This raised all sorts of questions in our minds as parents and the practicality of using an academic measure (like grades) to penalize a behavioral issue (turning work in late). Before we go any further, I want to say that my daughter’s teacher is extremely supportive of the students in her class and will give them many reminders to turn in late work. This policy is a DISTRICT policy, not her belief.

I decided to post this question on Twitter to see what the teaching universe would have to say and well…it kicked up quite the hornet’s nest. As of this post, it has 185 comments and counting. (check out the full thread here, but be warned…)

As the comments and suggestions grew in the thread, battle lines were being drawn. It became clear to me that this is another institutional norm in education that we might want to re-consider when going “Forward to Different“, thus this post. What follows are summaries of the main arguments both FOR and AGAINST doing this followed by some options for helping students with their executive functioning/time management skills without punishing their grades.

The arguments FOR deducting a grade for late work

It teaches them responsibility and self-discipline. At some points the students need to learn the consequences of their actions and what better way to do this than hitting them where it hurts the most; their grade. Are their other ways we can “grade” behavior, sure, but those don’t affect the kid as much as seeing their “A” go to a “B” because they were a day late on the assignment.

There are deadlines and consequences in the real world. When you are late turning in work, your boss gets mad and sends you an angry email. Do it enough times, and you could get demoted or even fired. If you don’t turn in your taxes on time, you pay a penalty. If you don’t pay your bills on time, you could be without electricity. The real world has deadlines with often harsh penalties. Using grades teaches this to kids while their frontal lobes are developing.

If they turn it in late, they could be copying the answers from someone else. The longer it takes for them to turn something in, the more likely they could ask a friend for the answers to the work. Then we aren’t grading them on their true knowledge as they just borrowed it from someone else. Thus the penalty for tardiness of turning it in.

Not doing this teaches kids it’s ok to be a slacker. If you don’t have any penalties or consequences for late work, students can turn stuff in all the way through graduation (and even after). All this teaches them is they can blow past deadlines with no repercussions, which isn’t true in life. It encourages procrastination in students.

It makes the work more important. Without penalties for missed deadlines, it means the work isn’t that important. Not having these deductions lessens the importance of the work itself. If the student never turns in the work, then how can teachers access them on the skill? Students with great study habits can become lazy when they realize doing the work on time isn’t really that important.

Teachers have a lot of work to grade and need a deadline. This mostly applies to secondary teachers who can often have up to 180 students a day pass through their classroom door. Having hard and fast deadlines makes grading all those papers much more manageable. Allowing kids to turn in work whenever they please makes the process much more cumbersome and hard to manage on the teacher-grading side of things.

The arguments AGAINST deducting grades for late work

Grades should be used to show mastery of learning. This was by far the most mentioned response to my tweet. In a “perfect world”, we are using grades to measure the growth and mastery of student learning. Adding in “timeliness” to the equation skews that measure.

As a parent, if I see my daughter is getting a failing grade in math, I might hire a math tutor to help her. However, what if she is actually fine with math but can’t turn anything in on time. I got the tutor for the grade but in actually I should get her a tutor to teach her time management skills.

Responsibility and executive functioning should be graded separately than academic growth. Utilize a separate “graded” section that covers soft skills so we can also measure growth on that front. Having two separate “measured” sections of the report card give much more information to the student and parent in terms of what areas need improvement. Maybe you are doing high quality work in Language Arts and deserve the “A” but you turn in every paper late (which authors do all the time – btw) which results in you getting a “C” in time management. That is more effective than blending the two together.

This doesn’t address the behavior. In fact, in some instances, it might increase it and negatively affect their self-esteem. Students that habitually turn in late work may give up because their grades are tanking. Address the behavior and come up with strategies to help fix it rather than just docking their grade across the board.

Schools should exist for learning, NOT just for preparing kids for employment or higher ed. In theory, schools shouldn’t exist just so we can make sure kids get good grades in college or that they turn in their work to their bosses on time. Using lack of time management to punish grades shifts the focus from academic growth to “playing the game of school.” This opens up a whole other discussion about grading, but I’ll save that for a future post.

The system rewards organization over knowledge and understanding. This creates a mis-interpretation of mastery. It rewards students who finish their home work on time, which assumes that they must have a better understanding of the academic concept. However, if you are disorganized, yet understand the concept well, it doesn’t matter in the grade book.

Punishing kids for late work via grades can cause lasting damage/anxiety to a student. In the thread, several adults shared stories about the anxiety this caused them during school and later in life. While some say “kids just need to suck it up and get the work done on time” that’s really a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t differentiate for students. Damaging self-esteem and raising unnecessary anxiety shouldn’t be the goal or outcome when it comes to learning (or late work).

This policy isn’t equitable or inclusive. It fails to take into account students’ home life, their own learning preferences, commute time, access to technology and parental support. Perhaps a student has to work extra hours at home to make ends meet or there is not where they can go to sit and focus. This assumes that all students have a great, supportive home life, when in reality, many of our underserved communities do not.

Possible alternatives to point deductions for late work

Instead of punishing for late work, give bonus points for turning work in early or on time. If it’s a big project and you get it done early, perhaps a little point bump is in order. This is a fine line as you don’t want students rushing through their work, but it shifts the focus from a negative (punishment) to a positive (reward). One issue with this option is it still means the grade doesn’t accurately reflect their learning.

