Workplaces and how people function within them have been undergoing radical change—and the pandemic has only accelerated those trends. Open offices, virtual meeting rooms, and co-working spaces are just a few innovations of the past 20 years, and we will undoubtedly encounter many more in years to come.

There’s a lot we don’t know, but we do know this: the workplace of the future will be more mobile and virtual and will make use of a much wider range of spaces. Schools can prepare students to navigate these environments by thinking more creatively about their own use of space, whether that means allowing students to spend class time outside the school building or retrofitting existing facilities to foster a different kind of learning.

How can school facilities be designed so students aren’t locked into an outdated paradigm? Many educators are thinking hard about how to utilize existing spaces more flexibly and safely—so how can we also make them more inspiring, collaborative, and student-centered? Can outdoor spaces, corporate campuses, universities, museums, and community centers be part of the learning experience?

Some of the most innovative uses of space connect deeply with a school’s mission or theme. Students at New Harmony High in New Orleans spend at least one day per week outdoors doing “leave to learn” environmental research or community projects that connect with the school’s focus on environmental issues like sustainability and coastal restoration. The design team had initially hoped to locate the school on a barge, and they held onto that inspiration even after the barge turned out to be impractical. At Tiger Ventures in Endicott, New York, the theme is entrepreneurship—so it makes perfect sense that students spend part of each week working with local business startups in the school’s co-located incubator space.

Crosstown High’s location inside the Crosstown Concourse—among 40 businesses, nonprofits, health facilities, civic groups, and more—gives students access to community partners under the same roof. Similarly, Grand Rapids Public Museum School is co-located with the Grand Rapids Public Museum and museum archives, whose collection of 250,000 cultural and historical artifacts is a rich learning resource for students.