Imagine if, in education, “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them,” was true about schooling. The mood of society is practically mutiny against traditional schooling in its aspirations for something different. It is great that the mood of American K-12 schools is also generally one of innovation and model change for real, but to what? Are we understanding everything we need to about true structural shift? It’s an exciting time, but there are also boringly surface-level changes being made while being touted as significant.

In this Special Report there are a few essential tools for leaders to have in their arsenals on their way to becoming the choice school in their area. The foundations of a needed new perspective are covered in the “What’s Happening” article. Many of the points are supported by Learning Counsel’s annual national surveys, which in 2022 took over 7,000 responses, while others are supported by secondary research by our analysts. Points about the future structure of schools should be taken seriously because they are a reasoned extrapolation from all the vectors of change carving the canyon of inevitable direction.

Chris McMurray compiled a succinct overview of the new models arena to give readers clarity on the differences between the theories of education and the models and methods they will encounter in the “education-speak” world of K-12 leadership.

Finally, a short article on the key areas of marketing to consider for schools ends the Special Report, but by no means ends the needed discussion and exploration of the subject.