Use this as an opportunity to teach them how to dialogue and communicate. When you are late with a bill or rent, do you just not pay it? No, you reach out to the company to ask for an extension or explain your situation. Life happens and it’s happening to these kids at home as well. Encourage them to have open communication when it appears they are going to miss their deadline. Many teachers on the thread mentioned they would often forgive some late work if the student talked to them about it first.

Teach the students to reflect on their own time management. When a student does turn in an assignment late, this is an opportunity to talk with them about time management. Have them reflect (written, video, audio recording) about why they turned the work in late and what they could do better next time. Sometimes, it might be extenuating circumstances, but usually it was just them getting distracting with something else that commanded their attention. Reflecting on the issue helps them notice their own behavior more so than just docking points off a grade.

Allot time during the week for students to finish up late work. In elementary school there is often a “Fun Friday” where students have time to work on passion projects or play games that teach intrapersonal skills. Taking this concrete experience away from a student in elementary can have more of an impact than a grade which is more abstract. One commenter mentioned her 3rd grade son missed his Fun Friday once and never turned in a late assignment again. However, now that he’s in 8th grade, which has a points penalty policy, he just gives up and doesn’t care about getting his work done.

In secondary schools, many students have a “home room” or “advisory” period to complete missing work and ask for support. Providing this additional time might be the thing a struggling student needs to focus on mastery of the skill rather than just rushing to turn something in on time.

Have a “late slip” for work not turned in on time. When a student misses a deadline, give them a late slip. The late slip has to be taken home and signed/acknowledged to encourage discussion around why the work was late. At that point, work must be turned in with the signed late slip, but no points are removed for academic mastery.

Conclusion

It’s clear to me that this is a hot-button issue in education with no “perfect solution.” I truly understand both sides of the argument here. After reading the (now) 228 responses on this thread I can tell people have severe emotional attachment to penalizing or not penalizing students for late work. To me, it really comes down to this question: What is best for kids and how can we teach them to be their best selves as adults?

Can we teach them time management and executive functioning skills without penalizing grades? YES.

Will it take more work, time and energy by the teacher and parent? YES. At least at the beginning as we front-load students with the skills to manage their time best.

We have to remember that sometimes, what is right isn’t always what is easiest. I think that’s the case here. I appreciate all that contributed to this important dialogue and hope that if nothing else, this sparks a conversation on your campus or district about late work policies. We can’t get better if we aren’t open to the idea of change.

It’s a tough balancing act. Teachers want to be in their classrooms. Administrators have fires to put out. But somehow we must cram it into the 3-8 days before students enter our buildings. In my current role, I get to travel all over the country to be a part of “Start of School” activities. I’ve seen a lot of good and some bad when it comes to what staff are asked to accomplish. The approaches I outline below are my take on what I have found educators respond to best.

1. Allot time for classroom prep at the beginning

I’m going to start the list with what I think is the easiest to accomplish. Schedule a day or two at the beginning where teachers have some time in their classroom before the required meetings/trainings take place. One year, due to a new state evaluation plan, we had all staff attend two days of training before they had time in their classroom. Needless to say, that didn’t go well.

Most staff came back before their contract to work on their rooms, cutting their summer (and much needed recharge time) short. As the training happened in the largest building (the high school), most staff didn’t have a chance to pop into their classroom for any last minute adjustments. On top of that, most schools have a “meet the teacher” type event a couple of days before the students arrive, adding pressure on teachers to make their classrooms ready early. By flipping the schedule and granting teachers a couple of contract days dedicated to their classroom, you’ll find they are much more relaxed and engaged in whatever training you have to offer.

2. Make it a celebration

Sometimes it’s hard to celebrate during a “required training event” or a back to school planning meeting. This doesn’t have to be the case. Little touches like bringing in breakfast/lunch and having music playing can give staff a little more energy as they walk into the building. Some schools add themes and costumes to increase the fun and engagement of staff gathering together.

At my former district, Eanes ISD, we gathered all the staff together for a fun-filled convocation event that involved music, student performances, and “roll-call” from each school. The first few years, roll call involved staff cheering loudly when their school was mentioned. However, over the years, it turned into a competition as schools coordinated costumes, dance moves, and battle cries to show pride in their campus. These kick-off events are an opportunity to set the tone for the year and really build a sense of cohesive culture with all the staff.

3. Give staff choices

This should be the case with any professional learning, but especially at the beginning of the year. Staff dread reading an itinerary of all the places they have to be before the school year gets started. This month, I visited two different districts in Texas and Indiana who gave their staff choices about which sessions they wanted to attend. I even gave them the power to decide how my keynote would end.

Taking this concept of choice a step further, some of the offerings could be online and done in their own time. This way if they need some time to work on last minute classroom items, they can do that and still participate in the learning later. We moved most of our required trainings to an online video quizzing platform rather than forcing staff to sit through 6 hours of “legalese”. We also gave them through the month of September to complete these rather than try and finish them all before kids enter their doorway.

4. The gift of time

When I deliver keynotes, one of the activities I do is a “Would you rather” type game. Staff either stand or sit to identify which of the two items on the screen they most associate with. It’s a fun game and meant to get them moving, but one particular prompt always leaves me floored.

