Schools of Thought 2021

Our Annual Education Guide Looks at Recent Trends in Santa Barbara Schooling

By Keith Hamm | November 18, 2021

While the struggle to educate our children throughout a pandemic has certainly been real, the storied and widely varied institutions and learning programs here in Santa Barbara have proved that they can adjust, pivot, and adapt.

Teachers are learning to teach differently, parents are learning a lot about their kids, and students are learning other ways to show up — some prefer a traditional classroom, others thrive remotely, and a growing number have found their niche in homeschooling and other paths of independent study. The formation of these silver linings has grown from the impacted classrooms, the figure-it-out-as-we-go Zoom rooms, and the ongoing dedication of our educators, now back on busy campuses as COVID-19 case numbers settle.

As with any upgrades in educational philosophy and approach, this year showcases lots of new thought. It also relies on time-tested approaches that simply needed a bit of adjustment to carry students and teachers through another challenging year.

This special section asked the issue’s sponsors about trends, topics, and signature educational programs,
from which editorial content was produced independently.