(AmericanProsperity.com) – Could coronavirus have an impact on education in the United States? On Tuesday, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said the public needs to be ready if coronavirus becomes a pandemic. If that happens, it might be an unfortunate opportunity to rethink the way education is done in the United States.
The US system of education is largely based on expensive buildings and traditional classrooms. As technology advances, it might be a good time to evaluate if there is a better, more economical way to deliver a 21st-century education, especially since the CDC is saying to prepare in light of expectations that coronavirus could have real consequences on society.
Dr. Nancy Messonier, Director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, says we ought to be ready for major disruptions in day-to-day life. She further said that parents ought to call their children’s schools to see if they have plans to continue educating kids if schools must close due to an outbreak.
It’s possible that Hong Kong may already have an educational model to consider.
Combination Home Schooling and Technology
In Hong Kong, education has quickly shifted to the home in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
For the last two months, 800,000 Hong Kong students have been utilizing digital learning from the safety of their homes. The population of Hong Kong is approximately 7.5 million people and, so far, they have reported 91 confirmed cases of the disease. The government closed schools on February 3 and said they will not re-open until it’s safe to do so.
According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s a sign of what may come to the United States if the virus spreads throughout the country.
As a result of the school closures, officials have done something they have been hesitant to do before — move exclusively to online learning. They may have suspended classes, but students have not stopped learning thanks to the evolution of technology.
Schools in US Preparing for Outbreak
According to the School Superintendents Association Executive Director Dan Domenech, technology does allow students in the US to stay home and pursue their education online.
Many school districts around the country have been deploying online learning in the event of a school closing due to weather. Thanks to their efforts in expanding learning opportunities outside of the classroom, they may be paving a path forward to a more economical system that can be tailored to meet the needs of each student.
The question is… will schools be open to considering evolving their education model long-term if it proves to be more successful than they believe it could be?
In an era of ever-increasing taxes to cover the costs of elegant school buildings, rising teacher salaries, and out-of-control pensions, technology may be the long-term key to finding significant taxpayer savings while preparing our kids for life in an ever-changing world.
~Here’s to Your Prosperity!
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