When I ask them if they would rather have more time or more money, the majority of educators choose time. I’ve said it before, but we are facing a “time famine” in education. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. As leaders organize start of school activities, be thoughtful of a teacher’s time. Do they have time to prep their classroom? Do they have time to stop and reflect? Do they have time to take an “adult lunch” to bond with their colleagues?

After the school year starts, try to be aware that the students aren’t the only ones struggling with the start of school. I’ve always been a fan of starting school mid-week if possible. Have 2-3 days to get everyone back in the routine before going to the first full 5-day week. Or just move to a 4-day week all year like this Texas district.

5. Check in with staff

Administrators should try and be present for staff. That sounds like a small ask, but there are seemingly endless meetings and emails that need to get done. That said, take a break from that and walk your campus. Pop into classrooms and check on your teachers. Do they need some last minute copies? Maybe their favorite piece of chocolate or a coffee?

Stopping by to say hi, check stress levels, and being actively supportive will reduce staff anxiety. Once the year gets going and students enter the fray, be sure to walk the halls regularly. Whenever possible, administrators should try and step into the classroom to give teachers some small breaks, especially at the beginning of the year. It’s amazing what 5-10 minutes of “adult quiet time” can do to alleviate teacher stress.

6. Strategic abandonment of past initiatives

Every year, school leaders pick a word or theme to focus on during the school year. “Creativity” or “Risk-taking” can be great themes when supported with the right message and materials. However, just adding a new initiative every year to be different can be overwhelming. Some years, staff have to learn a new grade book system, a new curriculum adoption and adhere to a new state mandate. Throwing another thing on their plate fails to recognize teacher capacity and stress levels.

This is especially apparent at the beginning of the school year. Rather than give teachers “one more thing” to learn or focus on, take a few things off their plate. Maybe delay on implementing that new learning management system right away. Instead of introducing a new theme, have one carry over from the previous year. Addition by subtraction is a real thing when it comes to staff mental health.

7. Try an “inbox diet”

There are many important messages that need to go out at the beginning of the year. Staffing changes, enrollment updates, last minute meetings, and more can pile up a teacher’s inbox. Not to mention the parent emails looking for clarifications or information that they couldn’t find on a website.

Having an ever-growing inbox number of unread emails can subtly increase anxiety and stress. This is not the time to spam them with a cute TikTok hacks or a list of funny memes to share with their students. It will get lost in the shuffle. Instead, try and keep email communication to a minimum. Coordinate information from counselors, nurses, executive assistants, HR, and others so that teachers aren’t bombarded with 20+ messages filled with “administrivia”.

Also, encourage staff to turn off their email when they go home. Let the community know that teachers won’t be checking email from 6pm to 7am so they don’t expect an immediate follow-up. While there are always exceptions to this rule (like an emergency), allowing time to disconnect from school and recharge at home lays the foundation for a less stressful start to the year.

8. Little surprises go a long way

I’m not talking about the “Surprise! We have an emergency faculty meeting!” on this one. As a leader, I would yearly send out a pre-survey to my team to see their likes and dislikes. This could be a list favorite sodas, snacks, songs, etc. I would then use this data to bring them little “treats” that I know they like throughout the year.

It’s a small thing, but it can have a great impact on morale and motivation by adding a little personal touch to the gifts you give.

9. Have consistent messaging that motivates

One of the highest honors I have is being invited to be the opening speaker for a school year (see video here). It is so important to have staff excited and pumped to try new things and leave with a sense of purpose. However, the wrong opening speaker can send the wrong message to staff.

One year, we had a well-known speaker come in to tell our staff that our grading practices were wrong and needed to change. Hearing this message 2 days before the start of school was poor timing (especially without follow-through). Another time, we did a mock “active shooter” drill which left some staff in tears and others ready to quit right on the spot. While these messages may be necessary, timing is important.

If you bring me in to talk to your staff about taking risks and embracing failure, I would expect that you would celebrate this throughout the year. Have a plan to align with your opening message with leadership. With follow-through and support, an opening message can be the beginning of a positive snowball effect. Teachers leave feeling motivated and leadership supports that throughout the year to keep the momentum going.

Some of the items in this list are easy to do and many schools have already implemented them as best practices. It’s important for all staff to maintain good self-care as they enter into the daily roller coaster that is working with pre-adult humans. Starting the school year off on the right foot means staff are less likely to experience the dreaded late fall/early spring burn-out. Offering continual support by reducing initiatives, giving the gift of time and being present is an impactful way for a leader to keep their staff happy and energized.

Happy back to school y’all!

To write poetry that is not meant to be read

Can be daunting, so we’ll do this instead.

On a special Monday night, 12 poets will gather.

There will be laughters and tears, as they share things that matter.

Why poetry you ask?

Nothing strips away our surface like powerful words exclaimed on a stage.

No slides. Three minutes. One microphone. One sage.

Audience applause comes in the forms of snaps and “Woo hoo”‘s.

Knowledge is our reward but a championship belt too

For the poet deemed ruler of all words at the theatre on Toulouse.

Enjoying rhymes with pizza and booze.

Poetry is art just as art can be poetry.

