"Student Centered, Future Focused": Montour School District Designs Schools That Are Future Ready

Whether they are teaching multiplication facts with the video game Minecraft or exploring engineering concepts in a Lego-themed makerspace, educators in Pennsylvania's Montour School District always ask themselves, "Is this best for children?"--not just for today, but for the future students will face as adults. "Our entire school community, led by our superintendent and school board, really believes that they want what's best for children and that comes with understanding what is best for children now and in the future," explains Justin Aglio, Montour's director of K–4 academic achievement and K–12 innovation. "We know what we want our future to look like. We want a school where students are kind, where students are thinkers, where they have the advanced skills and strategies they need to achieve academically. You can't wish students will be kind five years from now, you have to design it."