When and where does school happen?
What does the physical space of schools and classrooms look like?
Are there desks? Are there rooms? Windows? Skylights? Is there a physical school building at all? What about technology - who should have what devices?
What time(s) of year do we go to school?
Year round? Summers off? Some combination of the two? What is best for students? Families? Teachers? Society?
What time of day do we go to school? (School time)
When should the school day begin? What time of day should it end? When do young adults learn best? What does the current school time structure allow for?
How is the school day divided up?
How long should class periods be? Should there be class period? Should there be bells? Should students go to every class every day?
What happens at school?
What subjects and ideas within subjects get taught (Curricular content of the school)?
What is important for students to know? What should be required? How much choice should there be? How important are “soft skills” like time management and character education?
What happens in (and out) of class?
What are teachers doing? How are students learning?
Is everyone in the same class? (Tracking)
Is it better to have a mix of students, with different skills and interests, in the same class? Or should we sort students into classes so that students in each class are more similar to each other?
How do students get prepared for careers by school? (Vocational education)
Should all students be prepared to go straight into college? Should students be prepared to work right out of high school? Do high schools have a responsibility to make sure students are ready to work?
How do we decide if a student is doing a good job? If a school is doing a good job?
How do you move on to the next grade? (Promotion/grade levels)
What does “passing” mean? Should students “pass” onto the next grade regardless of their performance in the previous grade?
How do we measure what students know? (Tests)
What is the best way to measure what students know and/or have learned?
How do we communicate what students know? (Grades)
What is the most effective way to communicate to students, parents, and other about student achievement in school?
How do we measure how well schools are doing? (Standardized testing)
What is the most effective way to communicate to students, parents, and others about how well schools are doing their jobs?