And it doesn’t always have to rhyme.

When these dozen orators take the stage, we will witness their artistic representation of self in the world of ed tech.

It might be funny. There might be a call to action.

Emotion and words mixed together to share their story in prose.

Why poetry you still ask?

In an era where our attention has value,

Where our clicks and likes matter more and more,

Giving our full attention to the artist on stage is the ultimate gift.

Your presence is a present if you will.

So on this Monday night in June,

Attendees of ISTE will gather in a theater with its own personality.

Curtains and mics mixed with food and drinks.

Emotion and connection mashed with music and revelry.

So when you ask me why poetry?

Why not poetry, I declare.

Because what is life if we cannot express it in words?

Details:

Monday, June 27, 2022

6:30-10:30pm (big announcement at 6:45, slam begins at 7:15)

Toulouse Theatre

RSVP here and join the ISTE group at K12Leaders.com for details on how to get some VIP beads!

Teachers and school leaders have been through the wringer during the pandemic. First they were praised for spinning up remote learning in mere days. Then, they were ostracized for not making the remote experience as good as the in-person one. After that, it was COVID protocols, CRT, and fights about what books our kids should read. The cavalcade of over the top school board meetings have become so commonplace, Saturday Night Live did an entire skit about it.

At some point you have to laugh or be forced to cry. On top of all of this mounting pressure is the harsh reality that our teachers are SEVERELY underpaid. This is not anything new, as many states in the union pay less than $60,000 a year which after health care and taxes equates to around $3300 a month to live off of. That’s a little less than $20/hour and that’s just for those that pay $60k a year! There are 34 states that don’t hit that mark in terms of average pay.

We are facing a time famine

Let’s take the money out of the equation for a moment. You can always figure out ways to make more money, but you can’t make more time. We are facing a major TIME FAMINE in our classrooms. More curriculum is packed into our school day as we try and cram instruction in between book battles and school board takeovers. The lack of flexibility and substitute teachers means no extra time for planning engaging lessons or having meaningful professional learning.

In a recent survey published by K12Leaders.com, 67% of respondents said they are “moderately” to “highly” dissatisfied in their current role. Of that group, 88% said they would leave their job with less than 1 month of notice if another job came along. While compensation (74%) and lack of flexibility (70%) came in as high reasoning, the highest was lack of respect (77%). One educator shared the following quote:

“I don’t feel valued in our culture in a general way…. I will always be asked to do more and more and more with less and less. I don’t feel like I have room to advance and I definitely can’t afford to stay in a classroom long term. It gets worse each year. At this rate I will never be able to retire.“
Anonymous educator

“Back to Normal” is not the answer

Schools and communities have been rushing to return things “back to normal” for their students. Removing masks and doing away with social distancing as quickly as possible. Putting technology back in the closet with the belief that was only useful for remote learning and isn’t necessary during the school day. Discarding any flexibility or asynchronous learning options and forcing all students back into synchronous in-person learning. The truth is, this “normal” way of doing school doesn’t serve all children, it only serves a few in the middle.

Students in traditionally underserved communities have struggled with the “Game of School” which is more about making the A and less about actual learning. It’s about getting the best scores on mandated tests and less about longitudinal learning and reflection in a portfolio. We are teaching kids to fill out bubble sheets when we should be filling their minds.

Last year, my oldest child went to middle school completely online. She got most of work done between 10am and noon. Remote learning wasn’t good for many kids, but for some like my daughter, they excelled. Returning to in-person school for this year has led to some struggles that she didn’t encounter before. The school bell schedule is very much gospel in schools. You go to one class for a set amount of time and then onto the next class. The child’s mind and ability to process new information isn’t taken into account when making these schedules.

Time to Eliminate Seat Time Funding

Our school schedule is a symptom of a larger issue in our schools. We are forced by state law to fill out a certain amount of days or minutes with kids physically present in the classroom. This means that it’s more important if your rear end is in a seat than if you are actually learning anything. The devaluing of our learning institutions peaked during the pandemic. Many parent communities were eager to put their students back in school so they could get to work. Schools are large childcare facilities in the minds of these parents, not learning institutions.

To move away from this national belief, school funding shouldn’t be centered around physical presence. Do families still need physical buildings to help with their child’s learning? Absolutely. But do we need to fund schools solely based on seat time and a one-time high stakes test? Absolutely NOT.

Eliminating seat-time funding could open up schools to some creative scheduling and cross-curricular and dare I say, cross-grade level learning. Why do we need to consider this? Our current school system model relies most heavily on ONE major item, we need personnel to make it run.

The Big Quit in Education

The Great Resignation, or “Big Quit”, is happening across multiple industries. Education has been in the cross-hairs of this movement for the past several years, but now the pandemic has amplified it. At recent professional learning conferences I attended numbers were down due to Covid concerns but also a “lack of subs” to cover classrooms. This affected teacher attendance but also administrators who are now covering classrooms on a regular basis. And it’s not just classrooms that are feeling the pinch.

Bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians are in high demand and short supply as well. Schools are so short on bus drivers that the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Transportation essentially waived the need to have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to drive a bus. In addition to these necessary positions to help make the school day run, leadership is also in short supply.

