Investing in Community Learning Ecosystems
Summary
Developed during a different industrial era, today’s education system was never designed to meet modern learners’ needs. This incongruity has heaped systemic problems upon individual educators, blunted the effectiveness of reforms, and shortchanged the nation’s most vulnerable young people — outcomes exposed and exacerbated by COVID-19. Building back better in a post-pandemic United States will require federal investments not only in schools, but in “learning ecosystems” that leverage and connect the assets of entire communities. Tasked with studying, seeding, and scaling these ecosystems in communities across the country, a White House Initiative on Community Learning Ecosystems would signal a shift toward a new education model, positioning the United States as a global leader in learning.
As cyber threats grow more complex and sophisticated, the nation’s ability to defend itself depends on developing a robust, adaptable, and highly skilled cybersecurity workforce.
For the United States to continue to be a competitive global power in technology and innovation, we need a workforce that understands how to use, apply, and develop new innovations using AI and Data Science.
Students, families and communities want and need more STEM learning experiences to realize the American Dream, and yet they cannot access them. Prioritizing STEM education must be an urgent priority for the federal government and the Department of Education.
The Department of Education must provide guidance for education decision-makers to evaluate AI solutions during procurement, to support EdTech developers to mitigate bias in their applications, and to develop new fairness methods.