School Development in the Digital World: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Alternative Models of Leadership

Abstract

This paper combines results from a critical review of international research on school development and digitization with two case studies (US and Germany) illustrating two different approaches to digitization during the Covid-19 pandemic. The US example shows how a school benefitted from using flexible approaches in the classroom, while the German example points to the implementation of a more standardized solution. Research results demonstrate that the use of technology affects all areas of the school, including school management, culture, and access. Often innovative approaches at the classroom level are not implemented in a sustainable way. Communication and cooperation on the one hand and a focus on pedagogy and student-centered teaching formats on the other are key elements in this process.

Authors

• Bettina Waffner, University of Duisburg-Essen

• Annika Wilmers, DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education

• Joann Halpern, Hasso Plattner Institute

• David Di Gregorio, Tenafly High School

• Catrina John, Hasso Plattner Institute Potsdam