Why the Current Model Is Broken—and What Must Change
Over the course of the past decade, public education has been experiencing a tension that has become too hard to continue to ignore.
It shows up in budget meetings.
In board conversations.
In community forums. In election cycles.
In the quiet exhaustion of leaders who are trying to hold systems together and literally killing themselves doing so.
We are asking schools to do more than they have ever been asked to do before.
And at the same time, we are giving them less.
Less funding.
Less stability.
Less alignment.
Less margin for error.
Less support.
And still, we expect better results.
The Expansion of the Work
Schools have always been central hubs in communities all over the country.
But today, their role has expanded well beyond simply educating students.
We are asking schools to:
- address mental health needs
- close long-standing learning gaps
- prepare students for a rapidly evolving workforce
- respond to social and political tensions
- serve as hubs of safety and stability
None of these responsibilities are unimportant.
In fact, they are essential.
But taken together, they represent a fundamental shift in what schools are expected to be.
And that shift has not been matched with a corresponding shift in how schools are supported.
The Leadership Strain
When systems are under pressure, that pressure does not stay abstract.
It lands somewhere.
Right now, it is landing on superintendents and school leaders.
We are seeing:
- increasing turnover
- shortened tenures
- growing burnout
- significant mental and physical health issues
- leaders stepping away from roles they once aspired to fill
This is often framed as a leadership issue.
It is not.
It is a conditions issue.
When expectations continue to rise and support does not, leadership becomes unsustainable.
And when leadership becomes unsustainable, systems become unstable.
The Funding Reality
We constantly talk about innovation in education.
But innovation requires investment.
What we are seeing instead is a widening gap between:
- what schools are expected to deliver
- and the resources they are given to do it
We fund systems for maintenance…
…but expect transformation.
We allocate resources based on past models…
…while asking leaders to prepare students for a future that looks nothing like the past.
That mismatch is not just inefficient.
It is limiting and counterintuitive.
The Distraction of Noise
At the same time, education has become increasingly entangled in political and public discourse.
Issues that were once handled within the professional space of education are now:
- debated publicly
- amplified quickly
- argued on social media with no facts, context, or accountability
- and often framed in ways that simplify complex realities
This has real consequences.
Leaders are spending more time:
- responding to narratives
- managing perception
- navigating controversy
And less time:
- focusing on teaching and learning
- designing meaningful experiences for students
- building forward-looking systems
The work has not become less important.
But it has become more fragmented.
The Acceleration of Change
While all of this is happening, the world beyond schools is not standing still.
Technology is advancing rapidly.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we work, think, and solve problems.
The skills students need are evolving in real time:
- adaptability
- critical thinking
- creativity
- collaboration
- digital fluency
And yet, many of our systems are still organized around:
- fixed schedules
- standardized pathways
- compliance-driven structures
We are preparing students for a future using models designed for the past.
The Reality We Must Confront
At some point, we have to acknowledge a simple truth:
The current model is under strain.
Not because educators are not committed.
Not because leaders are not capable.
But because the expectations placed on the system are no longer aligned with the conditions in which it operates.
We cannot continue to expand the mission…
…while constraining the means.
What Must Change
If we are serious about the future of education, then we have to move beyond acknowledgment to action.
That begins with a few critical shifts:
Alignment of resources and expectations
If we expect more, we must invest more—strategically and sustainably.
A redefinition of success
Test scores alone cannot and should not capture the full scope of what students need to thrive.
Support for leadership as a system priority
Sustainable systems require sustainable leaders.
Flexibility in how learning is designed
Seat time and standardization cannot be the only structures guiding learning.
A renewed focus on students over politics
Decisions must be anchored in what serves learners—not narratives.
A Final Reflection
Public education remains one of the most important institutions in our society.
It shapes opportunity.
It builds communities.
It prepares the next generation to lead in a world we cannot fully predict.
But we cannot expect it to evolve…
…if we do not allow it to change.
We cannot expect it to deliver more…
…if we continue to give it less.
And we cannot expect leaders to sustain the work…
…if the system itself is not sustainable.
The question is no longer whether education needs to adapt.
The question is whether we are willing to create the conditions that make that adaptation possible.