Political pressures and debates on critical race and mask mandates has encouraged many superintendents to seek an early exit from the role. In my home state of Texas alone, there with 60 resignations in the last couple of months. That number is typical of an entire school year and not anywhere near what you would typically see between December and January. On a recent podcast, Doug Roberts, who runs the Superintendent think tank known as the Institute for Education Innovation (IEI), said the numbers were alarming. Not only are we seeing a mass exodus from educational leadership, but in the past “we would see 100-200 applicants for a Superintendent position, now we are seeing 1-3 applicants.”

More people leaving the education profession than those that are joining it means that we will be at a critical breaking point in the next few years. Districts and state governments need to start thinking of creative ways to transform schools in the future. Increasing teaching salaries is a start, like this district in Fayetteville, Arkansas did. But as we discovered on the K12Leaders.com survey, money isn’t the only driving factor.

Forward to Different

There is no magic bullet to fix the disaster that lies ahead for our schools. Some schools in affluent areas may find work arounds with stipends or extra off days, but for the majority of districts, it’s time to think differently. This means we need to stop saying “Back to normal” and starting thinking “Forward to different.” I started to develop a strategy called “Learning Realignment” some months ago, but our educational future may need to be even more extreme.

Over the next few weeks, I will publish a series of different approaches that schools across the country are considering. None of the ideas are 100% fail safe but I applaud districts for taking risks and making some drastic changes to keep their school up and running. Before we tackle these approaches, we must first consider changing some of the things we hold sacred in education.

1. Grade level bands eliminated

One such thing is the “grade level band by age” approach. This video illustrates a point that Sir Ken Robinson famously made in one of his talks. We still educate kids in age batches rather than competency. If we are facing a teacher shortage, this could be on of the first things to go.

2. School schedule less rigid

Another change I’ve already mentioned is the school bell schedule. It perpetuates the factory model of the 1950’s and restricts deeper learning and experiential teaching to some degree. It also requires us to have a certain amount of personnel on hand to teach certain classes. Which leads me to another change that needs to happen.

3. Learning options NOT limited by where you live

Learning is limited by geography. My daughter wants to learn Italian, but her school only offers Spanish. This is for a variety of reasons but the primary two are that there isn’t a teacher qualified to teacher it AND there aren’t enough students interested to justify the expense. She could hop on a bus and head to another middle school that offers it, but why? Did we not just go through almost two years of remote learning? Couldn’t she take a class online with a teacher on the other side of the city? Heck, why couldn’t that teacher even live in a different state or country? We limit learning when we restrict it to only the physical resources available in a geographical area.

4. Curriculum needs an overhaul

The thought of changing WHAT we teach while changing HOW we teach can be terrifying. The truth is, our curriculum is also based on mid-20th century education. Does it make sense to teach kids how to write checks when we live in a world of cryptocurrency and NFTs? The silo-model of curriculum limits our flexibility when it comes to cross-curricular projects and experiences. I wrote about this change in core curriculum in 2017 and think of any time to change our beliefs on curriculum, now is that time.

5. Four-day work week comes to education

Teacher pay is a problem in education, but so is the lack of flexibility. When I taught first grade, bladder control was one of my super powers. Being in charge of young humans for a full day can be taxing physically, mentally and emotionally. Teachers got to experience some rare job flexibility when the pandemic first hit. Being forced to teach online presented many challenges but it also allowed educators to see what a “work from home” environment would be like. With students completing asynchronous tasks, they were able to experience what a lot of the modern working world does. Being able to run errands, go to doctor visits and car appoints without spending time on sub plans has its perks.

Companies across the globe are also starting to see the value in productivity that could be gained from both working from home and a 4-day work week. More and more major companies are starting to make the shift which will have a trickle down effect in education. But rather than wait for the entire world to shift to this model, schools could start now.

A “4/5” schedule (4-day work week for teachers, 5-day learn week for students) could be the answer to our impending educator shortage. I’m working with a school in Florida that is trying to make this happen. Alternating “enrichment days” or creating a space for online learning within the school can help create a level of flexibility and give teachers a true day off (not a planning day or one filled with ‘necessary’ meetings).

We are at the precipice of change

Education has been needing an overhaul for decades. State policies and political pressures have created an environment where those of us in K-12 feel like we can’t innovate and modernize student learning. These four areas of change mentioned above are not the only things we can and should change in education. Assessments, grades, and seat-time all play a large role in everything we do in education and they too will have to be transformed if we are to truly head “forward to different” in our schools.

Every year I embark on this tradition of trying to be “bold” in my predictions of what the twelve months ahead will entail. Some years I hit the mark, such as in 2015 when I predicted that the state of Texas would end its testing contract with Pearson. Or like in 2019 when I said Netflix would make an EDU version of their platform (ok, that one still hasn’t happened…yet).

Still, it’s fun to make predictions, so with the turning of the calendar and a new year upon us, why not put something out there in writing to see how right or wrong I will be.

The last two years have greatly impacted my predictions more so than any previous time. With the pandemic, industries far and wide are changing behaviors and practices. Having groceries delivered or meeting on a Zoom call are now commonplace.

All of these changes have also impacted education. The course correction in funding with ESSER funds finally gives K-12 schools a chance to balance out what has been a severely underfunded aspect of our society.

