Giving Compass' Take:

• Julia Freeland Fisher, writing for the Christensen Institute, discusses successful models that address the generational divide within the education system. 

• One of the recommendations that Freedman talks about is school redesign. How do school systems hinder progress on incorporating older generations into education systems? 

• Read about whether or not rural aging is the next public health issue. 

We are witnessing mounting levels of loneliness and isolation among aging populations and an acute need for access to caring adults and mentors among young people.

Squaring that supply and demand (in both directions) is not a given. In fact, many of our systems and cultural institutions—from schools, to neighborhoods, to senior living facilities—have inadvertently segregated young and old.

Freedman highlights an array of promising models aiming to stem this growing divide. They range from substitute teaching models to afterschool programs to urban redesign efforts. Although he looks at innovative programs well beyond the reach of schools, I personally think this book is a must-read for all school system leaders looking for ways to increase the human and social capital at their students’ disposal.

Reading about these innovations, here are three things schools should consider:

  • Latent connections with symbiotic potential are all around us. Many of the new models that Freedman highlights have innovation theory in their favor. For example, he cites the rise of “integrators” who are bringing existing institutions, like senior centers and preschools, together.
  • School redesign is leaving older generations out. Encouraging as these innovations may be, Freedman is fairly frank about the bureaucratic headwinds they face from traditional institutions and technocrat measurement regimes.
  • Relationships are the outcome—not a mere input. Throughout, Freedman reflects on relationships not just as the means to various goals—like boosting literacy or graduation rates—but as a critical end unto themselves.

Read the full article about schools bridging the generational divide by Julia Freeland Fisher at Christensen Institute