Conclusion

We hope that the four scenarios and the elements to consider will help all kinds of school districts. While we would love to say what the future holds in PreK–12 teaching and learning, we simply have more questions to consider.

• What best practices and lessons learned will be carried forward?
• What systemic changes have shifted our policies, relationships, and practices?
• How will we ensure that students and families with less connectivity and fewer resources get the most support?

Of all the questions now, the biggest question is what will be our new “normal”? As we envision post-pandemic PreK–12 education, it is possible that a blend of all four scenarios intertwine to form a more-inclusive and multimodal approach to teaching, learning, and serving the community. Previous barriers to high-quality content and materials, technology and connectivity, and cooperation between institutions may dissolve and ease as we are forced to acknowledge the inequities that always existed. But to get there, whole communities will need to work together to ensure that students and families have the resources they need, whether it is internet access or access to mental health support and tech troubleshooting. No matter our particular context, this is the opportunity to support and engage every learner, everywhere.