What to Study to Save the World: Improving Education

There is perhaps nothing more impactful on a person’s life than their level of education. The saying “reading is fundamental” may be a cliche, but by their very nature, cliches are always true. Someone’s literacy level—that is, how well they read, write, communicate, and comprehend—directly correlates to their potential for personal growth, societal development, health and wellness, self-esteem, career, and the health of their relationships. And it’s not just reading and communicating that matters. 

A good education sharpens cognitive development through skills such as critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. Educated people tend to be healthier and make better life choices. They also tend to earn more over their lifetimes, with bachelor’s degree holders making 86% more on average than those with only a high school diploma. Being well-educated is crucial for anyone who plans to live a good life, which makes the latest trends in Western education and literacy particularly daunting. 

According to the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, “just 56 percent of American fourth-graders were performing on grade level in math [in 2023], down from 69 percent in 2019.” In 2022, one set of national test scores dropped to historic lows, “reversing two decades of progress in reading and math”. And there is also emerging a gender gap in education, with young girls outperforming young boys in nearly every metric. For every 100 girls who repeat kindergarten, 145 boys do the same. Similarly, third-grade girls are outperforming boys of the same age in reading and writing by nearly half a grade level. By the time girls reach the end of eighth grade, their literacy skills place them almost a full grade ahead of their male peers.  

Many factors influence these trends. Some point to the COVID-19 pandemic as the catastrophic catalyst for the decline in learning across the United States. In contrast, others blame damaging policies like No Child Left Behind or look to the notoriously low wages offered to teachers as the cause. Others still implicate decades-long patterns of cutting arts funding in public school districts nationwide. Regardless of the reasons, it’s clear that Western students aren’t getting what they need or deserve. And we need passionate and dedicated teachers now more than ever. 

A good teacher can make a lifelong impact on a student by boosting their confidence, inspiring their future careers, or just being a safe haven for a child in need. Teachers make the world go ‘round. However, for them to flourish in their roles, we need specialists who can critically examine the culture surrounding education, the quality of learning kids receive in the classroom, and the policies that affect teachers’ pay, school funding, and more. To improve education on a large scale and thereby improve the quality of life for millions, experts who can identify systemic issues and provide scalable solutions have to step up to the plate. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, here are several fields you can pursue as an undergraduate college student that’ll give you the foundation you need to save the world with education.

Education and Public Policy

Education Policy, or Education and Public Policy, is a multidisciplinary field that involves education leadership, policy analysis, and public policy. Students who pursue this track get to study how school systems are structured, funded, and regulated. They learn to analyze data, evaluate school outcomes, and draft policy recommendations that influence districts or state-level decisions. Fundamentally, education and public policy students seek to improve education on a societal scale by using their understanding of the historical context of education to reshape policies that impact curricula, school funding, and student success outcomes.

Those pursuing this field can either join a state or district policy internship while still in college or conduct research on school funding disparities. They can also contribute to think-tank reports as undergrads. Post-graduation, many with degrees in education policy go on to become policy analysts, legislative aides, and strategists for education nonprofit programs.

Learning Sciences/Educational Psychology

Learning Sciences (LS) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on how people learn via cognition, motivation, memory, and instructional design. LS experts explore what’s most important for people to learn and why, and they use their training across a variety of disciplines—including computer science, educational psychology, and anthropology, to name a few—to create more effective teaching methods and learning tools at scale.

College students enrolled in an LS program may participate in lab-based studies or test different teaching strategies in after-school programs. But in the real world, Learning Sciences graduates typically thrive in careers as EdTech learning designers, curriculum innovation leads, or academic researchers.

Instructional Design

If Learning Science is the study of how people learn, Instructional Design explores the practical applications of LS principles to create productive learning environments. Instructional designers analyze students’ learning needs by identifying knowledge gaps and goals. Then they design new learning experiences with clear outcome objectives in mind, develop the materials, and implement them on a systemic level. Afterwards, they evaluate the effectiveness of the programs they designed to pinpoint opportunities for improvement. 

You can’t be a good instructional designer without fully understanding the science of learning. So, students of Instructional Design develop methods to create scalable lesson plans, digital course materials, and assessments that maintain rigor while improving accessibility. In school, they may create open-source curriculum units, tutor in local schools and refine lessons based on feedback, or intern with an education publisher or EdTech company. After graduation, those with a degree in Instructional Design often become curriculum developers, instructional designers, or district-level academic coaches.

Education Technology (EdTech)

EdTech focuses on designing digital tools that improve access to learning, personalization, accessibility, and student engagement. Using hardware, software, and educational theory, Education Technology reshapes classrooms by integrating technology—laptops, tablets, artificial intelligence, and more—that’s designed to create a more engaging learning environment and improve student-teacher relationships. 

Students studying EdTech bridge coding, UX design, and pedagogy to create software that supports learners at scale. As part of their hands-on education, they build learning app prototypes, conduct small-scale usability studies, and collaborate with public school teachers to evaluate tool effectiveness. And to make a real impact on communities across the country, those with Education Technology degrees often pursue careers as EdTech product managers, learning app designers, and research engineers in AI-based tutoring systems.

While teachers are the backbone of our society, they aren’t in the position to make systemic decisions that positively impact them, their students, or their communities. They require well-trained, passionate advocates at the highest levels of government and industry to advance their needs and those of their districts. So, if you really want to save the world by improving education, consider pursuing these fields of study. The teachers in your community will thank you.