Education technology that delivers great content, engages students and teachers has never been more important.  While the many education systems have resisted changing their 150 year old structure, necessity now compels it to do what ailing student achievement could not.  We’re excited to be part of it and know many of the thousands of entrepreneurs and innovations that can help our students — at every level — keep moving in their educational journey no matter where this virus disruption takes them.  While we are all upset by this global problem, we can and we must overcome it. Here’s our part to do just that:

REINVENT EDUCATION. Every challenge is an opportunity, they say, and now the opportunity to reinvent how we “do” school has never been more possible, nor more necessary.  There are copious tools and services that can and should be focussed on ensuring that students don’t miss a beat in their learning. While most of the major accomplishments in ed tech serve to improve the educational experiences of student, instructor or manager, fewer are intended to ensure the educational experience can continue solo, on one’s own, in the event of choice -- or necessity.  While advances in delivering highly adaptive and interactive programs online abound in postsecondary education (think ASU), other parts of the system have lagged, unless open minded states or communities permit online or virtual schools that have been most prevalent in the charter movement (think K12) or in some statewide offerings (think Florida Virtual) But there has not really been anything envisioned across the whole of “traditional” education that could become the equitable, quality substitute should tragedy — or potentially — opportunity hit.

Rather than leave it to chance when a tragedy strikes what if we were actually deploying the many advances in the science of learning and technology to bring an “end to average?” As Todd Rose argues, “The hardest part of learning something new is not embracing new ideas, but letting go of old ones.” But now it’s not hard, it’s necessary. And the great news is, we can keep the kids moving forward if those in charge are willing to open their minds and invite the help. Here’s just a few thoughts to get you started, especially for our friends here, and in Italy:

IN ITALY, AMIDST MANY COMPANIES, SCHOOLS CAN LOOK TO:

•  Zanichelli Editore, which has long been developing integrated digital education for the Italian system, extensive assessment applications, an intelligent step-by-step assistant in solving mathematical exercises; comprehensive, widely enhanced, multimedia, interactive, mobile-enabled print-replica and reflowable ebook platforms and augmented textbooks via smartphone app.
• Maieutical Labs, whose adaptive tutors created for use on smartphones or paper can replace for now, or augment learning in Latin, grammar and literature.

DISRUPTIONS AT WORK?  Keep your employees moving forward despite potential interruptions to the workplace.  SallyAnn Della Casa’s GLEAC “maps and measures your soft skills gaps for any job (current and future) and helps you develop them in 10 minutes a day... to industry standard ranking and/or culture fit ranking for any role and will deliver to you daily 5-10 min industry-specific micro-learnings to improve your job readiness. SallyAnn counts Prada among her many clients.

IS THERE AN APP FOR THAT? You bet there is.  We don't need to replace the teachers but we can change their role to support and direct the learning of students, while the students, no matter where they are, make their way through superior technical innovations that can more easily and quickly identify, respond, correct and expose them to learning.

@futureof_school scholarships. Talk about good timing! The far sighted folks at “Future Of School” established a scholarship program for current high school seniors who have completed a minimum of five (5) blended or online courses during their last two years of high school and plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. Scholarships in the amounts of $5,000 and $10,000 are available but the deadline for applying is 3 PM Central Time this Monday the 16th.

AND LET’S NOT FORGET THAT CHARTERS WERE AND ARE THE LABORATORY OF INNOVATION FOR U.S. PUBLIC EDUCATION. (A fact the remaining candidates would do well to learn — perhaps online? — in a day and age where every lever at our disposal needs to be on the table for our students). It was charters that brought online and blended approaches to public ed, that initiated the first personalized learning programs, that put technology into adaptive use, rather than leaving clunky computers in the back of the classroom, that started real time assessment, feedback loops and more.

As has been widely written and preached for more than 2 decades, here and elsewhere, examples abound, from Summit Public Schools, to High Tech High,  to Mission Achievement and Success Charter School, to SLAM, and thousands in between. We can do this, folks! Education should be the least affected by epidemics and pandemics. We just need to do, not just try.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. This, too shall pass.  The origins of “this too shall pass” are lost in the midst of time, but its truth has been proven through the centuries. So it is with the Coronavirus. In the meantime, be careful, be safe and as our Brit cousins did during The Blitz...keep calm and carry on!

@SAVECHARTERS MAKES THE EVENING NEWS. Hundreds of families seeking to protect the opportunity to choose charter schools rallied once again outside the debate, attracting the attention of candidates and the media.  The Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools made the evening news (Families & Activists Hold Rally Before Democratic Debate) and got motivated for their next round of actions to make candidates take notice of their cause.

