by Justin MacDonald, Head of Academy – The Academy at District Church
There aren’t many experts in the education space denying that the US is in the midst of an education crisis. A Google search produces results from a wide range of media sources detailing how the traditional school system is tragically failing students across the country.
But there also aren’t many experts acknowledging that the crisis in schools is triggering a more tragic crisis in the culture at large. Kids being educated in a woefully inadequate system are becoming young adults who are woefully ill-equipped to handle life in the real world.
Studies show that anxiety and depression among young adults in the US rose 63% from 2005 to 2017. From 2017 to 2021, clinical diagnoses of depression among youth and young adults rose by 60%.
And the rise of depression, while tragic, isn’t the worst of it. Between 2007 and 2021, the suicide rate for those between the ages of 10 and 24 increased by 62%.
If there’s a silver lining in all of this, it’s that improving the education available to students has the potential to do much more than simply improving test scores. By creating a better environment upstream where students learn life skills, we can create a better environment downstream for those students as they enter the adult world.
The hidden opportunity in the education crisis is the opportunity to reverse the trends in depression, anxiety, and suicide by giving students what they really need to thrive as adults. Entrepreneurs and small business leaders in the education sector who want to capitalize on this hidden opportunity should consider taking the following steps.
Be a part of market innovation
When the education crisis is brought up, education system reform is often proposed as a solution. But the problems plaguing the system persist despite decades of reform.
Rather than continuing to focus on reform, it’s time to rethink education. Entrepreneurs who make a lasting difference will be those focused on reshaping education rather than reforming it.
Becoming a market innovator begins with adopting a problem-oriented mindset. The problem with traditional models is their failure to prioritize interest, passion, and relevance. Develop a solution that brings those qualities into play, and it creates value that helps both students and tomorrow’s businesses gain a competitive edge.
Focusing on outcomes rather than output is also critical for value creation. Today’s students are drowning in a sea of resources that aren’t making a difference. Valuable innovations will inspire measurable changes in student behavior, leading to improved educational outcomes.
As solutions begin to take shape, stay agile. Ideate, test, assess, and adjust, always staying focused on the goal of providing students with tools that drive true learning and growth. Just as the business world was changed by the emergence of SaaS companies, the educational world will be changed through GaaS companies — those providing Growth as a Service.
Fuel student empowerment
In 2018, a Gallup poll revealed that only 5% of US adults felt that high school adequately prepared graduates for the workplace. Today, a more recent Gallup poll shows that 49% of Gen Z students don’t feel school is preparing them for the future. The lectures, lessons, and countless hours of homework they are subjected to are not empowering them. In fact, their anxiety levels seem to indicate it is only overwhelming them, despite ongoing education system reform.
Entrepreneurs who want to help reshape education should pursue innovations that enable students to excel in life, not just at school. They should empower students to become capable, confident, resilient, successful, happy people who love to learn, take risks, take ownership, and create a positive impact, rather than being helpless victims.
The best solutions will foster critical thinking, entrepreneurial problem-solving, and leadership skills. The goal should be equipping students to question deeply, reason clearly, and solve real-world problems.
Re-imagine how time is allocated to education
For entrepreneurs contemplating the launch of institutions rather than the creation of tools, making an impact will require re-imagining and re-engineering how to allocate time for learning. Traditional models with strictly regimented schedules designed solely for moving the masses about efficiently not only limit learning but also demoralize students. To date, attempts to reform the education system haven’t fixed the problem.
Student empowerment requires a new environment that inverts the age-old ways in which schools allocate time to tasks, activities, and exercises. When facilities and facilitators align with reallocation on a foundational level, they create a space where a new vision for learning can take root and grow.
Entrepreneurs who embrace this hidden opportunity in the US education crisis will do much more than fill a gap in the business world. By introducing innovative solutions, they can help address the ongoing decline in mental health affecting young adults.
We can predict without a doubt that the problem will only worsen for future generations if nothing changes. By going upstream and serving students better, we are reshaping the present and reclaiming the future.
Justin MacDonald is the Head of The Academy at District Church, where he leads a bold movement to reimagine K-12 education through a Christian, purpose-driven lens. With a background that spans award-winning classroom teaching, varsity coaching, and global leadership, Justin brings a rare blend of frontline experience and strategic vision to the future of school.