The wicked problems challenging Wisconsin schools aren’t limited to student experience and an unsustainable financial model. Other wicked problems include:

Growing Competition

Innovation expert Clayton Christensen predicts that by 2019 more than half of high school courses will be delivered online. Today’s tech-savvy students are seeking more user-friendly, flexible education options. Gone are the days of classroom lectures five days a week.

Public schools have a long way to go to meet Clayton Christensen’s prediction. However, there are a number of alternatives to public school that offer the variety that students today are seeking.

These alternatives include:

• charter schools
• home schools
• private schools
• online courses

These options are growing in popularity. A 2010 report issued by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau indicated that between the 2002/03 and 2007/08 school years, full-time enrollment in online virtual charter schools increased from 265 students to 2,951. That’s an increase of more than 1,100%!

While these alternatives are great for students, they also demonstrate the reasons why public schools must bring leaning into the 21st century. If public schools can’t compete, already scarce funds will be spread more thinly and we will lose the richness of diversity public schools provide.

Rapid Technological Changes

School districts are struggling with budget cuts. And, that makes it difficult to keep pace with technology. In fact, many students find they have access to better technology at home than at school.

Schools are preparing students for future careers, most of which don’t yet exist. In order to compete in the global economy, schools, educators and students must have the ability to keep pace with technology – for two reasons. First, technology is changing the way students learn. Second, students must be technology literate in order to compete in the world economy.

> Read about an eleven-year-old student who developed an iPhone® app and is donating a portion of the profits to charity. Does your school have a class for that? Read story

Comfort and Complacency with Traditional School

Let’s face it. We’re comfortable with things the way they are. But, educational goals and expectations have risen and so have the challenges. The school calendar we use today dates to a time when many students were required to work in farm fields: 180 days a year at least seven hours per day.

Likewise, the school curriculum is built on the idea that each subject is independent. But, the modern jobs we are preparing students for take a very different approach. Today, more than 24 million Americans work from home at least part time and most jobs require the application of knowledge across subjects. Critical thinking and the ability to apply math and science knowledge to solve real-world problems are skills required in the 21st Century. Helping students obtain these skills will require us to overcome our comfort with the traditional school approach.