There is no box

What follows is from a draft I wrote coming out of the Pandemic and never published, because frankly I stopped blogging and podcasting during COVID and couldn’t find the headspace to come back to it. Recently, I’ve been playing around with AI tools using my old content, and I was struct by how much has changed, and also by how much really hasn’t. It’s interesting to be able to go back in time and see and hear my thoughts from my educational journey over the years. It has me thinking I might start up blogging and podcasting agin, now that podcasting is cool. Anyway, here is me from the past, thinking about the future of education in a post-pandemic world:

The past decade has revealed the cracks in our educational systems, but the last few years have blown them wide open. From outdated funding formulas to antiquated professional preparation and the accelerating pace of technological change, it’s clear we can’t fix the system with the same thinking that created it.

As an educational leader who has worn the hats of teacher, tech director, non-profit board member, Chief Technology Officer, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent, I’ve lived this disruption firsthand. Reflecting on years of blogging and frontline experience, five truths continue to guide my work and might help others navigating similar waters:

1. Stop Funding Based on Seat Time
In California, we fund schools based on Average Daily Attendance, not learning. It’s a system that rewards presence, not progress. A student could be present 100% of the year and learn nothing, while another misses 20 days and aces everything. Guess which one generates more money for the school? It’s time to move past funding based on time in seats.

2. Colleges of Education Must Evolve
Too many teacher prep programs are relics of another era, designed for classrooms with desks in rows, a whiteboard at the front, and content as king. This must change. Teachers should graduate fluent in teaching skills and strategies; classroom management, behavior support, technology integration, collaborative learning, and sparking creativity, the very skills we expect them to instill in students.

3. Technology is Strategic, Not Support
Technology isn’t just about fixing printers or managing WiFi. It is the connective tissue of modern learning environments. From Google Workspace migrations to student-centered WiFi networks, IT must sit at the leadership table. When we empower tech to be strategic, we empower every classroom to be Future Ready.

4. Teaching is a Craft, Not a Commodity
The myth of mass-producing effective teaching through boxed curriculum and scripted lessons (or AI…) ignores a central truth: teaching is human work. Master teachers are master craftspeople. What they need isn’t more pacing guides or rote standardization. They need clarity of purpose, time, collaboration, autonomy, mastery and support.

5. Equity Requires Real Structural Change
COVID-19 didn’t create inequity. It exposed it. Access to broadband, basic nutrition, and healthcare were never equally distributed. During the pandemic, schools tried to fill every gap but we need systems of support that do more than lean on public education as a catch-all. Equity demands we reimagine not just instruction but community infrastructure and the core purpose of public school.

I am hopeful that we’re not going back to the past. Nor should we. The question is: what are we moving forward into? As leaders, our role is to co-create the future, one where systems flex for students, where professionals are empowered to do the work, and where education is not confined by outdated assumptions.

There is no box. Let’s build something better from the ground up.

Dr. Andrew Schwab is a K-12 Superintendent, former Chief Technology Officer, and advocate for future-ready schools. He believes that education is the gateway to opportunity and that leadership must be human-centered and student-focused.