POWERFUL PARENTS. Meanwhile, the #PowerfulParentNetwork has been on a Freedom Ride for Education Equity, and they visited all the candidates speaking on the ground in South Carolina.  Their delegation scored private meetings with Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.  They correctly observe that “being heard is the first step toward bringing change,” and that “easy promises are easily broken”.  This is not a group that is looking for easy promises, nor one that will take lightly promises that are easily broken. "They would do anything for their children.”

BERNIE BURNS.  During the group’s meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders, PPN’s amazing Sarah Carpenter (@LadyTenn) told him they wanted choices and quality schools. His advice to her was that the parents should “join the PTA”.  No really, that was his solution. Her immediate reaction to Sanders was not recorded but later to the press she put it perfectly; “When poor black and brown children’s lives are on the line, DON’T try to convince me that the PTA is the answer”.

HELLO? JOE? THEY ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS!  We don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this item — though on second thought it’s too egregious to laugh at. The #PowerfulParentsNetwork attends a Biden speech and asks his views on charter schools. At about the 4 minute mark in this video he says he’s against them because “they take away resources from public schools.”  Joe, JOE, JOE! Repeat after us please — charter schools ARE public schools — just not the kind that are all managed in one centralized way, top down, with archaic rules and controlled not by parents and citizens but by government rules and regulations that the very people who work in them eschew. Do you get it now? If you’re going to be the front runner, facts are important.

ED TECH TO THE RESCUE? More than ever, students shouldn’t have to sacrifice their access to a great education, no matter what the situation. Online learning  already provides an opportunity for hundreds of thousands to be educated regardless of space and place and is poised to become even more useful for people everywhere.  This week Jamie Candee (@candeeJamie) of Edmentum joins Reality Check to discuss the way online learning may be more relevant and helpful than ever, innovative not only when it comes educating students in blended and online settings, but also during times of national crises and strife, like we’re facing with the CoronaVirus pandemic.  Tune in to learn how E-learning can be particularly important for kids with so many nations on high alert. And here’s a prediction — once this crisis has passed — many parents who were exposed for the first time to the convenience and quality available in E-learning will look to expand their students’ access to the concept even more.

FIRST OPRAH, NOW ELLEN.  Oprah featured leading charter schools a number of times on the air and in her philanthropy. Now Ellen is getting into the act. Upon hearing about KIPP DC teacher Azel Prather teaming up with local barbers, hair stylists, and nail techs to treat his students to a day of pampering, she had him on and presented him with brand new 2020 Hyundai and a $20,000 donation to his foundation.  It’s not the first time Degeneres has helped charter schools. Despite Bernie, Liz and the rest, likely it won’t be the last.

COUNTERACTING COVID… or at least its impact on lives. Our hearts go out to those affected by the coronavirus worldwide. But its arrival in Italy hits closer to home for many of us in the West. While all facets of life are restricted, it’s the schools getting closed until March that had us thinking about what we all could do to reduce the impact of this devastating global epidemic while leaders and scientists get it under control.

So what are the kids and students doing? Likely there’s lots of screen time, but what if rather than leave it to the imagination of the student or family there was a plan whenever a tragedy strikes, like in New Orleans, or Puerto Rico, to keep the kids moving forward. The extraordinary array of educational technologies — from being able to learn the English language and explore a 1600 year old church like Italian Educator Michael McDonald has done for students worldwide with his VR tools, to cutting ed digital tools that can connect teachers and students regardless of their location or like those that Enrico Poli and his team at Zanichelli Venture has developed. What about the young and slightly older adults confined to their homes. They could be gaining valuable insights on closing their skills gaps if GLEAC was ubiquitous, or ECREE’s platform was available to them. Thousands of such resources, tools and products are available throughout the globe that could mitigate the time losses caused by these disasters. So it’s a good thing that long after it’s over there, we’ll be highlighting several dozen, in the birthplace of civilization…

ANDIAMO!  We hope you’ll learn more about and consider joining us for the first ever U.S. - Italia Education Innovation Festival, April 27 - 29 in Ercolano, Italy.  Let’s build a global community that puts students first, and ensures that effective technologies are available that can amplify, engage and educate the world's students. Exceptional speakers and cutting edge ideas from both countries — and other global leaders abound — not to mention beautiful surroundings and Italian cuisine.