What is a sustainable model of schooling?

On Monday I attended  a Strategic Education Think Tank focussing on the topic:

"Are Current Models of Schooling Sustainable"

The session was organised by ACEL and iNET and this was my response to the question, which I hope may provoke some further discussion.

"I don’t believe there is just one perfect model to fit all. Having moved across from the a business/corporate background to higher Education and then K-12, I think there is a lot to be said to looking at current business models and reflecting on those that are succeeding (e.g. Amazon, Facebook) and those that are not (e.g. Harvey Norman, Borders & traditional retail stores)  

Best practice is to have flexible business models underpinning school structures that can adapt and respond to change quickly. Strategic planning becomes vital so that all stakeholders are focussed on achieving the same outcomes and can allow a faster response to adopting disruptive innovations (often via trial and error) before the competition, to keep ahead. Like most successful business models the key is to find a niche model, highlight your schools speciality and create something that cannot be easily replicated.

No one model can be called “sustainable” either, in the true sense of the word (the capacity to endure) in such a fast and ever-changing world, when you are considering environmental and economic factors as well as the social dimensions."

A great resource presented at the session was the website: Nova at  http://gsin.com.au/

NOVA comes to you from The Global Schools Innovation Network and takes you simply, quickly and directly to resources that will inform your own strategic thinking.