Vocies of Change: Let’s create a thriving learning ecosystem for students and communities.

By: Casie Leigh Lukes

As a parent that champions education, I’ve seen the gaps in our current education system and looked for creative learning solutions for my own kids. I’ve also seen what is possible when we embrace student-centered learning. It’s no secret that the education system in Minnesota needs an overhaul. Not every child can thrive sitting still in a chair for hours, participating in subject-focused learning with little time for application or reflection. Yet this is the system we continue to fund, measure, and reinforce.

The education system has become a complicated tangle that is structurally and financially tied to seat time: the number of hours a student spends in the classroom. This approach restricts the ability of educators to be flexible with learning styles and assess what kids actually know or can do. Instead of valuing how many hours a student sits in a classroom, perhaps we should be asking what kids are actually learning. What skills are they mastering? And how can they show us their mastery in different ways beyond taking a test.

Many parents are seeking alternatives beyond the traditional path. They are exploring homeschool, world school, outdoor school, hybrid models, online options, and philosophies like Montessori, Waldorf and more. While diverse in structure these approaches share a common thread — they center on holistic, hands-on learning that cultivates problem solving skills, creativity, and collaboration.  

Sometimes these models are out of reach for families and these choices shouldn’t be limited to only those who can afford access to alternatives. Every child deserves access to learning that excites them, challenges them, and helps them grow.

Thankfully innovation is already underway here in Minnesota. Schools like Spring Lake Park Schools, Pipestone Area Schools, Farmington Area Public Schools, Eastern Carver County Schools, Shakopee Area Schools, Minnesota Excellence in Learning Academy and Brightmont Academy are showing us what’s possible. These schools are reimagining what learning looks like—designing flexible learning environments and partnering to design real world learning experiences and curriculum.

It’s time to pause and take a long, hard look at the system that has been created, and decide as Minnesotans what success truly looks like for our learners. To create a thriving learning ecosystem in Minnesota, we need to believe that change is possible and understand that we all have a role to play in shaping it. These aren’t pie in the sky ideas, they are tangible and within reach. How do we know this? Because some schools and districts have already made the leap. And the more we support innovative approaches like these, the more they can grow.

The nonprofit KnowledgeWorks has been a powerful thought partner in this work. In their recent publication, Looking at What’s Ahead in Education, they explore how the future of learning could be shaped by more personalized and competency-based approaches. The ideas they propose are bold but possible: projects co-designed with the community, learning in and out of the school building, co-creating curriculum with industry partners, inclusive spaces for neurodiverse learners, earning credits for real world experiences and even student representatives on school boards.

Instead of pinpointing what’s wrong with education, let’s ask what’s next and be bold enough to build it.

The sky truly is the limit. As Minnesotans, I believe we can reach for it together as communities, families, educators, and learners.

This is about more than academics. It’s about preparing our children to be capable, confident, and compassionate people. It’s about building schools that better reflect the world we live in — diverse, ever-changing, and full of opportunity.

Casie Leigh Lukes is a Minnesota-based writer, editor, and owner of Cocoa&Champagne Custom Library Curations. She has three children.