But first, a disclaimer. As I mention in the title, these predictions are meant to be BOLD. It’s one thing to say that education will change, but it’s quite another to actually specify the method in which it will change. I also realize that public education is heading into a bit of crisis mode when it comes to staffing shortages and the great resignation.

With that, here are my thoughts on what the year 2022 will hold.

The Great Edtech Buy Out Continues

With the influx in ESSER funds, companies peddling education technology are feeling the pressure to grab a slice of the pie before it’s all gone. Companies consolidate and partner pretty regularly, and recent trends would indicate this will only accelerate this year. Last year Nearpod was bought out for an astounding $450 million by Renaissance. LineWize expanded its offerings by purchasing classroom management and analytics wizard NetRef and adding the UK filtering company Smoothwall.

Doing this gives companies looking for the next big RFP greater coverage to check those boxes and potentially land a large district such as LAUSD or NYC. With the deadline of ESSER funds coming in 2024 (and likely most of those funds allocated by 2023), I predict this year will see a rapid increase in companies joining forces or buying one another. Will they all be owned by Pearson or PowerSchool? I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me if by the end of this there are only 3 or 4 big-time players in this space.

The Great Resignation Will Force Schools to Think Differently About Online Teachers

We are in the midst of what many are calling the “Great Resignation,” and with the shift to increased remote work, people and companies realize they can do a lot more with less. (Some folks have even realized they can work multiple careers at the same time, like yours truly.) Schools are feeling the pressure from this with both a shortage of substitute teachers and superintendents migrating to retirement at a rapid pace.

One of the biggest obsta犀利士
cles secondary schools face is what can be offered to students in terms of courses. Small districts are limited in offerings based on who is qualified to teach which class. For example, if a group of students wants to take Italian as a foreign language, they have to have a teacher who works physically at the school to be able to offer it. Many school leaders also are burdened by traditional thinking when it comes to hiring, believing a full-time employee is the only way to go. So now you might have a teacher teaching Italian one period per day and then other “catch all” subjects the rest to make up their paycheck.

I predict this year we will see a rise in schools outsourcing course offerings via part-time online instructors. Companies such as ElevateK12 and Rex Academy have already started to realize this, and are providing part-time certified educators to remotely teach some of those hard-to-reach classes. With the shift to 1-to-1 devices, schools will use vacated computer labs to serve as staging ground for students still attending class in-person. Alternatively, students can take a “zero hour” course while at home on their own time, much like you would take a Master Class online.

A New Social Media Platform for Educators Arises

With the increased pressure in education and the lack of social connection due to the pandemic, the outlook on our industry is pretty bleak. Educators need to connect more so now than ever to solve our ever-increasing issues. The only problem is, we are scattered everywhere on social media. Twitter, TikTok, Facebook Groups, Instagram, etc. – these platforms connect us but only in platform-based silos.

Last week I announced the launch of a new social network that I’ve been working on with a group of forward-thinking and compassionate educators for the last several months. The goal behind K12Leaders.com is to provide a free platform for educators to connect, grow, share and learn. While this platform is still very much in beta (you can try it out here), our hope is that this becomes a tool for reversing the trend of educators leaving the profession. This is literally a professional learning network and something I think we’ve sorely needed in education.

Ok, so as this is a bold predictions article, time to be bold. As of this writing we have 145 members and my bold prediction is that we’ll be at 10,000 come December 31, 2022.

TikTok University Will Launch

Those clever dances. Those funny little reaction videos. The insane challenges. Kids (and adults) love TikTok. (I even broke down and finally joined this year too) It’s now the second-most used social media site by teenagers (after YouTube). Much like YouTube, people are drawn to this tool for both entertainment and information. My prediction is that this year we will see the launch of what I’m calling TikTok University or TikTokU for short.

This education-friendly version of the popular social media platform will feature teacher influencers rapping to the times tables or dancing on the periodic table. (Yes, I said “on.”) Just like TeachersPayTeachers, TikTokU will be a great source of additional revenue for underpaid educators while also keeping students engaged and inspired.

Now if only the next big TikTok challenge would be to surprise your teacher with a coffee instead of destroying the school restroom….

ISTE22 Will Feel Like A High School Reunion

A lot has happened since the last in-person ISTE in Philadelphia in 2019. Jobs have changed. People have gained and lost weight. Educators have gone three years without being able to network and connect in person. And now we are all going to be together for the first time in a long time in America’s most epic party city, New Orleans.

What could go wrong?

For the last three years we’ve experienced online happy hours and virtual conferences, but coming this summer that all ends (fingers crossed considering the current pandemic trends). As someone who’s been at a couple of major state conferences in the past month, I can tell you the release of pressure is real. Educators need to mix and network with like-minded souls and catch up on old times. We are in the people business and not being around our PLN has really drained us emotionally and mentally. I for one am excited to see the spectacle…er…magical experience that awaits us in The Big Easy.

An Amazon “Alexa” Academy Will Be Established

Do I think teachers will be replaced by robots? No. Do I think some of our time spent teaching basic facts should change? Absolutely. We are facing a “time famine” in schools yet we still focus much of our day and energy addressing basic facts that our phones or digital assistants can answer. Instead, we should be spending time helping kids ask critical thinking questions and taking risks.

