The conversation captures the shifting energy of the summit, moving away from the peak of AI hype toward what Steve calls "optimistic skepticism" - a more mature look at how technology can practically transform learning while remaining grounded in the reality of its current limitations.

The discussion explores the potential of AI to revolutionize the K-12 experience, using examples like Austin’s Alpha School to show how personalized learning can compress the school day, allowing students more time to pursue their passions. Steve and Mike tackle the difficult questions of equity and the "risk capital" required to bring high-cost innovations to scale.

Then we pivot to the higher education landscape, where Steve emphasizes the need to dignify non-degree pathways. He shares insights from Virginia’s FastForward program, a pay-for-performance model that has successfully moved residents into high-demand fields through short-term credentials, proving that ROI isn't just a metric for four-year degrees.

As the conversation turns to the future of work, Steve expresses concern over the potential displacement of entry-level roles—the "desk jockey" jobs that traditionally provide young people with essential social capital and early career experience. He argues that our labor laws are antiquated and must evolve to support a more flexible, AI-driven workforce that favors 1099 and gig-based contributions. From the necessity of correcting AI’s erroneous outputs to the complexities of AI-driven hiring and the debate over universal basic income, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the policy and philanthropic shifts needed to ensure everyone can contribute to a changing economy.

Time Stamps

00:00 - Welcome to Trending in Ed Live from San Diego 01:00 - Steve Taylor’s roles at Stand Together, SCHEV, and NACIQI 02:00 - Moving from AI hype to "optimistic skepticism" 03:00 - Transforming K-12: The Alpha School model 05:00 - The role of risk capital and philanthropy in scaling tech 08:00 - Dignifying non-degree pathways and the ROI of trades 09:30 - Virginia’s "Fast Forward" and the success of short-term credentials 12:00 - Why states shouldn't let federal funding dictate workforce design 13:30 - AI skepticism: Correcting outputs and the "mid" floor 16:00 - The risk of losing entry-level career experiences 18:00 - Social capital and the "future of working" 20:30 - Why federal labor law must catch up to the 1099 economy 22:30 - Thoughts on AI adjustment assistance vs. UBI 23:30 - Closing thoughts and where to find Stand Together

To keep up with the latest in the world of learning, make sure to Follow, Like, and Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts.

The conversation dives into the "secret sauce" of Inside Track: a potent mix of technology and deep human connection. Ruth explains how coaching supports the entire student journey, from first-time enrollment to the critical "some college, no degree" population. With more than 40 million Americans in that category, the stakes for economic mobility never felt higher.

They tackle the AI elephant in the room with a grounded perspective. While AI handles midnight brainstorming and routine "nudges," humans remain the essential partners for navigating the mountains of the student experience. Ruth argues that coaching doesn't just get a student through a semester—it teaches them to coach themselves through a shifting, tumultuous job market 🌊.

The episode wraps with a look at student parents and the generational impact of quality childcare and flexible scheduling. Ruth and Mike trade thoughts on the "60-year curriculum" and why critical thinking remains the ultimate durable skill in an era of rapid automation. It is a refreshing, optimistic take on how education can still deliver on the promise of social mobility 🤖.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed to never miss an episode like this one. Want to record pods at a conference? Contact Mike to learn more.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to San Diego and ASU+GSV

01:00 Ruth’s journey from English major to President

03:15 The mission and "secret sauce" of Inside Track

04:00 Re-enrolling the 40 million Americans with no degree

07:00 The evolution of coaching and academic advising

08:30 AI as a complementary tool for student success

11:00 The "invisible infrastructure" of community colleges

13:30 Helping Gen Z convert internships into careers

16:30 Why critical thinking beats specific job training

18:30 Supporting student parents for generational change

20:30 Final thoughts on hope and innovation in education

Karl shares his unique path to leadership, which began with chasing a girl to Australia and starting a digital Q&A service for children museums during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This early taste of working through the system to help students sparked an entrepreneurial journey that led him to found LearnPlatform in 2014, where he pioneered rapid cycle evaluation to determine if EdTech tools actually work. Now, after LearnPlatform’s acquisition by Instructure, Karl is focusing his energy on a 20-year-old organization dedicated to the science of reading.

The conversation highlights the "Mississippi Marathon," a state-level commitment to literacy that saw improvements in reading lead to even higher gains in math and science. Karl points out that while many schools of education have historically failed to teach the science of reading, organizations like RGR are filling that gap by giving teachers the confidence and tools to deliver results.

A major theme of this live session is the shift toward outcomes-based contracting. Karl argues that instead of just selling books or assessments, providers should be held accountable for whether students actually learn to read. He also addresses the role of AI in the classroom, drawing on his experience chairing the Industry Council for EdSafe AI to discuss how technology can provide universal screeners and personalization without succumbing to "cognitive offloading".

With the goal of taking schools from low proficiency to 75% in just two years, this episode is a call to action for the industry to prioritize literacy outcomes over mere tools. Stay tuned to the feed as we continue to ship more episodes from San Diego all week!

Episode Time Stamps

[00:00] Introduction to Karl Rectanus live at the harbor terrace [01:00] Chasing a girl to Australia and the origin of the entrepreneurial bug [02:00] Answering Olympic questions for kids museums at a fourth-grade level [03:00] Building LearnPlatform for rapid cycle evaluation of EdTech [04:00] Stepping into the CEO role at Really Great Reading [05:00] The "last infinite mile" of implementation and practice [06:00] Foundational skills building for pre-K through adolescence [07:00] Moving from the "Mississippi Miracle" to the "Mississippi Marathon" [08:00] Why many schools of education don't teach the Science of Reading [09:00] Literacy as the enabling factor for math and science success [10:00] Transitioning to a dedicated literacy outcomes organization [11:00] The "plumbing" of the system and procurement challenges [12:00] Playful learning and why students love RGR more than field trips [13:00] Safe and effective AI with the EdSafe AI Industry Council [14:00] Leveraging AI for operational efficiency and better execution [15:00] Using AI for universal screeners and real-time personalization [16:00] Addressing the crisis where two-thirds of students are below grade level [17:00] The boldness of holding providers accountable for reading results [18:00] Why the real work happens after the curriculum adoption [19:00] Managing complicated schools with high poverty and teacher shortages [20:00] Rapidly scaling reading proficiency in turnaround school districts [21:00] Prioritizing literacy to improve every facet of the system

Jeremy shares candid insights from his 13-year tenure, detailing how the College Board moved from a culture of slow stability to one of lean, COVID-tested responsiveness and agility. The two discuss the "seismic impact" of generative AI on assessment integrity, the dangers of AI slop in professional work, and highlights from Jeremy’s early conversations with heavy hitters like Sal Khan and Daniel Willingham. From the "last infinite mile" of implementation to the necessity of statistical literacy, this live conversation captures the high-stakes evolution of modern learning.

🔔 Subscribe to The Education Equation to hear Jeremy break down the data behind educational success with researchers and global leaders.

🎧 Subscribe to Trending in Education for more high-energy, on-the-ground insights from the biggest stages in edtech and the future of learning.

📩 Connect with Mike Palmer on LinkedIn if you want to harness this kind of live energy for your own professional podcast or media program.

Timestamps:

🕙 00:00:00 — Introduction: Live energy from the Harbor Terrace at ASU+GSV.

🕙 00:01:13 — Jeremy Singer’s journey: 25 years at the intersection of tech and learning.

🕙 00:02:40 — Cultural Shift: How the College Board built a "muscle of speed" during the pandemic.

🕙 00:05:54 — The AI Seismic Impact: Navigating the future of content, teaching, and assessment.

🕙 00:09:05 — Organizational Innovation: Deploying LLMs to 2,000 employees to raise the floor.

🕙 00:11:55 — The Education Equation: Bringing scientific rigor to the "what works" database.

🕙 00:15:30 — Implementation Fidelity: Why the "last infinite mile" is where progress happens.

🕙 00:18:50 — Lightning Round: Ditching "learning styles" and the power of AP Statistics.

🕙 00:22:00 — Looking Ahead: Fighting for authenticity in the age of social media and AI.

The conversation moves past the usual AI hype to focus on human capital and accountability. Justin Serrano introduces the "outcomes economy," describing a shift in procurement where school districts move away from buying software and toward outcomes-based contracting that holds providers accountable for student results. AJ Gutierrez highlights the continued efficacy of high-impact tutoring, noting that regular personalization within the school day remains one of the most rigorously evaluated and successful approaches to K-12 recovery.

Jasmine Maze provides a necessary critique of AI as a simple productivity engine. She argues for a focus on "teacher efficiency," which means using technology to remove administrative friction and "buy back" time for the relational, human work of mentoring and master design. Mike Palmer rounds out the discussion with a call for "strategic optimism" and the importance of "unplugging" to maintain internal dialogue in an age of digital distraction.

Key Takeaways:

• The Outcomes Economy: State departments are increasingly adopting contracts where up to 40% of payment is tied to intended student outcomes.

• Redefining Efficiency: Efficiency in education should mean making more time for the masterwork of human connection rather than just pressuring teachers to do more with less.

• Productive Distrust: As "AI slop" and mediocre content become ubiquitous, learners must develop "productive distrust," a form of critical media literacy that uses skepticism to verify sources and cross-reference information.

• Interoperability Standards: Initiatives like Project Unicorn and the EdSafe Alliance are essential for creating ethical, secure, and evidence-based standards for AI implementation in schools.

Why Listen?This episode offers a front-row seat to the debate over the purpose of K-12 education in an automated world. The panel discusses why "play" is a critical sandbox for solving complex problems and how global perspectives—from France to Ukraine—can help educators scale best practices across different contexts.

Subscribe to Trending in Education to stay ahead of the curve for the future of learning.

Time Stamps:

[00:00] Intro: SXSW EDU 2026 and podcast history [03:11] Meet the Panelists: Littera, Reinvention Lab, and EOS [07:09] Justin's Trends: The Outcomes Economy and SaaS Disruption [10:04] Defining High-Impact Tutoring with AJ Gutierrez [15:54] Jasmine on AI: Teacher Efficiency vs. Automation Culture [18:48] Mike's Trends: Strategic Optimism and the Vibe of 2026 [25:56] Navigating "Productive Distrust" and AI Slop [32:41] Audience Q&A: Teaching AI Literacy and the Role of Play [43:08] Global Perspectives and the Importance of Manual Work [44:42] Closing: AI as a "Fifth Element" and Thinking Partner

Jeff brings a unique perspective shaped by 18 years at a global firm and a career spent managing issues across the world, from Seoul to London . His deep dive into higher education began with the reputational recovery of Penn State after the Jerry Sandusky crisis, a "trial by fire" that revealed how techniques from global world crises could be adapted to the university setting .

