Transforming K12 into a more fully student-centered system is the wicked problem facing public schools, says Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

The future-focused research organization, which is based at Arizona State University, has been studying ways to build an education system that’s more resilient and flexible in the face of weather cancellations, disease outbreaks and other substantial disruptions that are becoming ever more common, Lake says on the latest episode of District Administration’s “Talking Out of School” podcast.

“How do we address the complexity of needs, not just the academic needs of kids, but mental health and the other skills for the 21st century?” Lake posits. “The challenge everybody runs into is how do you measure these things and still keep your eye on the core work of schooling, which is academic preparation. It’s tricky territory.”