What better way to demonstrate that than by using artificial intelligence in the classroom? With AI, teachers can demonstrate how to get Alexa to listen to you when you want to hear that next great Doja Cat song, or how Google Home can help you figure out what the square root of pi is.

My prediction is that Amazon will take the lead on this and attempt to implement the first-ever “Alexa Academy.” Teacher facilitators in the classrooms can help students ask questions, but the room will be outfitted with one-to-one Amazon Echo Dots.

I would recommend for those seriously considering this that for the education addition, each Echo should be given a personalized “wake” word so the Echos don’t get confused. I’m sorry, could you repeat that again? I’m having trouble understanding you….

A New Digital Divide Emerges

The gap between those with and without access in schools has rapidly narrowed. The digital divide is still a real thing, but now I’m seeing other trends when it comes to technology use in schools, particularly when it comes to academic support. Underserved communities traditionally use edtech as remediation and repetition practice of core academic areas. Meanwhile, affluent districts promote project-based activities and entrepreneurial classes that employ edtech more creatively.

I wrote a more extended thought piece on this phenomenon recently when reviewing how schools support students struggling academically. With 20% of ESSER funds earmarked for “learning loss,” it’s natural for edtech to play a role in this recovery.

I think this year we will see a new digital divide emerge in terms of how we are using edtech. The truth is this isn’t a new phenomenon, however, now that we are closer to ubiquitous access we will start to see some gaps widening being the haves and have nots.

Augmented Reality Will Push the Need for NFT Education

We’ve all enjoyed playing with our Merge cubes and watching fun little videos using HP Reveal (now defunct), but generally augmented reality (AR) has been largely a consumptive edtech tool, which is why many companies have come and gone when it comes to implementing AR in the classroom (remember Aurasma?) The other major roadblock for AR is that it has been limited to those with iOS or Android devices.

These challenges have kept AR off on the sidelines and saved for those special “Fun Friday” classroom activities. Now with companies such as Australian-based Eyejack and its AR Academy, I predict AR will finally start to shift to the creative side of education. Eyejack even recently became available on platforms such as Chromebooks, giving students another method to create and express themselves. This shift toward device-agnostic use of AR removes one more barrier for what I see will be a major new creative outlet for kids.

The interesting thing about creating in the AR space is that now students can actually sell their virtual creations as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The conversation around intellectual property and creativity should be happening in schools yesterday. Making creative overlays, virtual murals, and living posters means an exciting future possibility for how kids demonstrate their learning (and possibly earn a few bucks as well).

Metaverse Will Be a Not-So-Fun Version of Ready Player One.

The book (and movie) Ready Player One gave us a preview of what this new idea known as “The Metaverse” might look like. Amazing avatars interacting in cool zero-gravity dance clubs and races through New York City with monster trucks were just the periphery, but at the heart of the book was how education was now freely accessible to all with a VR headset.

Companies are now scrambling to throw their energy and money into building this Metaverse (see graphic below) but will it really be like the book? Will I be able to fly on a luck dragon or play some classic Commodore 64 games in a virtual representation of my childhood home?

I think the short-term experience will be a little clunky and not nearly as fun, however, the potential for what the Metaverse can bring to schools could finally change the face of education. This could potentially create another digital divide when it comes with headsets, and raise concerns for screen-time warriors, but I, for one, am all in. Now, does anyone know a good real estate agent on the Metaverse? I don’t necessarily need a house next to Snoop Dogg, but just some nice digital acreage.

My New Book Will Be a Success Because of Failure

Every year I predict I’ll write some sort of book. Almost every year that prediction fails. This year is an exception as I just finished my latest book Ready Set FAIL!, which is set to launch in late January 2022 (pre-order here!). This book embodies much of what I believe we need more of in education…failure. I have always taken risks in my life that I think have had a positive impact on either my own learning or that of others. This was not something that was nurtured during my own experience as a student in K-12 or even at higher education institutions.

Just writing this book and having it published is a success in my world (shout out to XFactorEDU publishing for taking a chance on me). We are not going to survive as an institution of learning unless we start making great strides in using risk-taking and failure to help unlock creativity in our students (and adults). My prediction (and hope) is this book will motivate some schools to rethink the traditional method in which we deliver learning to our students.

Speaking of failures, I’m excited to see how many of these predictions will come true in the coming year. Like the Netflix series Black Mirror, all of these seem plausible, if not possible, with the right motivation and creative risk-takers in our space. The future is bright and uncertain all at same time. After all, who could have predicted a global pandemic would bring about a change to our daily lives? That’s one bold prediction I failed to make, and I’m okay with that.

Happy 2022 everyone…here’s to the future!

Wow. That year flew by! Like many of you, we have been teetering in and out of pandemic stress in the Hooker household. We kept our youngest kids out of school until they were vaccinated making it the longest Spring Break ever. I started going back out to conferences, but I’m already seeing some cancel this spring. I’m not sure exactly what 2022 will hold (that post comes out tomorrow), but as always, I like to review and reflect on my predictions from last year.

Before I do that, I always like to highlight a couple of my biggest hits when it comes to predictions. As this was my 9th year of writing this post, some came to fruition eventually, while others didn’t.