In an era of hyper-connectivity and a "nanosecond news cycle," Jeff argues that the old ways of managing a narrative are gone . He breaks down his book, Brand Under Fire, and a new playbook centered on five core principles: Authenticity, Transparency, Speed, Agility, and Creativity . We explore how leaders can move from a reactive stance to a "culture of readiness" . Jeff explains the mechanics of modern crisis prep, including "issues heat maps" to track percolating risks like labor strikes or political protests and high-intensity simulations that use AI to recreate the pressure of a breaking news story .

Beyond the technicalities, this conversation touches on the human element of leadership. Jeff shares why university presidents must sometimes step out of their administrative roles to communicate with the empathy of a parent, especially during campus tragedies . Using a "cockpit analogy" regarding flight delays, he illustrates how proactive, honest communication can build loyalty even when the news is bad .

Finally, Jeff discusses his work in the classroom, where he brings the "boardroom into the classroom" to help students navigate an AI-reshaped landscape and combat the "chilling effect" on open dialogue .

If you found this episode helpful, please like, follow, and share it wherever you get your podcasts to help us keep these critical conversations going. 📢🛡️🎓

Timestamps

🕰️ 00:00 — Welcome and Jeff Hunt's global origin story

🕰️ 02:03 — Lessons from the Penn State recovery

🕰️ 04:36 — How digital media changed the game

🕰️ 06:05 — The Five Principles: Authenticity and Transparency

🕰️ 07:45 — Speed, Agility, and filling the narrative vacuum

🕰️ 11:10 — The role of Creativity in crisis management

🕰️ 13:30 — Communicating during tragedy: The power of video and voice

🕰️ 16:20 — Vulnerability assessments and issues heat maps

🕰️ 20:10 — Simulations and Tabletops: Testing the team under pressure

🕰️ 24:10 — The Cockpit Analogy: Building loyalty through transparency

🕰️ 27:30 — AI and the future of open debate in the classroom

The conversation begins with a look at the trends submitted by AJ Gutierrez of Equal Opportunity Schools. AJ highlights the pressing issue of chronic absenteeism in K-12 and the need for work pathway alignment. He also makes a strong case for high-impact tutoring and the responsible integration of AI to keep humanity at the center of the classroom.

Next, the duo dives into insights from Jasmine Maze and Sunanna Chand of Teach For America's Reinvention Lab. We discuss teacher efficiency not just as an operational goal, but as a relational unlock. This segment covers the rise of vibe coding, the creepy nature of the uncanny valley in AI slop, and why experimentation and play are essential for preparing learners for a rapidly changing future.

Justin Serrano, CEO of Littera Education, contributes a clear-eyed look at the outcomes economy. He discusses the shift toward evidence-based contracting and the concept of human-AI interoperability, or the "Canny Centaur." Justin also warns of SaaS disruption in the EdTech space and advocates for a mindset of productive distrust.

Finally, Mike shares his own trends, including strategic optimism and gentelligence. He warns of ensloppification across digital platforms and explains why unplugging is a vital restorative practice in an age of constant noise. The episode culminates in the big reveal of the Final Four trends that listeners can now vote on to determine the ultimate winner for 2026.

TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Introduction and SXSW EDU history 03:00 - The future of knowledge work and human-AI collaboration 04:00 - AJ Gutierrez on absenteeism and high-impact tutoring 11:00 - Jasmine Maze and Sunanna Chand on vibe coding and teacher efficiency 21:00 - Justin Serrano on the outcomes economy and SaaS disruption 29:00 - Mike Palmer on strategic optimism, unplugging, and gentelligence 39:00 - The Big Reveal: Announcing the Final Four trends 45:00 - 750th episode milestone and closing remarks

VOTE IN THE POLLS

Help us name the winning trend for 2026! Follow Mike Palmer on LinkedIn to find the latest polls and cast your vote for the Final Four.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/palmer-mike/

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts or find us on YouTube to join the conversation and help us continue to make the future more evenly distributed.

Today, ParentSquare serves over 22 million student families, providing a unified platform where everyone from the principal and teachers to the nurse and the librarian can speak with one voice . We dive into how technology can foster authentic human connection rather than just "checking a box," moving toward a positive school climate that supports every student.

Key Takeaways:

🏫 The Unification of Stakeholders: Why it is essential for every department—from transportation to the school office—to come together on one trusted source for families .

📉 Addressing Chronic Absenteeism: Moving away from punitive compliance letters toward catching issues early and building a human-level sense of belonging .

🤖 AI as a Bridge, Not a Barrier: Leveraging AI for context-aware translation, gender-neutrality, and helping teachers craft messages that feel personal and authentic .

📱 Navigating Cell Phone Bans: How schools can use school-issued devices and ParentSquare to keep families coordinated without the negative impact of social media .

Anu concludes by emphasizing the importance of building a "circle of love" around every child. When parents and schools work together effectively, the student knows it and feels it, which is when they truly begin to prosper.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve in the world of learning. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and Anu’s Origin Story

05:55 - The Evolution of School Communication Tools

10:52 - Addressing Chronic Absenteeism through Connection

17:35 - AI, Contextual Translation, and Authenticity

21:42 - Navigating Cell Phone Bans and Family Messaging

28:38 - The Future of AI and Human Connection

Ted shares his journey from the world of high-tech innovation to becoming a "code red" alarmed citizen advocate for radical school change. We dive into how high-stakes exams are inadvertently training students to compete with AI in areas where computers are unbeatable, while ignoring the creative and conceptual math, like probability, decision-making frameworks, and estimation, that actually shapes lives.

From Moneyball statistics to the dangers of misinterpreting healthcare data, Ted explains why math should be a tool for empowerment rather than a metric for punishment. We also take a "lightning round" trip through Ted’s prolific career, including his work with the late Sir Ken Robinson and his influential documentaries Most Likely to Succeed and Multiple Choice.

Whether you’re a parent trying to preserve your child’s curiosity or an educator looking for a more relevant curriculum, this conversation offers a refreshing and urgent blueprint for what school could be. 📉💡

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve in the world of learning. 🔔

Time Stamps

00:00 - Introduction: Why Math Should Turn You On 🎙️ 00:41 - Ted’s Origin Story: From Carpentry to Venture Capital 02:18 - The Middle School Note That Changed Everything 04:02 - Making the Film "Most Likely to Succeed" 05:14 - Why AI Makes Most School Math Obsolete 07:03 - Previewing "Aftermath": Math for Decision Making 11:00 - The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Iraqi War Predictions 12:45 - Why 90% of Doctors Misunderstand Test Results 🏥 15:35 - Teaching High Schoolers Decision Frameworks 18:14 - The Art of Mathematical Modeling 21:30 - Math as a Tool for Ranking, Sorting, and Punishing 25:15 - Can We Trust Economic Numbers? (The Estimation Problem) 28:43 - Moneyball and the Power of Creative Statistics ⚾ 34:10 - Lightning Round: Sir Ken Robinson and New Documentaries 39:53 - Advice for Families: Preserving Curiosity and Audacity 41:43 - Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Ted’s Work

What if the "Black Mirror" version of the future is wrong? In this episode, Mike Palmer talks with Chris Bradley, Senior Partner at McKinsey and Director of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), about his new book, A Century of Plenty: A Story of Progress for Generations to Come.

Chris breaks down the "Machine of Progress" and explains why a "strategic optimism" mindset is essential for navigating the next century. We explore a future where global prosperity could reach Swiss standards, the radical shifts in our demographics, and why AI might actually make us more human.

Key Takeaways:

🌟 The Power of Strategic Optimism: Why historical data shows that humanity’s "fingerprint" is progress, not scarcity.

🇨🇭 The Swiss Benchmark: A thought experiment on whether the global economy can grow 8.5x to ensure every person on Earth lives as well as the Swiss do today.

📉 The Demographic Cliff: How shrinking birth rates in countries like China and South Korea are making productivity growth a "do or die" necessity for our social systems.

🤖 AI as an Augmentation Tool: Why the highest employment growth is happening in the most AI-exposed fields and how "The O-Ring Theory" explains the rising value of human judgment.

🎓 Reimagining Education: A provocative look at why the education sector has seen high inflation but low innovation, and how AI tutors could ensure "no child is left behind".

🍎 The Non-Zero-Sum World: Moving past the "Petri dish" mindset to understand how resources like energy and capital can expand to meet global needs.

Key Resources:

📘 Book: A Century of Plenty: A Story of Progress for Generations to Come.

📊 MGI Report: Agents, Robots, and Us.

🏒 Chris’s Previous Bestseller: Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Don't miss insightful conversations like this one.

Kayla shares her journey from museum curator to the mastermind behind the conference's "impeccable vibes," offering a deep dive into the trends shaping the 2026 program.

What we covered:

🌵 The Great Austin Reset: How the Convention Center renovation forced a move to a more grassroots, decentralized footprint that puts the city of Austin front and center. 🎙️ Podcast Stage Expansion: We’re growing to 16 podcasts this year—come catch Trending in Ed live to kick things off on Monday morning. 🎓 Elevating Student Voices: From student-led journalism to the "Student Changemakers Hub," the next generation is finally getting the mic. 🤖 Wading Through the AI Slop: A candid look at "AI fatigue," the impact of LLMs on human neurology, and why human curation matters more than ever. 🤝 Crossover Day: Everything you need to know about the historic convergence of SXSW EDU and the main SXSW conference on March 12th.

Join us live at the podcast stage in Austin on March 9th at 9:00 AM Central to start the week right!

Keep Trending with Us: If you want to stay ahead of the curve in the world of learning, make sure to subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Follow our YouTube channel for weekly deep dives into the future of education.

Timestamps:

00:00 🎙️ Kicking off the SXSW EDU 2026 Preview 02:14 🏛️ From Museum Curator to Programming Manager 07:44 📻 The Evolution of the SXSW EDU Podcast Stage 12:51 🏙️ What’s New: A Decentralized Austin Footprint 17:45 ☕ Designing for Serendipity and "Clubhouses" 20:00 🗣️ Spotlighting Student Voice and Agency 22:38 🧠 AI Slop, Brain Rot, and Human-Centered Literacy 33:50 🛠️ Workforce Readiness and AI Implementation 43:24 🎸 Crossover Day: Where Education and Tech Meet 45:00 👋 See You in Austin on March 9th!

