Back to School in a Rapidly Changing World

It’s back-to-school time — which, for millions of families across the country, means a return to earlier bedtimes, shopping for school supplies, and frantic efforts by kids to finish their summer reading. It can be stressful for everyone — but there are also bigger pressures facing students, teachers, parents, and the education system as a whole.

On this episode, we look at how our fast-changing world is transforming life and learning inside the classroom. We hear about the long shadow of extended school closures during the pandemic, how schools are grappling with new technologies like generative AI, and the pressures of “Ivy League fever.”

Also Heard:

• When COVID-19 hit the U.S. in March 2020, schools across the country closed down — and stayed closed — as part of an effort to stem the pandemic’s spread. At the time, it seemed like the right move for public health — but according to investigative reporter David Zweig, the basis for those closures was a lot shakier than the public knew, the benefits less clear, and the impact on kids more profound than we imagined. He joins us to discuss his new book, “An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus and a Story of Bad Decisions.”
• We talk with education reporter Holly Korbey about how the adoption of new technologies — from Smartboards, to laptops, to ChatGPT — are transforming the classroom, and what science has to say about whether those changes are good or bad for learning. Korbey writes The Bell Ringer, a newsletter on the science of learning.