A non-Apple Tablet will rule them all (2013)

Pearson will lose its testing contract in Texas (2015)

A Boba Fett movie will be announced (2018) – technically a series but ….

The 2020 election will be heavily influenced by TikTok (2020)

These were great but my biggest flop was not predicting a global pandemic in 2020 that would impact schools (and these predictions) greatly. With that, here’s a look back at my predictions from 2021 and how I would rate the outcome.

Prediction: The mega face-to-face conference dies…and is reborn as hybrid

Outcome: Close to spot on

If I’m being honest with myself, this isn’t that bold. I keynoted the NYSCATE and VSTE conferences late in 2021 and both had hybrid sessions being posted online. I think this will be the model of conferences forever going forward. There will always be a want for some sort of face-to-face element when it comes to conferences. (at least until the Metaverse is fully functional – hint at predictions for this year).

Prediction: Esports becomes a national varsity sport

Outcome: Not quite ready player one yet

The pandemic would surely bring a need for eSports as an option for schools around the country. I still see epic growth in this field but as of this writing, football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and other sports are still king.

Prediction: Every high school will offer high-quality online options from now on

Outcome: Not quite online

I think this one will be accurate in 3-5 years. With the growing national teacher shortage looming, this will become more of a need as schools try and figure out creative ways to offer unique courses to their students. If you think about it, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to only offer courses based on what teachers can teach it in your geographic area. With some creative funding and programs like Rex Academy’s online CS teachers, there’s no reason why this can’t eventually happen. Students can do these classes at any time and if they still need to go into an actual building, there can be an adult monitoring a computer lab full of virtual students.

Bad weather days become obsolete

Outcome: partly sunny

This one ties heavily into the previous prediction. Here in Texas we faced a “Snowpocalypse” that meant we were out of school for almost two weeks. My kids were attending virtually and were able to carry on for the most part, but a new issue came as a result of the weather; Lack of internet. I’ll call this one mostly true, with a realization that in really bad weather, the lack of internet could be the disruptor for learning. Plus, sometimes we all need a mental health day now and then.

Prediction: Classroom air quality becomes a priority

Outcome: Breathing a little easier

With the arrival of ESSER funds dedicated to upgrading school filter systems in the spring of 2021, this prediction was almost nailed. But then in November, the federal government passed an infrastructure bill that no longer had $100 billion dollars in it dedicated to upgrading old school buildings and portables. So while we should be able to breathe a little easier, we still have to look up at those water-stained, moldy ceiling tiles.

Prediction: The Roaring 20’s will be a thing

Outcome: I see more people dancing…on TikTok

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting a bunch of people to be running around in flapper dresses and sequin ruffle skirts. With the pandemic still hanging around like an in-law overstaying their holiday welcome, I think there is still time for the Greater Gatsby to make an appearance this decade. I will say this, from my brief encounters at social events at two conferences, people are ready to get out and move. But in the mean time, just watch them dance on TikTok.

Prediction: Schools will adopt a “racial justice” curriculum

Outcome: We still have a long way to go

I had no idea the political hotbed this issue would raise this past year. When parents weren’t yelling at school boards about mask policies, they were yelling about DEI. Honestly, with the political turmoil in this country, I only see this happening in certain parts of the country. It’s sad too, because if we are truly trying to raise a nation of critical thinkers, how can we do this without having a hard conversation about our country’s racial past?

Prediction: The Hot Ones episode of UnDisruptEd goes viral

Outcomes: Flamed out

Every tech leaders favorite podcast UnDisruptEd did a lot of different things in the first 4 seasons. But one thing it didn’t do was go viral. This video still only has 155 views as of this writing and I’m pretty sure half came from our kids watching their dads cry on camera. That said, something else unexpected happened with the podcast; Adam and I got to do it as a keynote live! We opened up the Confluence event and VSTE with a live and interactive version of our podcast to thunderous and at times awkward applause.

Prediction: 90% of face-to-face meetings will be eliminated in education

Outcome: Let’s have a meeting to discuss this

I don’t know that we’ll ever see a time where this happens completely (Metaverse anyone?), but I there has been an increasing acceptance in attending meetings virtually. I think as leadership changes in future years and Millennials start to take over, this will become much more of a norm.

Prediction: There will be a Star Wars spinoff about a school on Tatooine

Outcome: Failing grade

I’m still hopeful we’ll get to see little Grogu go to Jedi school on the next Mandalorian, but this one is doubtful. Maybe it’s time for someone to finally open up a Star Wars themed school?

Prediction: I finally write and publish my children’s book

Outcome: It’s a failure…but….

I never would have predicted that I would be spending a large part of 2021 writing a book about failure. But that’s what happened. Later this month my new book Ready Set FAIL will hit the Amazon book store (preorder here). It’s somewhat appropriate that my failure in writing a children’s book would actually become a book. My new book explores all the science behind why it’s important to let kids (and adults) take risks and fail. I loaded it with stories of my own failures and also included strategies and activities for encouraging more of this concept in schools. After all, failure makes a great teacher.

As I look back at my predictions from 2021, I don’t feel like there were any that were particularly bold. My goal for this year’s predictions is to really ramp up the risk and see where it leads. Stay tuned!