The conversation dives into the Technovation accelerator model, a three-month program for girls and young women ages 8 to 24. Tara explains how the program empowers students to identify real-world problems in their communities and build tech-based startups to solve them. We discuss the importance of fostering a problem-solving mindset, the critical role of human mentorship in an AI-driven world, and why the "personalized learning" trend might be too narrow a lens for the future of education.

Key Insights:

💡 Early Intervention: Why we shouldn’t underestimate children's ability to tackle complex community problems as early as age eight.

🤖 AI as a Teammate: How Technovation’s "AI in Action" curriculum uses artificial intelligence as a brainstorming partner and subject matter expert for student teams.

🌍 Global Innovation: Stories of impact from 120 countries, including an alumna whose AI startup was acquired at age 19 and a student in India tracking environmental health through bird songs.

🏗️ Resilient Skills: Shifting the focus from simple AI literacy to building durable skills like user research, business planning, and civic responsibility.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Tara Chklovski and Technovation 01:00 - Tara’s origin story: From India to aerospace engineering 03:15 - The mission to unlock human potential through STEM 04:20 - Breaking down the Technovation accelerator model 07:15 - Why educators should be early adopters of new tech 10:45 - Addressing the gender gap in technical careers 15:30 - The "AI in Action" curriculum and free resources 21:30 - How AI elevates project-based learning in classrooms 24:30 - The three functions of modern schools 31:00 - Concerns regarding "personalized learning" bandwagons 35:45 - A call to action for the current Technovation season

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts—you don’t want to miss conversations like this one. To learn more about the program or access the free curriculum, visit technovation.org.

Host Mike Palmer is joined by Steven Puri, founder and CEO of The Sukha Company. Before building tools for deep work, Puri was a senior executive at major motion picture studios, overseeing production on blockbusters like Independence Day and Braveheart, and managing franchises like Die Hard and Wolverine. He shares how the same rigorous focus required to produce massive films can be applied to modern productivity through the concept of Flow—a state popularized by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

The conversation delves into the "tug of war" for our attention, where trillion-dollar companies utilize behavioral psychology to keep us distracted. Puri breaks down actionable strategies to push past "human slop" and rote activity, moving instead toward meaningful "deep work" that survives the rise of generative AI.

Key Insights:

🎬 The Fellowship of Work: Why creators like Roland Emmerich and Steven Spielberg intentionally utilize specific physical environments—from luxury villas to hotel rooms—to trigger the mental states necessary for creativity.

📈 The Chronotype Hack: A simple, free technique for mapping your energy levels using a grid and a pencil to align your most difficult tasks with your brain's peak performance times.

🌊 Flow Conditions: Understanding why meaningful feedback, clear goals, and a balance of challenge and skill are essential for reaching "the zone".

🤖 AI and the Human Domain: Identifying why rote, algorithmic jobs are at risk of being replaced and how to cultivate the high-level strategy and visionary creativity that remains uniquely human.

Don't go to your grave with your best work still inside you. Join us for a deep dive into the habits of high performers and the future of human output. 🚀

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome to Trending in Education 01:10 From Blockbusters to Startups: Steven Puri's Origin Story 05:15 The Digital Shift: When Hollywood Met Engineering 08:25 Lessons from the Studio: Managing Die Hard and Wolverine 11:00 The Sukha Company: Designing for Happiness and Focus 13:10 The War for Attention vs. Trillion-Dollar Companies 17:45 Defining the Flow State: The Legacy of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 22:50 Deep Work in the Age of Generative AI 28:45 Mental Hacks: The Relationship Between Place and Productivity 31:40 Chronotypes: Aligning Your Biological Clock with Your Career 36:00 Closing Thoughts: Getting the Greatness Out of You

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve.

Dr. Herring shares her perspective on the "problem of practice" facing education today: the critical need for a leadership pipeline that can bridge the gap between traditional instruction and the rapidly shifting needs of the modern workforce. She discusses the "invisible culture" of leading remote districts, the importance of upskilling educators in the age of AI, and why she believes standardized testing is a relic of the past. This conversation is a call to action for "FIRE"—Fearless Innovation Reimagined Education—challenging leaders to stop being afraid of the future and start co-creating it alongside their students.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to leadership transformation in K-12 01:03 - Dr. Lisa Herring’s career journey from classroom teacher to CEO 03:52 - The mission and impact of New Leaders in developing school principals 06:17 - Addressing the leadership pipeline and teacher shortage crisis 08:50 - The evolution of the principalship: Moving beyond the "old school" model 10:48 - Leading Atlanta Public Schools through the 2020 pandemic 17:11 - Education as workforce development and the role of upskilling 22:24 - How generative AI is reshaping instruction and administrative work 26:47 - Rethinking school structures and mastery-based learning 28:38 - Rapid-fire takes on standardized testing and the four-day school week 30:37 - Closing thoughts on "FIRE": Fearless Innovation Reimagined Education

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation like this one.

We explore why 70% of students in the U.S. are not reading proficiently and how early identification of dyslexia—starting as early as kindergarten—can change the trajectory of a child’s life. We also explore the "last infinite mile" of education: the gap between groundbreaking research and actual classroom practice. The devil is in the details.

Dr. Ola shares her journey from evaluating reading curricula to using fMRI and machine learning to predict learning difficulties. We also tackle the massive shift toward AI-driven tutoring and the evidence-based AI movement. Are we rushing into a multi-billion dollar tech bandwagon without proof of what actually works? Ola makes a compelling case for why we must demand rigorous evidence before putting new tools in the hands of students. Learn more about her work launching a Research-Based Accelerator here.📚

Whether you are a parent, educator, or an EdTech founder, this conversation is a must-listen to understand how we can leverage learning science, research, and emerging technology to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss out on a conversation like this one. 🔔

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Introduction to Dr. Ola Ozernov-Palchik 1:11 - Journey from Philosophy to Reading Research 2:22 - Looking "Under the Hood": Transitioning to Neuroscience 3:33 - How the Brain Learns to Read and the Reality of Neuroplasticity 4:42 - Pivoting to Online Research and Global Scalability 6:45 - The Power of Peer Tutoring and Data-Driven Support 8:33 - The Science of Reading and the Implementation Gap 10:46 - Early Identification: Screening for Dyslexia in Kindergarten 13:59 - Breaking Down Phonological Awareness vs. Comprehension 19:11 - Explicit Instruction: Why Reading Isn't a Natural Process 22:25 - Debunking Myths: Strength-Based Approaches vs. Literacy Support 27:32 - AI as the New Frontier: Promise and Pitfalls 31:30 - Building Speech-to-Speech Avatars for Early Learners 35:34 - The Evidence Crisis in Educational Technology 39:35 - BU’s Evidence-Based AI for Learning Initiative 44:12 - The Future of Literacy and Policy Guardrails 46:31 - Final Thoughts: Advocating for Science in Education

Andrew shares his winding career path from tutoring in Detroit to directing Scratch at MIT and serving on the board of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The conversation dives into LEGO Education’s new Computer Science and AI curriculum, a hands-on, privacy-first platform designed for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. 🧱

They discuss moving beyond screen-based learning to collaborative, physical experiences—like building a dancing robot owl to understand machine learning. Andrew explains why we should stop teaching kids to just tread water with AI tools and start helping them understand the "black box" through first principles like data, probability, and bias. 🤖

Whether you are an educator or a parent, this episode offers a unique look at how "learning through play" prepares children to be the architects of the future. 🎓

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Introduction: A Big Day for LEGO Education 1:15 - Andrew’s Journey: From Detroit Classrooms to MIT Scratch 2:55 - The Legacy of Mindstorms and the Genesis of AI at LEGO 4:45 - Launching the New K-8 Computer Science & AI Curriculum 6:10 - Learning Through Play: Only the Best is Good Enough 9:15 - Shifting AI Literacy from "Use" to "Understanding" 11:40 - Collaboration vs. "Maze Solvers": The Power of Hands-On Teams 14:30 - Children as Role Models: Learning from the Next Generation 17:30 - Vocational vs. Defensive Perspectives on AI Education 22:15 - Passing the "Substitute Teacher Test" 24:00 - Dancing Owls & Machine Learning: Cool Things You Can Build 25:50 - Screen-Free Tech: Starting AI Concepts in Kindergarten 29:20 - Solving the Privacy Puzzle: Local Data & No Accounts 36:30 - Durable Skills: Data, Statistics, and Probability 39:30 - Closing Thoughts: Handing Kids a Screwdriver for the Black Box

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The episode also explores the rise of "Generation Tool Belt", characterized by a growing interest in skilled trades as young people seek paths that feel more insulated from the knowledge-economy's disruption. This surge in interest has led to waiting lists for community college trade programs, highlighting the importance of reinvesting in this often-overlooked localized infrastructure. In healthcare, the discussion focuses on the frontline workforce, such as certified nursing assistants, and the systemic challenges involved in providing these workers with clear career pathing and opportunities for growth.

Looking forward into the 2026 midterm cycle, the conversation touches on high-stakes experiments like Bloomberg Philanthropies' healthcare high schools and the potential expansion of federal Pell Grants to cover short-term credentials. We also examine how massive federal investments in defense and infrastructure might be leveraged to expand job training across the country. Ultimately, we hit on the dignity of work as a rare point of bipartisan priority and the potential to reframe job training as essential infrastructure for economic development.

Don't miss this deep dive into shifts in workforce development with the journalist with his finger on the pulse in the transformations in the sector.

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Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction to Paul Fain and the origin of Work Shift. 03:30 - Education and the workforce as a high-profile issue for policymakers. 07:45 - The reporting gap for non-degree workers and non-college paths. 11:30 - Generation Tool Belt: Resurgence of interest in skilled trades. 16:00 - Evaluating the real impact of AI on the current labor market. 21:50 - Community colleges as the localized front lines of retraining. 28:40 - The frontline healthcare crisis and the role of certified nursing assistants. 34:45 - Bloomberg’s healthcare high schools and private sector innovation. 39:20 - 2026 Outlook: Short-term Pell grants and apprenticeship funding. 44:00 - Reframing job training as economic infrastructure and the dignity of work

This special episode is made possible by our sponsors: CareerWise, a leader in high-quality modern youth apprenticeship systems, and PAYA (Partnership for the Advancement of Youth Apprenticeship), a collaborative initiative assisting partners in developing robust apprenticeship programs across the U.S..

