It’s time to radically rethink education and the places where learning occurs.

It’s time to recognize that each and every learner is radically different in ability and interests, in hopes and dreams—and act upon that. Standardized anything should give us pause.

It’s time to stop talking about learning as a lifelong, cradle-to-crave endeavor—and act upon that too. It’s time to recognize that our world is never going to become any less complex and fluid, any less specialized and nuanced. In this still emerging new world of ours, school never ends. It can’t. Learning must be life-long, life-wide and life-deep.

In short, it’s time to conceive of—and deliver—education that recognizes the dignity and singularity of each learner and, to the fullest extent possible, caters to their specific needs and hopes, talents and dreams: Be it a 7-year-old with a learning disability and an interest in digital games or a 77-year-old Nobel laureate with an interest in Chinese art.

It’s time to think of school not as a singular place or experience, but many places and many experiences.

In fact, it’s time to think of each person as needing a school unto him or herself, each with the exact right teachers and curriculum, guidance and opportunities. We’ll soon have nine billion people on the planet, which means we should have nine billion schools.

Please sign this petition and join us and the Nine Billion Schools movement as we seek to take education to the next level, providing greater dignity and brighter futures to each and every learner. This will be giant step forward for all of humanity—all nine billion of us.