For 18 months, our definition and approach to school has been challenged and reimagined thanks to the pandemic. The word “Zoom” certainly has a new meaning for all of us, and we have found ways to adapt and keep pushing forward.

Now, with schools and offices reopening in person in the fall, many of us have had to re-learn how to be in the company of others again (in fact, 12th graders are the only class in our high schools today to know what it is like to be in school, in-person, for a full year). But thanks to the hard work of our educators, parents, and students to get everyone back to school this year, we’ve again proven how resilient we all are—and reminded how great it is to be together again.

Returning to classrooms this fall doesn’t mean reverting back to the “old way” of doing things. As many of us know too well, the “old way” was working for far too few of our young people. Instead, we are taking the lessons learned over the past year-and-a-half to better braid learning from work and school, forge stronger partnerships between educators and employers, and create a thriving, inclusive economy powered by our students.

Now let’s get to work.

Download October-2021-Newsletter-1.pdf