On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, the World Economic Forum named Prospect Schools as one of 16 Schools of the Future, a group of schools, school systems and programs selected for their critical role in preparing students to be successful and active members of the future global economy. One of only two schools chosen from the United States, Prospect Schools was recognized for the inclusive program and diverse-by-design model we employ to address the challenges of an economically and racially segregated school population in New York City and beyond.
To accompany this announcement, the World Economic Forum published a new white paper, Schools of the Future: Defining New Models of Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which “outlines a framework to define quality education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution – Education 4.0 – and shares key features from innovative education models.” Per the report’s findings, four key skill sets are rising in importance for today’s students: global citizenship; innovation and creativity; technology, and interpersonal skills. In order to foster them, it’s imperative that education models “shift towards radical new approaches to learning that are personalized and self-paced, accessible and inclusive, problem-based and collaborative as well as lifelong and student-driven.”
The report highlights several aspects of the Prospect Schools model that reflect such a shift in inclusive and accessible learning, pointing to our network’s use of a culturally-responsive curriculum, focus on global citizenship skills, and intentionally diverse hiring and admissions practices as methods we’re using to pushing the education envelope. Of the imperative to drive more accessible and inclusive learning around the world, the Forum’s report finds:
“As education continues to be a key driver of social mobility and well-being, learning systems must shift toward more accessible, and therefore more inclusive, methods to ensure access to opportunity for everyone. Without such a transformation, current trends risk further exacerbating inequality. Furthermore, increasing accessibility in learning today is a pathway for shaping diverse talent pools in the future. In increasingly innovation-driven economies, diverse talent will have positive implications for innovation and future growth.”
Prospect Schools is honored to be included in this impressive and exciting group of 16 schools that are pioneering the future of education around the world, reaching nearly 2.5 million children with new, innovative learning approaches that reflect the world we live in today and the world we’ll live in tomorrow.