Host Mike Palmer is joined by three experts to discuss the intersection of emerging technology, educational equity, and early career development:

Key Takeaways:

Beyond Academic Integrity: While cheating remains a concern, the conversation is shifting toward AI literacy as an essential learning outcome to prepare students for an AI-integrated workforce.

The "Calculus" of Cheating: In high-stakes environments, students often feel a competitive disadvantage if they don't use AI.

Pedagogical Transparency: If faculty ban AI for specific assignments, they must explain the "why" (e.g., building foundational skills) to encourage student compliance

Backward Design: Eddie advocates for starting with the desired learning outcome and engineering assignments and instruction from there.

Learning to Write vs. Writing to Learn: AI’s role should differ based on whether the goal is mastering writing mechanics or using writing to process course content.

Durable Skills: While technical skills like prompt engineering may change quickly, mindsets like metacognition and critical thinking remain essential.

"Ground Truth" Bots: Using tools like NotebookLM or Small Language Models (SLMs) allows students to interrogate specific, vetted data sets like OER textbooks.

Efficiency vs Engagement: The episode concludes with a look at the "Efficiency vs. Engagement" binary. While institutions may use AI to automate grading and increase class sizes, the real opportunity lies in reinvesting saved time into "signature pedagogies"—mentoring and fostering a sense of student belonging, which are the greatest predictors of student success.

Quotes:

"The one who does the work is the one who does the learning. How do we make sure our students are doing the work, because that's where the learning occurs?" — Eddie Watson

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome Back

• 00:55 - The Innovation Cycle: Second Edition of "Teaching with AI"

• 01:41 - Eddie Watson’s Background & Role at AAC&U

• 03:32 - The Shift: From Academic Integrity to the World of Work

• 05:10 - Complexity of Academic Integrity & Student Pressures

• 07:42 - Evolving Assessment Strategies & Motivation to Cheat

• 10:55 - Backward Design: Aligning AI with Learning Outcomes

• 12:54 - Writing to Learn vs. Learning to Write

• 14:43 - Agentic AI & Modernizing Assessments

• 18:50 - Creating "AI-Resistant" vs. AI-Transparent Assignments

• 24:43 - Developing a Meta AI Literacy Model

• 28:00 - Durable Skills: Metacognition & Managing AI

• 33:50 - Custom Chatbots, SLMs, and Ground Truths

• 46:40 - The Future: Efficiency vs. Engagement

• 49:00 - The Human Element: Mentorship & Student Belonging

• 51:00 - Closing Remarks

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The conversation explores the Lab’s "Radical Departures" framework, a mental model designed to shift the paradigm of how we define the why, what, where, and how of learning. Chand challenges the false dichotomy between academic rigor and student engagement, arguing for a "both/and" approach that prioritizes community achievement over individualized test scores. From exploring "credit flexibility" policies that allow students to learn outside school walls to reimagining the role of the educator in an AI-driven landscape, Chand offers a hopeful vision for a profession rooted in human connection and the "care economy".

Key Takeaways

If you are concerned about the current state of teacher burnout and student disengagement, this episode provides more than just a critique; it offers a roadmap for structural change. Sunanna Chand explains how the Reinvention Lab uses research and development to find the "future educator" and why the most valuable skills in an automated world—judgment, ethics, and care—are precisely those honed in the classroom. It is a deep dive into how we can use technology to reinvent rather than merely optimize an outdated system.

Subscribe to ⁠Trending in Education⁠ wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve on the future of learning.

Time Stamps

00:00 - Intro and Sunanna’s background in Cleveland and Pittsburgh

05:45 - The Mission of the Reinvention Lab at Teach For America

07:55 - Radical Departures: Redefining the "Why" and "What" of learning

12:45 - Credit Flexibility: Learning outside the four walls of the classroom 15:35 - Breaking the false dichotomy of rigor vs. relevance

19:40 - The "With Whom": Reimagining the role of the educator in the age of AI

24:30 - Why teaching is a smart career bet for Gen Z

27:45 - Combatting burnout through human connection and "Ignite" tutoring

31:45 - Closing thoughts: Building an ecosystem of reinvention

Jones offers sharp insights into the AI revolution: he argues that the focus has shifted from data science to tech literacy, including AI literacy, and understanding the "art of the possible." He emphasizes that successful AI implementation requires human factors and change management, noting that smart models will fail without proper "boots in the ground" support.

Delving into the accelerating pace of change, Jones cites World Economic Forum data showing that critical thinking and creativity are increasing in importance for employers, while foundational skills like reading, writing, and math are decreasing. This suggests that understanding why you're using a tool is more critical than knowing the tool itself. The report also indicates that the structural job churn rate has jumped from an estimated 1% to about 4.5% per year, making continuous learning a necessity. Jones also tracks emerging technologies like quantum computing and robotics, predicting a significant market impact from 3D environment technologies around 2028.

Here are the slides Josh references during the episode.

Key Takeaways:

- Skills Evolution: Critical thinking and tech literacy (including AI literacy) are becoming more valuable than specific technology skills as tools constantly change.

- AI Implementation: Successful AI integration requires human support and change management; smart models can fail if people feeding them data don't understand the value of the technology.

- Pace of Change: The speed of change in industry is quickening. The structural job churn rate has jumped from about 1% to about 4.5% per year, making continuous learning a necessity to keep up.

- Learning Progression: Foundational data skills should be introduced in middle school, creating a path that extends through K-12, higher education, and professional development.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an insightful conversation like this one.

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Josh Jones, CEO of QuantHub

07:54 - Leading QuantHub through Disruption and the Importance of Human Factors

16:40 - World Economic Forum: Shifting Importance of Skills

27:48 - Emerging Technologies: Quantum Computing and Robotics

38:00 - Closing Thoughts: The Compounding Effect of Continuous Learning

Together, they dismantle the "myth of inevitability" surrounding EdTech and explore how educators can reclaim agency in the face of rapid technological change with AI. From the historical resistance of Sojourner Truth to the concept of the classroom as a "Home Place," the conversation offers a refreshing, techno-skeptical framework that prioritizes student flourishing over big tech's framing.

Key Takeaways:

- Reframing the Narrative: Why "Justice and Joy" must remain central to education, ensuring schools are spaces of affirmation rather than just sites of data extraction.

- The "Home Place" Concept: How bell hooks’ notion of a "Home Place" helps teachers create safe harbors where students can critically interrogate harmful AI outputs and resist standardized bias.

Why You Should Listen:

This conversation moves beyond the basic "how-to" of generative AI tools. Instead, it tackles the moral and ethical dimensions of bringing powerful, often biased technologies into the classroom. If you are an educator, administrator, or parent looking for a way to navigate the AI hype with your values intact, this episode provides the historical context and practical strategies needed to foster true digital agency.

Like, Share, and Follow wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve on the future of learning. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Time Stamps:

• [00:00] Intro: Criticality in the Age of AI

• [01:58] Stephanie’s Origin Story: From Nursing to EdTech

• [04:58] Marie’s Origin Story: Reluctant Teacher to Critical Scholar

• [09:25] Writing the Book: Centering Justice in Tech

• [11:20] Why Justice and Joy Matter

• [16:00] Bell Hooks and the Classroom as "Home Place"

• [20:30] Confronting AI Bias: The "High School Boy" Example

• [23:00] Sojourner Truth and Co-opting Biased Tech

• [29:00] The Myth of Inevitability: Do We Have to Use AI?

• [33:00] Culturally Sustaining, Fugitive, and Abolitionist Pedagogies

• [41:40] The 4 Ps: Taking Action Towards Just AI

• [44:00] Conclusion

Adam details his transition from predicting trends to actively building AI tools with his organizations, Anthrocurious and Clueful. He argues that anthropologists must move beyond critique and become makers to ensure human context remains central to technological development. The conversation spans the fragmentation of modern culture, the "Prometheus moment" of AI adoption, and the challenge of maintaining epistemic security in an era of digital exhaust and "AI slop."

Mike and Adam also tackle the personal side of the equation: parenting and education. They discuss the atrophy of critical thinking skills, the insights Western parents can learn from Maya and Inuit child-rearing practices, and the importance of designing "socio-petal" technologies that bring people together rather than driving them apart.

Key Takeaways:

- Anthropologists as Builders: Adam emphasizes the need for social scientists to get their hands dirty with code. By moving from pure critique to "vibe coding" and software development, anthropologists can bake human context and ethics into AI tools from the ground up.

- The Fragmentation of Culture: The internet and algorithmic feeds have fractured the monoculture into isolated microcultures. Understanding this landscape requires using the very tools—AI and large-scale data analysis—that helped create the fragmentation in the first place.

- Critical Thinking as Muscle Memory: Just as language acquisition changes after age five, critical thinking is a skill that can atrophy without practice. Over-reliance on generative AI in education risks weakening the cognitive muscles students need to evaluate truth and context.

- Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parenting: Adam and Mike discuss the book Hunt, Gather, Parent and how indigenous practices of patience and autonomy offer a counter-narrative to the high-control, high-anxiety style of Western parenting in a digital age.

Why You Should Listen:

This episode offers a refreshing departure from the standard "robots will take our jobs" narrative. Instead, it provides a grounded, human-centric framework for understanding how we co-evolve with our tools. Whether you are an educator worried about AI plagiarism, a parent navigating screen time, or a tech enthusiast interested in how "thick data" can improve large language models, Adam’s insights bridge the gap between high-level academic theory and the practical realities of daily life.

If you enjoy this conversation, please like, follow, and share Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro and welcome back to Dr. Adam Gamwell. [02:40] From predicting the future to building software: Anthropology meets AI. [07:45] Robots, agentic AI, and keeping humans in the loop. [11:00] Taste, community, and the human elements AI cannot automate. [13:30] Cultural fragmentation and the challenge of sensemaking. [21:10] The atrophy of critical thinking and the "training wheels" problem. [27:00] Parenting in the digital age: Lessons from Hunt, Gather, Parent. [34:00] "Socio-petal" vs. "Socio-fugal" technologies: Designing for connection. [36:00] Mindshare and Klu: Making academic research accessible to business. [41:00] Conclusion and takeaways.

