Strategic Trends Defining Education Today

I spoke near Toronto last month at the Ridley College Thought Leaders Forum on ten strategic trends that we see defining education currently. We thought we would use our blog and podcast to share them with you.

1. When the economy goes South, consumers delay the decision to purchase private education. And, even though education generally performs well in recessionary times, we’ve seen a lot of delay in consumer decisions lately.

2. Consumers are seeing increased stratification of educational offerings, driving price down and choices up, between MOOC’s, online platforms, and hybrid offerings.

3. Young, entrepreneurial professionals continue to dwindle in numbers occupying seats around boardroom or governance tables, seeking other venues for their more action-oriented approach to socially-conscious venues to make a difference.

4. Competitive pricing and aid models remain the holy grail of independent education, with no real revolution or innovation in this financial model in two decades.

5. Students are more politically active and socially engaged in issues that define their generation that just a decade or more ago.

6. Curriculum remains incongruent with solving the issues of our times. The global challenges of 2020 don’t seem well reflected in our curriculum.

7. The jury is still out on the best way to teach students, with no obvious prevailing educational philosophy taking the lead role in education.

8. With a tough economy and more lower cost choices in the marketplace, “good is good enough” is becoming a common prevailing consumer philosophy.

9. The marketing game continues to be more about flash than substance, showing us getting attention is far more important than delivering content.

10. The classroom is on the verge of explosion, with new tools, fewer walls, and more global influence than ever before.

Exciting times ahead, for sure. One thing for certain, there will be plenty of room for innovation and disruption for those schools and colleges that can breed it.