Why Are Schools Ignoring the Present?
What are students learning in school that is more important than understanding the world around them?
Image generated by the new ChatGPT4o image generator
Recently, in an end of the year survey of my debaters, a number of them remarked that they liked debate because they had a chance to learn about “current events” and were able study what is going on in the “real world'.”
I’m glad it helped them.
In the moment, we are arguably living through the fastest change in world history, and the world most students graduate into will look nothing like the one we are living in now.
These are just some of the changes.
Knowledge work. Knowledge work is being signficantly disrupted by AI, and this will hold true regardless of if or when we achieve “AGI.” Marketing, academic research, programming, legal work, financial forecasting, and writing/publication are already experiencing disruptions and these disruptions will grow substantially over the next year.
Public sector (US). Signficant efforts are being made to gut the public sector, especially in the US. This includes not only K-12 education, but disease research, disease prevention, disaster response, and, potentially even Social Security. Public funding for universities is also on the decline.
Almost everyone who has thought about the advance of AI has argued that people would need governmental social support as AI expanded, but that support, at least in the US, has declined.
Robotics. The development of humanoid robotics and other forms of robotics is advvancing repidly in China and the US. Sometime in 2026 we are likely to see more humanoid robots in the US. They are already visible in China. These robots will be more advanced than anything you see in the movies. Some predict as many as 10 billion robots by 2030. Robotics will automate millions of warehousing, distribution, and manufacturing jobs.
International relations. International relations are under extreme strain in today’s geopolitical climate. Earlier today, new tariffs were announced, escalating economic tensions and signaling a return to protectionist policies. Alongside these developments, implicit threats have been directed at Canada—one of the United States’ closest allies—adding friction to what has traditionally been a stable partnership.
Even more significant is the continuing rupture in U.S.-European relations. According to today's analysis in Ian Bremmer’s newsletter, the foundational alliance that has defined the post-Cold War era has completely fractured., as the US and Europe no longer have similar interests (deterring Russia, supporting democracy, trading).
The post-Cold War era—a period often characterized by relative global stability, liberal economic cooperation, and American-led internationalism—appears to be ending. This shift marks a critical moment for students of history: what they’ve studied as a stable "world order" is no longer the reality. We are entering a new and unpredictable phase in global affairs, where historical frameworks must be reexamined and new paradigms constructed.
Expansion of surveillance. There is a massive expansion of surveillance in both demoncrtic and non-democratic societies. And it’s not just being used to watch people but to make judgements about who may be engaging in anti-regime behavior.
Loss of democracy. Democracies have been in decline world-wide for at least a decade, but even democratic states are starting to experience non-democractic behaviors, with the expansion of executive power and threats to the judiciary.
Decline of human rights. As part of their history curriculum, students study the Declaration of Human rights, including the birth of international law and refugees protections. All of those protections have now collapsed, with many societies racing to expell all potential refugees and immigrants.
The strangeness of support for science. AI is enabling rapid scientific advances, including supporting AI development, but pubic sector support for science, at least in the US, is collapsing. Leading scientisits are now being recruited by China and many countries in Europe.
Rich-poor gap. The rich-poor gap is already enormous. AI and the collapse of the public sector will mangify this.
Changes in education. Support for the public ecducation sector is declining while AI continues to be more capable of teaching (the details of its abilities aside).
Rapidly advancing AI. This week’s advances in voice, imaging, and reasoning and research are enormous. These alone exceed the abilities of most people.
Health and biotechnology (beyond AI). While you touch on disease research funding, the advances in areas like genetic engineering (CRISPR), mRNA technology, and longevity research are also profound potential disruptors with huge ethical, social, and economic implications, interacting with AI but also distinct from it.
Rise of synthetic media and misinformation. AI-generated images, videos, and text are becoming indistinguishable from human-created content. This undermines trust in what we see and hear, and it challenges the very foundation of civic discourse, journalism, and even history.
Economic downturn. Adding to these geopolitical fractures is the growing likelihood of a severe economic recession. Warning signs are mounting: slowing growth, a collapse of public spending, tradewars, and potentially shooting wars. Unlike in past downturns, however, the US government isn’t going to use public spending to push us out of ti.
The erosion (collapse?) of traditional career paths. The “go to college, get a job, retire at 65” story no longer aligns with reality. Lifelong learning and skill reinvention are becoming essential—but students are rarely taught how to navigate this. Students will also need to become more self-sufficient, perhaps even being entrepreners as soon as they graduate.
The psychological/social Iimpact. Students are experiencing the psychological toll of this rapid change as it produces uncertainty combined with information overload, as well as anxiety and polarization.
Why isn’t talking to our students about all of this our first priority? What are they learning in school that is more important than understanding the world around them.
PS. Debate can help us.
How by supporting students efforts at
Navigating complexity and uncertainty.
Critically evaluating information (especially crucial with synthetic media).
Understanding multiple perspectives in a fractured world.
Constructing arguments and adapting frameworks when old ones collapse.
Developing resilience and adaptability in the face of constant change. This reinforces why debate is perhaps more valuable now, not just for knowing "facts," but for developing the cognitive tools to cope with this new reality.