5 Educational Policies to Address the Biggest Concerns in Education
The landscape of education is rapidly evolving, and policymakers face critical decisions to address pressing concerns. This article explores key educational policies that could shape the future of learning, drawing insights from experts in the field. From modernizing curricula to leveraging AI responsibly, these strategies aim to tackle the most significant challenges in education today.
- Modernize Education for 21st-Century Skills
- Address Digital Divide in AI-Enhanced Learning
- Develop Proactive AI Policies for Schools
- Balance AI Use with Critical Thinking
- Tackle Teacher Shortage with Career Transition
Modernize Education for 21st-Century Skills
One of my biggest fears is that education still struggles to prepare students for a world that no longer exists. We're teaching with 20th-century models in a 21st-century world—structured schedules, fixed content, one-size-fits-all pacing—at a time when the world requires us to be flexible, innovative, and autonomous.
The future belongs to those students who know how to learn—not just memorize. And yet most systems still reward compliance more than curiosity.
We need policies that stop measuring time spent in seats and start measuring mastery. We should invest in schools that shatter the mold with flexible models, competency-based learning, and cross-disciplinary thinking. Additionally, we should support families who want to choose alternative paths—without punishing them for going outside the traditional box.
At Legacy, we've seen what happens when you treat students like collaborators instead of passive recipients. They rise to the challenge.
If we are to make real progress, education policy needs to stop rewarding tradition—and start rewarding transformation.
Address Digital Divide in AI-Enhanced Learning
Bridging the Digital Divide in AI-Enhanced Education
My biggest concern about education's future is the widening digital divide as AI transforms learning. As co-founder of Tutos.ai, an AI platform providing personalized math tutoring through interactive video avatars and adaptive learning, I've witnessed technology's potential to revolutionize education--but also how unequal access threatens to exacerbate existing inequalities.
This concern is magnified when considering Bloom's 2 Sigma Problem. In 1984, Benjamin Bloom demonstrated that students receiving one-on-one tutoring performed two standard deviations better than those in traditional classrooms--with tutored students outperforming 98% of their peers. For decades, providing such personalized instruction to all students seemed economically impossible.
AI now offers unprecedented opportunities to democratize one-on-one tutoring at scale. However, if these technologies remain available only to privileged students, we risk widening achievement gaps instead of closing them.
Policy Solutions
1. Universal Digital Access
- Establish federal funding for broadband infrastructure in underserved areas
- Implement subsidized device and internet programs for low-income families
- Create community technology hubs for students lacking access
2. Equitable EdTech Funding
- Develop progressive technology funding formulas for high-need schools
- Create public-private partnerships requiring equitable pricing models
- Establish minimum technology standards for all schools
3. AI Education Framework
- Fund open-source AI tutoring platforms for public schools
- Create regulatory requirements for need-based pricing in commercial products
- Invest in culturally responsive AI educational tools
4. Teacher Technology Training
- Integrate digital literacy into teacher certification
- Provide ongoing professional development in AI-enhanced teaching
- Create mentorship programs between under-resourced schools and tech specialists
By implementing these policies, we can ensure technology addresses educational inequities rather than amplifies them. The promise of AI to potentially solve Bloom's 2 Sigma Problem by scaling personalized instruction makes addressing the digital divide urgent. Our goal must be ensuring all students--regardless of background--can benefit from the educational transformation that AI enables.
Develop Proactive AI Policies for Schools
My biggest concern about the future of education is specific to advances in technology, especially AI, and how it will move so fast that schools may struggle to develop clear policies and provide proper training for educators. Without strong guidance, we are at risk of widening equity gaps, potential misuse of AI tools that could result in a loss of privacy, or other negative impacts, rather than experiencing the benefits of this technology.
We need to be proactive rather than reactive. We need policies in place that provide guidance for educators and students regarding the safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI. We also need changes that ensure all educators receive foundational training in AI literacy, ethics, and responsible use, in the same way that we focused on digital citizenship and internet safety. Schools need to provide ongoing professional development, access to vetted tools that are in compliance with applicable laws and aligned with curriculum goals.
In addition, policies should include clear guidelines for ethical use, develop AI literacy standards for both students and educators, and prioritize professional learning that empowers teachers to use AI confidently and critically.
Balance AI Use with Critical Thinking
As a writer working in educational management, I see the most significant challenge for the future of education in the growing overreliance on AI. While ChatGPT and similar tools can be incredibly helpful in both classroom settings and independent studies, they also pose a risk of diminishing students' critical thinking and creativity. Although AI-detection technologies are constantly developing, they still lag behind content generators. This makes identifying AI-generated work a persistent challenge for both educators and administrators. A particularly troubling issue is the risk of false positives—when a genuinely human-written piece is flagged as AI-generated simply because of the writer's natural style.
A possible solution is to develop clear and detailed AI-use guidelines and policies that define ethical and acceptable uses of these tools. It is also essential to teach students and educators how to analyze and critically evaluate AI-generated content, emphasizing its limitations. Students should see AI as a support tool—not a substitute—for their own thinking and creativity.
Tackle Teacher Shortage with Career Transition
My biggest concern is that there won't be enough teachers to fill the positions that will be opening up. Schools are continuously graduating fewer and fewer educators, and many of us who started in the late 1990s and early 2000s will be retiring in the next 10 years. To combat this, I believe states need to continue to make it easier for those looking to switch careers to choose education. Although I understand the importance of the student teaching component, it's hard for someone with a family to take the financial hit for this requirement. Schools could offset this by allowing for a paid version of student teaching, with the intent that they'd then step in and work at that district once they've completed their training time.