We explore how David and his team have evolved from designing 22 high-performing schools in NYC to "designing tools" that solve critical constraints in public education. David breaks down his "Theory of Constraints"—analyzing how barriers like time, knowledge, and resources limit school outcomes—and how UA is using Artificial Intelligence to dismantle them.

The centerpiece of this innovation is Project CAFE (Classroom Automated Feedback Environment). David explains how this AI-powered tool acts as an "instant replay" for educators, allowing them to view 10-second clips of their own practice—such as questioning techniques or student talk time—without the high cost or pressure of traditional observation. By reducing the cost of feedback to roughly $150 per teacher, CAFE is flipping the script on professional development, moving from an "avalanche of evaluation" to a "drip, drip, drip of professional development".

We also touch on the Urban Assembly’s impressive results, including a record-breaking 92.4% graduation rate, and how their focus on social-emotional learning (SEL) and workforce readiness is reshaping economic mobility for students.

Key Takeaways:

- From Schools to Tools: How UA supports its network of 22 schools while building scalable solutions for the broader education system.

- Project CAFE: An inside look at the AI tool that automates observation, offering private, low-stakes feedback for teachers to improve their "game tape".

- The Theory of Constraints: Using AI to reduce the "time tax" on learning outcomes and instructional coaching.

- Workforce Readiness: How "CounselorGPT" and Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways are moving students from "guessing to guidance" regarding the labor market.

- Record-Breaking Outcomes: Discussing the 92.4% graduation rate and the 100% success rate at the Urban Assembly Institute for Math and Science for Young Women.

Next Step for You: Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

The conversation shifts from theory to practice, detailing why gratitude stories are more effective than rote lists and how specific "Notice, Think, Feel, Do" protocols rewire the brain. Mike also debunks the tryptophan myth, explaining how carbohydrates and compelling narratives—like football—actually drive the post-meal nap. Finally, he reflects on the origins of Trending in Education, shares updates on the new Trending in Higher Ed feed, and previews upcoming live events from SXSW EDU to Alexandria, Virginia.

Key Takeaways

- The Gratitude Cocktail: Gratitude activates the brain’s reward centers. Dopamine drives motivation, serotonin stabilizes mood similar to SSRIs, and oxytocin fosters trust and bonding.

- Mindset Shift: "Gap thinking" focuses on the distance between your actual self and an unreachable ideal, leading to burnout. "Gain thinking" measures your actual self against your past self, highlighting progress and abundance.

- Stories Over Lists: Rote gratitude lists often lead to mechanical habituation. Constructing gratitude narratives creates stronger neural pathways and emotional connections.

- The Science of the Nap: It isn't just the turkey. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, but the heavy carbohydrate load and the relief of social bonding are the real drivers of sleepiness.

- Podcast Expansion: Trending in Education is expanding its network with a dedicated Trending in Higher Ed feed to allow listeners to dive deeper into specific verticals.

Why You Should Listen

This episode moves beyond the platitudes of "giving thanks" to reveal the biological mechanisms that make gratitude a high-performance tool. If you find yourself doomscrolling or fixating on what you haven't achieved, the "Gap and The Gain" framework offers a practical method to reset your cognitive baseline. Mike connects these mental models to tangible brain health, offering a compelling argument for why gratitude is essential fuel for resilience and innovation.

Like, follow, and subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Here's the link to the Horacio Sanchez episode on Applied Neuroscience.

And this is the link to our first Don't Be A Turkey, Learn to Be Grateful episode.

The Education Equation with Jeremy Singer

Innovations in Education with David Adams

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Neuroscience of Gratitude

00:49 The Science Behind Gratitude

02:01 Neurochemistry and Brain Health

04:01 The Gap and the Gain Framework

07:05 Practical Applications of Gratitude

09:18 Gratitude in Daily Life

13:48 Personal Stories and Reflections

19:49 Upcoming Projects and Gratitude

25:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Holdsworth Center is a nonprofit focused on building and strengthening leaders for Texas public schools. Texas educates 10% of the nation's children, and the challenges faced there—like high teacher turnover and the increased complexity of the principal and superintendent roles—reflect national trends.

Lindsay explains that we have created leadership roles that are "pretty close to impossible" for an average person. A core mistake is the assumption that if educators simply work harder and build the right skills, everything will be fine. We argue that the old model of the principal as the single "hero" responsible for the development of all 30-40 teachers must evolve.

Lindsay's framework offers a way to diagnose and restructure leadership roles to create shared leadership and meaningful stepping stones for development. It's about getting clear on the different leadership jobs and how they relate, moving away from an unhelpful hierarchy and toward an ethos of sharing power.

Key Takeaways:

- The Impossible Job: The current principal role, where one person is the primary developer for an entire staff of 30-40+ teachers, is unsustainable, especially with new teachers entering the profession with limited preparation.

- The Four-Level Framework: The book outlines a four-level architecture—Team Member, Team Leader, Bridge Leader, and School Leader (Principal)—each with a unique leadership mission for building capacity and delivering results .

- The Bridge Leader: This key middle layer is vital for coaching Team Leaders, ensuring coherence, and connecting the different levels of the school. It also creates meaningful, smaller-jump development opportunities for future principals.

- A Shift in Identity: Moving into new leadership roles requires not just new skills and time allocation but a fundamental shift in professional identity, often requiring leaders to "release control" and trust their colleagues.

- AI and the Human Core: As technology changes the future of work, cultivating the "most human" skills—like recognizing the beautiful, feeling confident, and building relational capacity—becomes even more critical in education.

Why You Should Listen:

If you work in education, you understand the increasing pressure on school leaders and teachers. This conversation offers a practical, thoughtful, and evidence-based way to rethink your school's operating structure, unlock the untapped leadership potential (the "stranded brilliance" we discuss) in your building, and create a system where success doesn't depend on "superheroes". We provide a blueprint for supporting your current staff while developing the next generation of resilient school leaders.

Subscribe, like, and follow Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome Back to Trending in Education

00:16 Introducing Lindsay Whorton and Her New Book

01:18 The Holdsworth Center's Mission and Impact

03:03 Challenges in Leadership Development

07:52 The Importance of School Culture

11:45 Reimagining School Leadership Roles

15:44 Developing Leadership Capacity

17:58 Transitioning from Teacher to Coach

19:26 The Player-Coach Experience

20:39 Challenges in Professional Development

21:29 Introducing the Four-Level Leadership Framework

22:18 Exploring the Four Levels of Leadership

24:20 The Role of the Bridge Leader

28:12 Leadership and Control

29:50 The Impact of AI on Education

33:02 Final Thoughts and Appreciation

We dive into how Matt's company, Endless, initially focused on providing computers in emerging markets, realized that skills are what truly pay the bills. A simple math game, Tux Math, engaged students in a way traditional instruction could not, with classrooms full of kids shouting multiplication tables . The even bigger revelation? Many top tech entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, started by hacking their games .

Matt asserts that the goal is to transform kids from consumers to creators. We discuss how game creation, using tools like Unity and GitHub, develops five core, high-value disciplines: coding, design, digital art, management (product/project), and marketing/business analysis . These skills translate directly into a modern, AI-augmented workforce, where the ability to architect and validate production software is crucial.

Key Takeaways:

- From Consumption to Creation: We need to move young people from passively using smartphones (consumption devices) to actively creating with devices that have a keyboard and mouse (creation devices), fostering a "lean forward" mindset .

- The Power of Hacking and Games: Learning starts when it becomes more fun to hack your games than to play them, leading to the development of deep, technical understanding.

- Five Core Disciplines: Game design is a launchpad for learning highly employable, durable skills in coding, design, digital art, management, and go-to-market business analysis .

- A New Model for Learning: The future of education involves immersing students in real projects on collaborative platforms like GitHub, replicating the workforce environment to teach mindsets like autonomy, agency, and teamwork .

- AI and the Future Developer: AI is a powerful tool, but it demands new skills: prompt engineering, chaining agent tools, and knowing how to architect, read, and debug production-level code to avoid technical "slop" and security issues.

Why You Should Listen:

The gap between traditional education and the demands of the AI-driven workforce is wider than ever. You'll hear Matt's global perspective on the rising number of high school students choosing not to pursue costly college degrees and the hunger for education in emerging markets. We discuss how the allure of video games—where the average kid spends 10,000 hours by graduation—can be channeled into productive, skills-building creation time . Matt shares an example of a Peruvian student who used his new skills to build a video game for rural communities to preserve their local language, illustrating the real-world, positive impact of this new educational approach . Listen to understand the model that could prepare the next generation to be "superhumans empowered by AI" .

If you liked this conversation, be sure to like, follow, and share Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts.

Ray Dalio's books referenced in the conversation: Principles: Life and Work and How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:57 Matt Dalio's Early Life and Influences

02:58 Journey into Technology and Philanthropy

04:07 The Power of Games in Education

06:39 Skills vs. Mindsets in the Workforce

11:10 Preparing for the Future Workforce

13:58 Global Challenges and the Future of Jobs

15:51 The Declining Value of Education

17:01 Global Perspectives on Education

18:52 The Power of Community and Mentorship

20:47 Learning Through Game Development

24:50 AI and the Future of Work

28:47 Encouraging a Maker's Mindset

31:29 Concluding Thoughts and Takeaways

Halley shares Saga's unique model, which integrates dedicated, small-group tutoring into the school day, making this high-impact intervention accessible to all students and leading to astounding results, including the closure of up to 50% of the opportunity gap. She highlights the importance of the individualized, caring relationship between a student and their dedicated adult tutor.

Katherine, a former newcomer student who became a bilingual special education teacher, defines the shift to the more asset-based term, "emergent multilingual learner" (EML), which values all a student's languages rather than ranking them. We discuss the misconception that math is a universal language, needing no language support.

We delve into the concrete, "bite-sized" strategies SAGA uses to train its diverse workforce of tutors—from recent college graduates to career changers—to effectively support EMLs without needing a deep education background. These effective, implementable strategies include using visual aids to provide context and reduce language barriers , and offering sentence frames to help students articulate their mathematical understanding.

The conversation also emphasizes the value of translanguaging, where tutors encourage students to use all the languages in their linguistic repertoire to better cement knowledge. Finally, we address the role of AI in quickly generating translations and customized strategies, while emphasizing that the crucial human element of cultural responsiveness and building trust remains paramount.

Key Takeaways:

- High-Impact Tutoring is a Proven Solution: SAGA's in-school model closes up to 50% of the opportunity gap.

