The Courage to Create Contemporary Schools

By Derek Bartels, Co-Founder, The EduShift Collective

As school leaders, we have a moral imperative to question the very purpose of education. Contemporary schooling not only prepares students for the future, but also affirms our inner strength, knowing that we are fulfilling our mission to be relevant educators.

There’s a growing awareness in education that to prepare young people for today’s world truly, our schools need to be different from those of the past. We need to move beyond traditional content delivery and test-driven success metrics and instead focus on developing the skills and dispositions that help learners thrive and flourish in real life.

But here’s the hard truth: building a genuinely contemporary school is harder than replicating traditional models.

It’s easier to stick with the familiar. Schools that rank well in standardised test scores or boast strong university placements are often seen as "successful" by default. Their structures are tried, their routines well-worn, and their reputations reassuring to parents and communities.

In contrast, schools that prioritise project-based learning, deep collaboration, student agency, empathy and authentic community engagement often face tougher journeys. They require shifts in mindset, culture, pedagogy, and leadership. They challenge inherited ideas of what school should look like.

And yet, it’s these contemporary schools that are doing the real work.

They are designing learning experiences that are relevant to today’s world. They are helping students develop empathy, creativity, adaptability, communication skills, critical thinking, and initiative, attributes our world urgently needs. They are not chasing old versions of success; they are redefining it.

So yes, it’s harder. But it’s also more meaningful. More enduring. And far more aligned with the world our learners are stepping into.

If we want education to matter, not just for test scores, but for life, we must be bold enough to create the schools that matter.