How will this COVID-19 crisis change the world of teaching and learning? If it is conceivable to accept that the “experience of school” may never be the same, what could that future look like? How might school facilities and campuses adapt to support and enhance these new strategies?

These are just some of the questions we pondered as our PK-12 Education experts gathered to reflect on both the immediate challenges facing our schools and the future opportunities that might evolve the traditional educational experience.

As a result, we created this document to address the multitude of decisions that districts will be making this summer, as well as the long-term vision for the next several years, as PK-12 Education grapples with the challenges of a COVID-19 world. It is our hope that the thinking outlined in these pages creates inspiring, healthy, responsible environments for students, educators, and communities.

The emergence of COVID-19 has already changed the world in so many ways. Although our behavior has been modified, we have rapidly adapted to new ways of working, learning, and teaching. Our challenge is to leverage what we learn from this experience and shape it into solutions that provide a positive, impactful experience for teachers and students now and in the years to come.

Download a PDF of "Education, Learning, and Facilities in a COVID-19 World."

Thank you to National Office Furniture for including content from this publication in their comprehensive new research summary "Return to Learning," which focuses on how educational institutions are preparing to transition back to in-person learning.