- Math is Not Language-Proof: Math contains complex language, and even differences in punctuation (like using a comma instead of a decimal) can pose barriers for EMLs.

- Small, Actionable Strategies Work: Tutors are trained using micro-learnings on implementable skills like providing visuals and sentence frames, which benefit all students, not just EMLs.

- Translanguaging is Empowering: Encouraging students to use all their languages (e.g., Spanglish) helps them grasp and transfer mathematical concepts more effectively.

- The Human Connection is Essential: Cultural responsiveness, including pronouncing a student's name correctly, builds the trust and respect that is fundamental to high-impact tutoring.

Why You Should Listen:

If you care about equity in education and the future of the teaching workforce, this episode provides a clear, evidence-based look at one of the most effective interventions available today. We offer practical, actionable insights into supporting multilingual learners in subjects often presumed to be language-independent.

Like, follow, and share Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:02 Meet Halley Bowman and Katherine Huete

03:00 The Evolution and Impact of Saga Education and High Impact Tutoring

06:16 Defining Multilingual Learners

08:06 Tutoring Strategies for Multilingual Learners

19:46 The Role of AI in Tutoring

23:26 Cultural Responsiveness in Education

25:04 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

We dive into the book, which captures the spring semester of 2020 and presents a narrative-style look at Rotella's required freshman literature course. He shares his mission: to change his students' initial question from "Can I get out of this?" to "What can I get out of this?" by treating the interpretation of literature as a learnable craft, not "sorcery or bullshit".

Rotella explains how this approach requires us to build a strong classroom community, including policies like banning devices and expecting every student to speak at every class meeting. He reveals the effort required to get quiet students to participate, sometimes using techniques like rehearsing answers in office hours—just as a team practices a play. Rotella argues that in a world of AI and "endless number of talking heads" , the classroom remains a vital "haven" where students can build critical skills and practice analytical response to the world.

🔑 Key Takeaways

- Teaching as a Craft: Rotella treats teaching the interpretation of literature as a practical, learnable craft, focusing on skills like pattern recognition and extracting meaning from the world.

- Building Community: A core philosophy involves making the classroom a community where every student must "ante up" and contribute, often facilitated by a no-devices policy and the expectation that everyone speaks in class.

- The Power of Face-to-Face: The pandemic and the rise of AI have made the physical classroom more valuable and "cutting edge" than ever as a unique human experience.

- The Loneliness of the Modern Student: Today’s college students are highly accomplished but are also more anxious, isolated, and less comfortable with trial-and-error than previous generations.

- Reading as Resistance: Reading is framed as an "athletic" exercise that builds mental "muscles in your core" like critical skills, attentional fortitude, and the ability to assess reliability—skills essential for navigating an AI-driven world.

🎧 Why You Should Listen

If you're an educator, writer, or just curious about how humans truly learn in a time of radical change, listen in as Rotella shows us that the most memorable and lasting impact of a class often comes from the experience of working together—not just the content. We discuss how to use students' "violent reaction against a work of art as the way in" and why we need to show people how to move beyond outrage and into analysis.

We close with Rotella's belief that a liberal arts education offers durable tools for life, reminding us of the enduring power of a shared intellectual experience—like the unforgettable image of a guy in an elephant suit.

Do you want to hear more conversations on the future of learning? Subscribe, like, and follow Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to Carlo Rotella and His Book

01:04 Carlo's Professional Journey and Writing Career

02:15 Exploring the Classroom as a Scene

06:23 The Impact of the Pandemic on Teaching

08:39 Building Community and Engagement in the Classroom

12:21 The Value of Face-to-Face Learning

17:02 The Lasting Impact of Classroom Experiences

19:13 Understanding Reactions to Art

20:04 Insights into Gen Z's College Experience

21:31 Challenges and Changes in Modern Education

22:58 The Importance of Reading and Critical Thinking

25:28 AI's Impact on Education and Society

29:44 Teaching Strategies for the Modern Classroom

36:04 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

We explore the massive, rapid mobilization of tutoring efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated learning disruptions. We look at the key components of effective high-impact tutoring—small groups, consistent adults, and regularly scheduled in the school day—and how the strong evidence base has galvanized educators and advocates toward a unified solution. Liz shares her "constellation" metaphor, distinguishing between "bright stars" (districts deeply committed to sustained funding and implementation) and those still struggling with scale, funding, and strategy.

Beyond the academic gains, we discuss the powerful role of tutoring as a catalyst for human connection and a potential pipeline for new educators. We also debate the future scenarios for tutoring, including the role of AI tools, outcomes-based contracting for responsible spending, and how this moment of change proves the public education system is capable of renovation.

Key Takeaways:

• The High-Impact Tutoring Surge: About 80% of U.S. school districts launched some form of tutoring post-pandemic, with two-thirds aiming for high-impact models: small groups, in-school, at least three times a week, and led by a consistent adult.

• A Unified Solution: The convergence of a clear problem (learning disruption), evidence-based research (like the Saga program's impact on Algebra I scores), and massive federal funding created a rare moment of unity in education reform.

• More Than Academics: The success of tutoring is deeply rooted in human relationships; it helps young people feel they "matter," building motivation through demonstrated competence and productive struggle in a high-support, high-standards environment.

• The Future Workforce Pipeline: Tutoring roles, especially those engaging college students and young adults, are proving to be effective on-ramps into the teaching profession.

• The Funding Cliffhanger: With one-time federal funding largely spent, the future depends on districts embedding tutoring into their core strategy and utilizing tools like outcomes-based contracting to ensure they only pay for measurable results.

Why You Should Listen:

If you are a district leader, educator, education advocate, or parent, this episode offers a clear-eyed view of what the most successful districts are doing to accelerate learning and how they are planning to sustain those efforts. You will gain an understanding of how to leverage research-backed practices, why buy-in from principals and teachers is critical, and the innovative ways technology can support—but not replace—the essential human element of tutoring. Liz Cohen provides the framework for turning a pandemic response into a lasting positive change for the American education system.

Subscribe to Trending in Education and follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation like this one.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:08 Liz Cohen's Background and Professional Journey

01:59 The Evolution of Tutoring During COVID-19

04:18 The Impact of Federal Funding on Tutoring

09:03 Challenges and Successes in Implementing Tutoring Programs

11:51 The Future of Tutoring and Education

20:16 Motivation and the Science of Learning

22:53 Challenges and Choices in Education Funding

24:07 Parent Empowerment and School Strategies

24:39 State-Level Overhauls and Tutoring Initiatives

32:59 The Role of Technology in Tutoring

36:39 Outcome-Based Contracting in Education

39:11 Broader Educational Takeaways and Final Thoughts

We explore the current landscape of AI in higher education, noting the split between institutions that forbid its use (even reverting to blue books and oral exams) and those that are running with the technology. Gerry advocates for integrating AI responsibly, modeling its use for students, and leveraging it as a powerful tool for deeper critical thinking and better writing.

We also discuss the very real dangers of over-reliance—the "training wheels problem"—where students risk losing critical thinking skills and agency by letting the AI write for them. For Gerry, the loss of human agency is perhaps the biggest threat posed by this new technology.

Finally, we shift into the sci-fi lane as Gerry shares details about his recent science fiction novel, Edge of Control, which explores the dystopian possibilities of an integrated, unregulated Enterprise AI. We wrap up with practical advice for listeners to start experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, and look ahead at the next horizon: Augmented Reality (AR) glasses that integrate with AI.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The AI Split in Higher Ed: We note that universities are divided, with some outright forbidding AI use (favoring traditional methods) and others actively integrating it into the curriculum.

• Agency is Key: The greatest danger in the age of AI is the loss of human agency and the erosion of critical thinking skills due to over-reliance on generative models.

• Incorporate AI Responsibly: The best approach is to model responsible AI use by integrating it into every stage of the writing process after students start with their own thoughts and text.

• Focus on the Question: The quality of the questions students ask is now far more important than the answers, as we are "drowning in a sea of answers".

• What's Next: AR and AI: Beyond the current AI boom, the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) glasses with AI—bringing screens and information off our devices and onto our faces—is the next significant technological shift.

💡 Why You Should Listen:

If you are a student, educator, or simply a human trying to navigate the seismic shifts brought on by Artificial Intelligence, this episode is your essential guide. We not only share practical, immediate advice on how to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for personal and professional growth, but we also wrestle with the profound philosophical questions about human competence, mental health, and the future of learning. Listen to understand how to stay in charge of the technology, and to hear a real-life science fiction author discuss how the future is already here.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:51 Gerry White's Career Journey

02:34 Emerging Trends in Higher Education

03:36 Incorporating AI in Education

05:30 Challenges and Risks of AI

07:29 Future of AI and Higher Education

14:07 Science Fiction and AI

16:16 Practical Advice for AI Adoption

19:41 Emerging Technologies Beyond AI

22:02 Balancing Technology and Humanity

29:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Jon's professional journey—from accountant to school principal to philanthropy and now to leading GreatSchools—is a testament to the fact that education itself is a profoundly complex system. Now, we're asking the million-dollar question: what do parents really need to know to give their kids the best support? GreatSchools, an organization that’s been tackling this challenge for over 25 years, is here to help us unpack it.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The School Choice Paradox: School choice isn't a future trend; it's a current reality, with some districts presenting over 100 options just for kindergarten. We explore how this proliferation of options is driven by a collective need to ensure every kid finds the "right fit".

• The Problem of "Noise": Parents are bombarded by information from every corner—teachers, schools, districts, and the media—making it nearly impossible to find the essential signal in the deafening noise. GreatSchools' solution involves providing data on outcomes, programs, and robust parent reviews to create a coherent, usable picture.

• Progress Over Scores: The conversation pivots away from teaching to the test. Jon explains that GreatSchools' metrics focus on academic progress—how much students are actually growing—a measure he considers as, if not more, important than pure test scores.

• AI as a Personal Matchmaker: How can technology address the reality that every child is wildly different? We look at how GreatSchools is using AI to gather more descriptive data and refine a search to find the perfect fit for "Mike Palmer and your 6-year-old," moving beyond generic recommendations.

• Learning Beyond the Building: The future of educational support lies outside the classroom. Jon unveils GreatSchools’ next strategic horizon: integrating information about learning opportunities like public library programs and coding classes to help parents create a comprehensive, ongoing learning narrative for their families.

