Disrupted Disruptions: Thoughts and a Reading List
With the world in in the deep end of the coronavirus-management pool, millions of students find themselves unwillingly out of school. And whereas the world’s elite has unfettered access to the web, large swaths of the population simply cannot count on reliable internet at home (e.g. the CRTC estimates that only 40% of households in rural areas have access to high-speed broadband in Canada).
While top private schools have the ability to funnel resources into training faculty and staff and adequately supporting students in a shifting digital environment, many publicly-funded schools are having to make tough decisions on staffing salaries and their (vital) digital platform spending. Meanwhile, our governments are running up deficits that they will eventually have to make up through spending cuts.
As one of my favourite public intellectuals, Scott Galloway (NYU Stern, Pivot podcast) says (about companies taking advantage of the pandemic): “It’d be a shame to waste a crisis.” Well, now that holes have been exposed, can we rethink our largely-broken education systems? The coronavirus has given us license to Be Bold. Now.
As we consider the future, we need to reevaluate ideas such as a city-owned internet service provision. If we accept education as a fundamental human right, then as we face the prospect of future pandemics, internet access must be democratized. At the very least, ISPs (Bell, Rogers, Beanfield, Teksavvy, etc.) and other tech giants (Apple, Microsoft, Dell, and retailers like Best Buy) should step up to help bridge the gap. We need significant public sector action, or at the very least, the creation of access-focused PPPs.
Education is resolutely ripe for disruption (the trendy word of the last decade) at all levels, and we must acknowledge that many students are at risk of being disrupted and falling behind. Unless public health officials manage to get things to a ‘previous normal’ (as opposed to the oft-cited ‘new normal’) in September, the damage may be irreparable. So, what’s our next move?
Below is a selection of recent, thought-provoking, education-centered articles that address major issues and have grabbed my attention.
The Coming Disruption (New York Magazine)
Read it here
College Made Them Feel Equal. The Virus Exposed How Unequal Their Lives Are.
Read it here
Will the Coronavirus Forever Alter the College Experience? (New York Times)
Read it here
During the coronavirus, academics have found themselves in a crisis of their work
Read it here
What We Lose When We Go From the Classroom to Zoom (New York TImes)
Read it here
Closing Schools Has Derailed the Lives of Kids All Over the World. Here's How We Can Help Them Keep Learning
Read it here