With change accelerating at a lightning pace, it raises a question for educators and families alike: What should the best elementary and middle schools teach to equip students for a future that’s constantly changing?
Traditional education is often structured narrowly, teaching to a specific test or heavily focusing on memorization and fixed knowledge that can quickly become outdated. As progressive educators like those at Park Day School know, schooling must evolve to meet the demands of an unpredictable future.
Open Houses for Park Day School: Nov. 8, Dec. 6, Jan. 11, for the whole family. 360 42nd St., Oakland. Register online.
Future-ready education
“There will need to be a stronger turn towards cultivating flexible skills,” says Angela Taylor, Park Day’s Head of School. “Instead of training students to absorb static content, Park Day School prepares them to learn how to learn and be nimble in the face of new information and challenges. Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and adaptability are highlighted at Park Day to help students find success in a shifting landscape.”
Inquiry-based learning and critical thinking
Park Day is a TK-8 school in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood. The school is tucked away on a 4-acre garden campus, and students engage in hands-on projects and inquiry-driven lessons that encourage them to ask questions and seek deeper understanding.
Big overarching questions like, “What does it take to live to be 100?” or “How can humanity survive natural disasters?” pique student interest and serve as a frame for interdisciplinary explorations in science, math, literacy and the arts. Emphasizing skills that no algorithm can replace, this method nurtures intellectual curiosity and empowers students to engage with and make meaning of complex problems.
As part of a curricular unit about insects, Park Day students in Transitional Kindergarten hunt for bugs in the school gardens. Courtesy of Park Day School
Emphasis on social-emotional learning
Understanding oneself and learning how to collaborate with others is fundamental in a rapidly changing, interconnected world.
“When students learn to understand themselves and one another, they gain the confidence and compassion to make meaningful change in the world,” says Taylor. Park Day’s commitment to social-emotional learning helps students develop empathy and communication skills.
Creative expression and innovation
Creativity is often cited as one of the most important skills for the future workforce.
“Children are natural innovators. Our role is to nurture that spark — to give them the space, tools and confidence to bring their ideas to life,” says Margaret Piskitel, the school’s Transitional Kindergarten administrator. Through art, music, drama and open-ended projects, students at Park Day are encouraged to express themselves and think outside the box, cultivating innovative mindsets essential for problem-solving in unpredictable contexts.
A Park Day School second-grader enjoys a “banned book tasting.” Courtesy of Park Day School
Global awareness and community engagement
Preparing for the future means understanding the world beyond the classroom. Park Day focuses on social justice, perspective taking and community service to help students connect their learning to real-world issues and develop a sense of responsibility as global citizens. Creativity, the ability to synthesize and build off of other’s ideas, iterate, reframe, and form collaborative working relationships will set people apart as the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
Why progressive education matters more than ever
The best schools today are those that are preparing children not for the world as it is, but for the world as it will be. An accelerating pace of change demands education that is adaptive, personalized and deeply human.
Progressive schools like Park Day set a powerful example. They understand that the true purpose of education is not to fill young minds with static knowledge but to empower lifelong learners ready to thrive in a world of constant transformation.
Park Day elementary school students learn about the solar eclipse. Courtesy of Park Day School
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