that school traditionally plays in public education — and make way for expansive educational experiences that are learner-centered rather than institutionally oriented.
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