During this recent COVID-19 pandemic, every facet of learning took turns. But before schooling turned to online and hybrid methods, issues of quality of equity were already in question, and equity being the distribution of learning, and how equality and fairly it is distributed. The article by Getting Smart explains how the switch to online formats led students and parents to search for other methods of learning to atop their previous education. The online switch prioritized technology as the main form of education, and the distribution of education visualized. The learning progress was similar to when the students had returned from month breaks. The lacking progress was observable by parents, as schooling from home was the new normal. Change was needed, and change came.

So what paths did these students take? They choose microschools. Microschools emerged in tailwind of the COVID-19 outbreak as programs emphasizing what was to be taught to these students. Simply put, microschools added another layer to students’ education, it didn’t replace it. A company named SchoolHouse saw immense amounts of funding in late 2020 as it stepped into the online education spotlight. Websites like Khan Academy saw record numbers of digital traffic throughout the pandemic. To no ones surprise, right? This surge of online education and other learning mediums seems to favor the transition to a fully online format, but it’s really benefitting the traditional system. It’s challenging the traditional system to do better, to incorporate trust, add more to the old system, and infuse more technology so that equity becomes the priority. The addition of technology will impact the generations to come by enabling students to help themselves rather than be only helped by those who’s job it is to teach.