The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way we live, work, and connect. Protests across the country and the devastating loss of more Black lives and those who have suffered from systemic oppression -  reminds us that the decisions we make now as leaders in our school systems will have a long-lasting effect. 

Amid this cloud of uncertainty and unrest, we know that relationships are critical. Yet we also know that large districts are reporting greater than 40% of their students not connecting consistently to their schools. Moreover navigating the complexity of school closures, remote learning, learning loss, health and safety and reopening structures while maintaining a clear lens towards equity is challenging work.

In these conditions we believe that design is more important than ever–to all educators, across and between schools. The ability to look further out, practice flexibility, rehearse critical decisions, and build capacity within school leadership is critical. We believe that intentional design and an optimistic approach are the superpowers that will shepherd us into a more preferable future.

To the right are a few of the resources we have developed for K-12 educators. We will continue to provide resources and offerings as they become available. If you are interested in engaging in this work, write ariel@dschool.stanford.edu

“Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore all the many problems we create; you just have to imagine improving our capacity to solve problems.”

–Kevin Kelly