Initiative Seeks to ‘Reimagine’ Education in Post-COVID World

HYANNIS – With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing schools to change classroom structure and learning methods, a new initiative looks to make some more permanent changes to the educational system before its return to full in-person learning.

“If you look at where kids are at their best, they’re at their best when they’re taking on something that they think matters—where they have some voice in what they’re learning, where they see some authenticity or some connection to the real world,” said Ted Dintersmith, founder of “What School Could Be” initiative.

“The heartbreaking aspect is we actually see very little of that in schools.”

Dintersmith said that the school system does not currently promote skills that would help students in their future careers.

He said education focuses less on creative problem solving, curiosity and leadership and instead focuses on memorization, replicating basic procedures and instruction-following.

In the face of more and more advanced machine-learning, Dintersmith said that it is foolish to grade students based on memorization and other tasks that computers can do perfectly and faster.

He recommended less emphasis on data-driven education, including the removal of state-mandated exams that he said are both expensive and do not provide insight into learning trends.

With COVID already forcing school systems to adjust, Dintersmith said the time is right to make student-focused changes before they return to full in-person learning. 

He said that education in the “new normal” should provide useful skills for students applicable in their future jobs and also provide educators with tools more suited to creative and adaptive learning.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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