💡 Why You Should Listen:

If you've ever felt like you're treading water trying to make sense of school data, this episode is essential listening. We uncover the critical work GreatSchools is doing to transform information—and even new trends like micro-schools and AI —into curated, actionable guidance.

We discuss the ethical use of data, why transparency and explainable AI are non-negotiable in this space , and how school leaders can actively "claim" and own their school's narrative on the platform. Jon also provides vital advice for parents: get to know your child’s needs, ask the right questions, and use data to ask for the options that might not be right down the street.

Find more transparent resources and make sense of your options at GreatSchools.org.

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00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:05 Jon Deane's Professional Journey

02:33 Great Schools: Mission and Impact

04:07 Navigating School Choices

07:13 Data and Reviews in Education

13:23 AI and Future of Education

15:39 Engaging with Parents and Schools

27:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

We explore how the trillion-dollar education sector is struggling to measure outcomes and why reliable data is essential to driving progress. Amit details the foundational work ETS is doing across K-12, higher education, and the workforce to shift the focus from traditional testing to competency-based learning and work-ready skills. We dive deep into the urgency of establishing an AI literacy framework and how technology is powering a new era of "test-less" performance assessments.

Why You Should Listen Now:

• The War for AI Talent: Amit explains why the lack of a common AI literacy framework is a strategic challenge for the U.S. and how other nations are already standardizing AI education for young children.

• The Crisis of Underemployment: We break down the alarming statistics showing high unemployment and underemployment for new college graduates, highlighting the massive societal and economic pressure to measure job-relevant skills.

• The Future of Measurement: We get an inside look at how ETS is using AI, data science, and neuroscience to create innovative, personalized assessments that track complex skills like collaboration and communication—moving beyond the multiple-choice bubble sheet.

3 Key Takeaways from Our Conversation:

• AI Literacy is a New Language: We must introduce the fundamentals of AI to pre-elementary and elementary students to hardwire it as a first language, similar to English or Spanish.

• Data is the "New Oil": ETS produces over 5 billion data points annually, representing an amazing opportunity to reimagine products and drive social value through technology.

• The Two-by-Two of Transformation: The future of assessment is moving to measure both emerging skills (like AI and durable skills) and using innovative measurement methods (like performance and AI-enabled assessments).

Join us to understand how better measurement is the key to unlocking human potential globally.

Like what you hear? Please like, follow, and subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. It helps us get the word out!

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:13 Amit Sevak's Origin Story

03:28 Joining ETS and the Importance of Measurement

05:47 ETS's Role in Education and Assessment

11:35 Innovations in Testing and AI Integration

12:43 Global Trends and Workforce Development

16:32 The Future of AI Literacy and Skills Measurement

28:31 Global Perspectives on Education and Leadership

34:30 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

We dive into how school boards transitioned from being a "quiet part" of civic society to a focal point of public consciousness during the COVID years and following George Floyd, dealing with intense issues from school reopening to DEI and curriculum. Scott draws parallels between corporate and educational governance, noting that while corporate boards are studied and considered central to organizational success, school boards have historically been overlooked or even suggested for abolition despite their vital role.

Scott argues that school boards are the true front lines of democracy, operating with a level of public engagement and accountability—through open meetings and public comment periods—that other levels of government often lack. We explore the political dynamic of power shifting away from local school boards to state and federal governments across both red and blue states, leading to a loss of the crucial local control element. Scott advocates for a balanced approach, emphasizing that local control allows for the necessary nuance to address unique community issues, foster civil discourse, and serve as a buffer against potentially authoritarian or ill-fitting laws from above.

We wrap up by outlining ways to strengthen school boards, stressing the importance of high voter turnout in local elections and the need for members to adopt a thoughtful governance partner role—avoiding both micromanagement and being a "rubber stamp" for the administration.

Key Takeaways:

• School Boards as the Democratic Core: School boards are a unique and essential layer of American democracy, operating in the open with mandated public comment, which forces direct engagement and local accountability unlike other governing bodies.

• The Power of Local Control: Despite a uniform, bipartisan trend to shift power to the state level, local control is necessary for districts to tailor solutions to their unique challenges (like academic outcomes, mental health, or absenteeism) and for "island districts" (e.g., Austin, Texas, or conservative towns in liberal states) to manifest their values.

• Essential School Board Member Skills: Effective board members must take a big picture view, act as a thoughtful governance partner for the district (not a micromanager or a rubber stamp), and, crucially, listen carefully to their constituents before making decisions for the overall community.

If you've ever felt disconnected from national or state politics, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that your voice matters most at the local level. We present a strong, affirmative case for the importance of school boards, an often-overlooked institution that shapes the education of over 50 million students and serves as a vital model for civil discourse in our fractured society. Tune in to understand why engaging in school board elections and meetings is a direct way to strengthen public education and make our democracy healthier.

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00:00 Introduction Scott's Background 01:34 Transition to Wall Street and Return to Education 02:23 Involvement in Nonprofits and School Boards 04:37 Running for the School Board 07:39 COVID-19 and Social Issues in School Boards 10:07 The Importance of School Boards in Democracy 15:26 Political Polarization and Governance 21:09 Local Control and School Boards 29:38 Strengthening School Boards and Civic Engagement 34:58 Skills and Development 38:41 Final Thoughts

We begin by hearing from Kim Fahey, the CEO of Collegis, who provides some framing about the role her team plays providing managed services to schools trying to leverage technology, data and innovation in new and relevant ways. Kim kicks things off and helps frame the context and the conversations that follow.

Then Mike interviews Charles Elliott from Google and Matt Lachey from Collegis about how Google's AI capabilities can transform higher ed delivery, rethinking textbooks, providing real-time translation, and reimagining what AI-powered learning might look like.

From there, we catch up with Casey Evans and Amanda Gulley from EdPlus at ASU about the genuinely disruptive work Michael Crow and team are continuing to do at scale and what can be learned from their example.

Phil Hill is a Higher Ed Blogger, Speaker, and Market Analyst, who joins Mike to share his unique takes on the current state of the higher ed market, the unique opportunities of this turbulent moment, and the profound impact and potential of AI on the space. Don't miss it!

Dan Antonson heads up data engineering for Collegis and shares his insights and takes on how to get higher ed caught up and ready from a systems abd data perspective so that higher ed leaders can truly leverage the transformative capabilities that are emerging with AI and more.

And then we conclude by exploring new research on Retention with Jim Fong and Tracy Chapman as we wrap up an incredible "lightning round" on the future of education from an intense and productive Fall day in Chicago.

Thanks to Alyssa Miller, Wes Catlett-Miller and the teams at Collegis and Google for helping make this episode a reality. Be on the lookout for the full interviews in upcoming episodes of Trending in Ed and as we light up the new Trending in Higher Ed feed in coming months.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcast. Rate and review us and spread the word so we can continue to dive into what's new and emerging from the world of education.

00:00 Mike's Introduction

01:37 Kim Fahey

05:03 Charles Elliott and Matt Lachey

09:36 Casey Evans and Amanda Gulley

14:04 Phil Hill

18:54 Dan Antonson

23:04 Tracy Chapman and Jim Fong

Liz City, a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Rachel Curtis, a consultant with deep experience in the Boston Public Schools, draw on their decades of work to move beyond the traditional "strategic plan" that often falls flat. We explore their five-part framework that helps leaders navigate the complex emotional, intellectual, and human-interaction challenges of their daily work. This framework emphasizes that effective leadership is developmental, not something people are simply born with, and provides the tools for all educators to grow their strategic capacity.

We dive into the importance of anchoring in purpose, making deliberate choices, and cultivating a culture of learning. We discuss why taking a pause and prioritizing listening are among the most strategic actions a leader can take, especially in the face of challenges like polarization and emerging technologies such as AI.

Key Takeaways:

• The Five Elements of Strategic Leadership: We break down the framework's components:

  • Discern: Getting crystal clear on your purpose, what success looks like, and the root cause of a problem to avoid tackling mere symptoms.

  • Relationships: Cultivating care and humanity between one another while intentionally connecting cross-functional elements of work that are often siloed in school systems.

  • Understand Context and History: Being mindful of what is happening both inside and outside the organization, and acknowledging past initiatives and current capacities before moving forward.

  • Harness Power: Recognizing that power is always flowing and learning to leverage both formal and informal authority in service of the greater good.

  • Think Big, Act Small, Learn Fast: Using purpose as an anchor, breaking strategies into manageable pieces, and building a mechanism for learning from both anticipated and surprising outcomes.

• Moving Past "Leaders are Born": We encourage a shift in mindset, acknowledging that leadership is a skill that is developmental, and we can all get better at it.

• Strategy vs. Plan: We distinguish between an actual strategy—a focused choice on what to do—and an overstuffed strategic plan that doesn't actually guide daily work.

• The Joy of Leadership: Despite the difficulty, K-12 leadership is deeply meaningful and joyful work, a narrative that we must not lose sight of.

Why You Should Listen:

If you are an educator who feels overwhelmed by the day-to-day demands of your role, this conversation provides an actionable framework to step back, discern root causes, and lead with intentionality. We offer concrete tactics for dealing with uncertainty, building the capacity of your team, and making your work more effective and resilient—all of which are essential in the current K-12 environment. Moreover, we help you understand how to cultivate a powerful learning culture for adults, which directly impacts the success of students.

Subscribe and Learn

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Jeff and Mike dive into his extensive background—from his early days at The Chronicle of Higher Education covering the dawn of the internet on college campuses to his time building EdSurge's higher ed coverage and producing over 300 episodes of the EdSurge podcast. We explore how that history prepared him for this current moment, where AI feels different and more "existential" than previous tech disruptions like MOOCs.

Jeff's new podcast, Learning Curve (LearningCurve.fm) is his attempt to cut through the hype and inform a critical conversation about how education adapts to AI and what kinds of learning need protecting in the "AI gold rush". We discuss the frameworks and mental models needed to navigate this new "agentic era", focusing on both the critical questions and the potential for a positive upside.

• AI is an "Internet-Level Disruption" with Existential Questions: Unlike previous trends like MOOCs, which questioned the delivery of education, AI forces us to ask deep questions about the value of college, how to prove student knowledge, and the very nature of learning when generative AI can perform tasks once thought to be uniquely human.

• Reframing the AI Role: We need to critically examine the narratives around AI in education, such as the idea of an "AI tutor". Jeff questions if AI's capabilities—like providing content or getting students unstuck—are truly "tutoring" or something valuable but distinctly non-human, and whether labeling it as a tutor risks pushing out high-value human interaction.

