1: What Is Lost when Efficiency Is Gained?: Examining the Tension Between Efficiency-Driven Logics and Just, Sustainable Futures

This chapter argues that the assumptions of efficiency underpinning many contemporary practices in educational settings and broader societal frameworks, where efficiency is often celebrated for streamlining operations, reducing waste, and achieving more with less, are fundamentally flawed. It is crucial to acknowledge that these efficiency models can fail to address and even exacerbate the broader systemic issues that impede just and sustainable futures. Inspired by activist scholars, Indigenous thinkers, and techno-skeptics, we highlight the necessity of confronting and recognizing the inherent constraints and unsustainability of the current landscape in order to imagine otherwise. We argue that rupturing unquestioned efficiency across K-16 educational spaces is one way we can advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieve a just and sustainable world for all global citizens, outlining possible pedagogical invitations that bring students to engage with this critique.