From Individual to Collective Logics of Thriving: Redesigning K–12 Learning Ecosystems to Support Equitable Civic Futures

Abstract

The concept of “thriving” in educational policy refers to a loosely defined mix of academic, socioemotional, and civic outcomes associated with youth well-being. In this chapter, we analyze three focus areas in K–12 education—social emotional learning, 21st-century skills, and digital citizenship—and conclude that they are currently built on an individualistic neoliberal paradigm of learning and success. We argue that this paradigm is incommensurate with the personal, social, and civic flourishing necessary to sustain equitable multiracial democratic futures and offer instead an alternative collective logic of thriving. Our critical metasynthesis of the emergent field of social-design-based experimentation offers design principles educators can use to reorganize collective learning environments to support expansive youth thriving in schools and society.