The COVID-19 crisis poses a great challenge for all actors in the education and school context. There is a high level of appreciation and recognition by parents regarding schools as an institution and the work of teachers. The field of digitalisation is experiencing an enormous upswing. Learning with and through technology, as well as about technology, is in high demand. Requirements for distance learning and digitalisation are an opportunity for differentiation in teaching and learning. Blended learning concepts offer advantages for all actors in dealing with the pandemic in the longer term (and beyond). Overall, it can be assumed that children could drift further apart in their development. In other words, differences in quality will not only become more apparent, but they will increase over time, at all levels/among all actors: among students, the teachers or in the classroom and in schools as a whole. We argue that learning is more than simply acquiring information and learning lessons. It is also about motivational and, above all, emotional aspects. Looking ahead, we promote a specific strategy in advancing the school system, that is, the ISO strategy: innovate, sustain, optimise.