Foundational ( K-12) Education System: Navigating 21st Century Challenges

Foundational education system commonly referred to as K-12 school education is fundamental for people to succeed in life as noted in United Nations declaration of human rights. Consequently, decades of investments have helped K-12 sector evolve and respond to new demands but many of the traditional thinking has remained and thus hinder agility and disruptive evolution of the system. In most countries the national school education systems are perhaps the largest single enterprise and subjected to socio-cultural, economic and political influences, which in turn make it reluctant and/or difficult to change the system. However, as the world transitions from industrial revolution to information revolution and now to knowledge economy, the foundational education sector has been confronted with several simultaneous challenges. The monograph reviews and analyses how these challenges may be supported in a system that is reliant on traditional rigid time frames and confronted by complex external pressures that are blurring the boundaries of the school education landscape. It is apparent that doing more of the same may not provide the necessary solutions. There is a need to explore new opportunities for reforming the school education space, including system structures, human resources, curriculum designs, and delivery strategies. This analytical work critiques current practices to encourage K-12 educators recognize the need to evolve and embrace disruptions in a culture that tends to be wary of change. The key considerations identified through this analytical work is presented as a set of recommendations captured under four broad areas commonly used in school improvement literature