In a short essay, I will examine the issues that plague education (e.g., achievement gaps, lack of learning materials, and access to learning) and how the COVID-19 pandemic brought them to the public's attention. I will share my experience teaching during the pandemic and note the importance of seizing the opportunity to correct the inequities that have long afflicted educational institutions. I will explain the challenges of adapting a standards-based curriculum to an online format and how we must use the pandemic as a time of rebirth for America's education system.