If you only read the headlines about education in the U.S., you would think our situation is hopeless. You would encounter alarming phrases: teacher shortages, pandemic learning loss and historic declines in math and reading scores.

You would also know that, during the pandemic, our classrooms changed dramatically (some argue permanently). Under-resourced students and those in rural areas without internet access could not consistently attend classes, either in person or virtually. Many schools struggled to retain staff. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reported steep drops in test scores, especially in mathematics. Black and Hispanic students and students living in poverty, whose scores, on average, were lower even before the pandemic, were disproportionately negatively impacted.

Whenever I hear someone fatalistically reference what these trends mean for the future of education, I counter that we have an opportunity to change our mindset and our models.

Read the full article about personalized learning by Jessie Woolley-Wilson at The Hechinger Report.