Veletsianos et al. (2024) offer a useful framework for imagining alternative educational futures through three questions: What if? What could be? What if we didn’t? These questions encourage me to consider not only how education might change, but also which assumptions and structures we should challenge or leave behind.

This connects with the progressivist perspective discussed by Egan (2008), which critiques test-driven schooling for limiting students’ freedom and opportunities to explore and learn in their own ways. I see a similar tension in my work within nonprofit organizations, where much of our funding comes from grants. Grant applications must align closely with funders’ guidelines and often require clearly defined, measurable outcomes, such as participant numbers or increased programming. While these indicators are important for accountability, they do not necessarily capture the depth of learning, personal growth, or changes in understanding that occur through participation. Just as test-driven education can prioritize what students demonstrate on assessments over what they discover through exploration, grant-dependent organizations may prioritize outcomes that satisfy funding requirements over the less predictable processes that support meaningful learning, development, and change.

By 2035, I hope educational institutions and funding organizations will create more space for learner agency, exploration, and unexpected discoveries. What if learning and development were valued beyond their immediate, measurable outcomes? What could become possible if organizations had greater flexibility to respond to emerging needs? Achieving this future may require rethinking assessment practices, institutional priorities, and funding structures. I am interested in exploring whose interests current systems serve, what barriers prevent this shift, and what opportunities might emerge if we imagined education differently.

References:

Egan, K. (2008). The future of education: Reimagining our schools from the ground up. Yale University Press. https://academyforeducationalstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/volume-1-issue-2-complete1.pdf#page=72 

Veletsianos, G., Houlden, S., Ross, J., Alhadad, S., & Dickson-Deane, C. (2024). Higher education futures at the intersection of justice, hope, and educational technology. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00475-0

AI Transparency Statement:

Generative AI (ChatGPT) was used to review grammar, clarity, writing flow, and overall readability. It was also used as a thinking partner to help me articulate ideas and concepts that I was exploring but had difficulty expressing. I reviewed and edited the final content and remain responsible for the accuracy, interpretation, and presentation of the work.