The pandemic is forcing all of us to reexamine long-held views on our two-century-old education system. Schools don’t match today’s culture or technology, as evidenced by the struggle adapting to at-home requirements mandated by governors. Yet people have access to new tools and, more than ever before, they have the power to transform their own lives and the lives of others — if we strip away the barriers that limit their possibilities.

We face challenges that are best addressed by shifting away from a top-down approach that sees people as problems to be solved and toward bottom-up solutions that empower everyone to realize their potential.