Early Wins…Remote Learning Trending Up

Just a quick thought for the day from which you and your team may perhaps derive some peace. Or, potentially view this as a ray of hope as you start your work week. I have been in touch with a multitude of thought leaders, associations, and resource groups, especially at the independent school and college level, over the past 10 to 15 days. It has given me a good sense of the pulse of the marketplace.

Overall, the general sense of how things are going in the move to remote learning is highly positive. While there have been some challenges and occasional technological glitches, the vast majority of people with which I have chatted indicate that the transition has been effective. Even a weekend Twitter poll from both our ISA and @iansymmonds accounts revealed that 88% of respondents thought their school or college had managed the transition to remote learning well. And, while our sample was small and undoubtedly populated by mostly private school or college representatives, it does provide some solace in knowing that remote learning is working well in many places.

What we have accomplished in the short run is nothing short of extraordinary. The sense of energy, devotion, and commitment to students and their families by faculty, staff, and leaders is inspiring. However, my sense is that this is the beginning of a long run of online learning, deploying school and college services, and running all operations virtually. We need to pace ourselves to this new normal and understand that we will be at this for awhile. And, we need to also remind ourselves that we are building a new capability in our educational system that will advance the industry in the future.