• The Power of "Hybrid Intelligence": A key mental model for navigating this time is hybrid intelligence, which focuses on harnessing the power of Large Language Models (LLMs) and blending it with what makes us human, extending our brains and expressing our human capabilities to the best.

• Seeking Killer Apps Beyond the Classroom: Jeff is actively looking for high-impact use cases for AI in higher education outside of cheating and basic classroom functions. A promising area is college advising, where AI can quickly handle the bureaucracy and information lookup, freeing up human advisors for more high-value, personal connection time that is crucial for student success.

• Student Involvement in Adoption is Key: Universities like Babson College are smartly involving students—who are highly motivated to understand AI due to its impact on entry-level jobs—in the strategy for campus-wide AI adoption. This approach aligns with the growing truism that "AI won't take your job; somebody who doesn't know AI's job will".

This is a vital, grounded conversation that moves past the hype and dystopian fears to help you build a constructive framework for thinking about the future of learning.

• Get a historical perspective on the wave of technology hitting education from one of the industry's most respected journalists.

• Learn the essential questions about human skills, cognitive models, and what learning needs protecting in this new era.

• Gain a balanced view of AI's potential, from how it can change college bureaucracy to its power to augment human capabilities.

Find more of Jeff's work at LearningCurve.fm or wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you like what you hear, subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a critical conversation like this one.

AJ shares his transition from direct service to a focus on systemic change, detailing the crucial, often overlooked, mission of EOS: identifying and accelerating equitable opportunity for high-potential students. Historically, education equity conversations focus on raising students to grade level; EOS tackles the issue of "stranded brilliance" by finding students—disproportionately Black and Brown students experiencing poverty—who are ready for advanced coursework but are being overlooked. AJ cites compelling research from Mathematica demonstrating that students placed in AP classes through the EOS process perform just as well as control groups, confirming they were ready all along.

The conversation pivots to the broader K-12 landscape, touching on threats to federal data infrastructure (e.g., IES, NSF funding) and the role of AI. AJ stresses that while technology is a powerful tool for decision support, summarization, and translation (like with IEPs), it's not a silver bullet. He outlines his vision for the "next derivative" of EOS—leveraging their extensive student and teacher survey data (300,000 students surveyed annually) to act as a crucial data backbone for districts. This involves connecting district leaders with high-leverage information to evaluate the return on investment across specific initiatives (e.g., STEM, absenteeism) and empowering families with simple, accessible data to shape their children's educational trajectories.

Key Takeaways:

• Addressing "Stranded Brilliance": Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) focuses on finding and placing high-potential students who are overlooked into advanced coursework, a crucial and effective pathway for systemic equity.

• Data Backbone for Districts: The next phase of EOS involves using its large survey dataset to serve as a central source of strategic data for district leaders, connecting initiatives, vendors, and outcomes.

• AI as Decision Support: Generative AI's greatest educational utility lies in summarizing complex data and translating information (like IEPs) for better family accessibility, not in replacing human decision-making.

• The Power of Policy & Practice: True systems change requires demonstrating successful practice (like high-impact tutoring) to inspire policy shifts and empower districts to sustain effective models locally.

Why You Should Listen:

If you are concerned about educational equity, the integrity of educational data, or how district leaders can make smarter investment decisions with limited resources, this episode is a must-listen. AJ offers an optimistic and evidence-based perspective on how to leverage data to shake up the status quo, ensuring that every student who is ready for advanced opportunity gets the chance to pursue it.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation like this one!

We explore how constraints drive innovation and how Arist was ahead of the curve, foreseeing that most workplace communication would shift to messaging tools and leveraging the power of early AI models like GPT-3. We discuss how being text-based puts Arist at the native environment of LLMs and how conciseness forces clarity in learning design. Michael explains that Arist courses are not "micro learning" in a way that suggests they are less significant, but are intentionally designed to chunk information into bite-sized, conversational, and practice-oriented pieces.

We also cover the importance of making instruction feel human, using custom data and custom workflows to ensure content is reliable, and how Arist enables rapid upskilling in the flow of work for enterprises. For example, a client with 30,000 employees was able to push out content on AI and data literacy immediately using Arist, compared to the six months it would have taken with existing tools.

The conversation culminates in a discussion about the shift from focusing on skills to focusing on outcomes, and why agency is the single most important human skill in the age of AI. Michael shares that the role of the teacher is evolving from knowledge-provider to curator, facilitator, and mentor, helping students define their ambitious outcomes. The limit in the age of exponentially better AI models is no longer the model, but our own ability to ask better, smarter, and more interesting questions.

Key Takeaways

• Learning in the Flow of Work: Learning should meet people where they are, making it digestible and conversational, often via messaging tools.

• The Power of Constraints: Challenges, such as a lack of internet access in a war zone, can drive innovations like text message courses, which then prove widely relevant.

• AI and Frictionless Learning: Leveraging AI to create content delivered through messaging makes learning completely frictionless for both the creator and the end-user.

• Focus on Outcomes Over Skills: The future of education needs to shift its focus from building and measuring skills to achieving specific, desired outcomes, with AI accelerating the path to those outcomes.

• Agency is the Core Skill: The number one skill that matters with AI is human agency—the ability to figure out the outcome you care about and what you need to do to accomplish it.

• New Role for Educators: Teachers and leaders shift to curators, facilitators, and mentors who help students define ambitious goals and push them to achieve more than they thought possible.

If you're interested in how disruptive technology like AI is reshaping corporate learning, instructional design, and career readiness, this episode offers a forward-thinking perspective. We break down the evolution of learning delivery and why focusing on human agency is key to thriving in the future of work.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation like this one.

Why You Should Listen:

• Empowering Parents: This episode highlights how a nonprofit organization is shifting power to parents, particularly those from marginalized communities, by giving them the tools and platforms to advocate for their children's education.
• AI for Good: You'll hear about a practical and inspiring use of AI that addresses a real-world problem and closes equity gaps, rather than exacerbating them.
• Community-Led Innovation: The conversation showcases a powerful model of "co-design," where tech developers, educators, and community members work together to create solutions that are both effective and sustainable.

Key Takeaways:

• Innovate Public Schools is a movement, not a network. Michelle and Sean clarify that their organization's mission is to mobilize families to demand high-quality schools for their children, not to operate charter schools. They focus on campaigns for black literacy, special education, and high-impact tutoring.

• AI-EP addresses a critical need. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is often a dense, 50-page legal document that can be intimidating for parents, especially those who don't speak English or have low reading comprehension. The AI-EP tool translates the IEP into a parent's native language and allows them to ask questions, effectively serving as a chatbot to help them understand and engage with the plan.

• Collaboration is key to innovation. The AI-EP project was a collaborative effort involving Innovate Public Schools, Northeastern University, and the Learning Tapestry. By bringing together tech developers and parents, they created a tool that has had a transformational impact on users.

• Parent advocacy drives policy change. Innovate's parent leaders have not only influenced local policy but also co-authored legislation. Their advocacy led to the passage of California's Senate Bill 445, which mandates that IEP documents be translated into the 10 most common languages across the state, benefiting over 800,000 students.

• The model is replicable. Michelle and Sean stress that their goal is not to be "gatekeepers" of this innovation, but to share the model so it can be replicated across the nation to address a variety of educational challenges. They believe that organizing around education is crucial because it is the "building block" for everything else in life, from economic stability to generational wealth.

Don't miss this conversation. Listen in to learn how Innovate Public Schools is harnessing the power of community and technology to create a more equitable and participatory education system.

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00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:47 Michelle's Journey with Innovate Public Schools

04:39 Sean's Background and Path to Innovate

10:40 Challenges and Innovations in Education

12:14 Parent Advocacy and Policy Change

15:12 Impact of the Pandemic and AI on Education

17:47 Public Trust and Equity in Education

19:01 Innovate Public Schools' Focus on Equity

19:22 AI Collaboration with Northeastern University

19:51 Campaigns and AI Integration

20:25 Understanding IEPs and Their Challenges

21:55 AI's Role in Special Education

26:52 Legislative Efforts for IEP Translation

28:01 Co-Designing AI Tools with the Community

31:03 Future Prospects and Community Engagement

33:41 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Key Takeaways:

• Creativity is for everyone. The authors challenge the myth that creativity is an innate quality held only by a few "media darlings" like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. This "creativity gap" is a result of wrong mental models that can be changed.

• Embrace ambiguity. Innovation involves a natural aversion to ambiguity, which the authors call "cognitive caution". Acknowledging this and understanding that it is a necessary part of creating novel ideas can help us change our relationship with it.

• Focus on the individual. Braden and Forshaw's approach to teaching creativity centers on the learner's mind and how it works, rather than a rigid, external process. This includes using "mindsets" to intentionally change what you pay attention to, "moves" or small, actionable tasks that are less intimidating, and "metacognition" to determine what is needed.

• It's not "innovation," it's "innovation-ish." The word "innovation" can cause "hesitation" and a "physical reaction" in people. By setting the bar lower and asking people to be "a little bit innovation-ish," the authors make the concept more approachable and less intimidating.

• AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. The authors discuss a study where students who used ChatGPT in a design class produced "mid" work that lacked originality and was capped in its potential. AI can be useful for things like varying text in brainstorming, but it cannot replicate the unique connections and perspectives that make human creativity so powerful.

Don't miss this chance to learn how to innovate from two experts in the field who love education and provide sharp takes on how this applies to the future of learning. Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation like this one!

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:11 Rich Braden's Professional Journey

03:25 Tessa Forshaw's Professional Journey

06:10 The Creativity Gap and Innovation Myths

10:32 Teaching Creativity and Innovation

17:44 Centering Student Minds in Design Education

18:03 Scoping and Agile Trends in Design

18:58 Effortful Learning and Innovation

19:58 Applying Design Thinking in Education

21:09 AI in Education and the Future of Work

22:09 Human Creativity vs. AI

25:32 Brainstorming with AI

28:00 Innovation-ish: Embracing Flexibility

33:44 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Key Takeaways

• Reinventing Education: We need to recognize that the traditional "old school" model, which relies on an industrial approach and is often disconnected from students' interests, is not working well. The vast majority of our lives' learning takes place in the unstructured "not school" environment, which includes things like the internet, play, and music. The "new school" model seeks to bridge these two ideas by freeing up teachers and resources to allow students to pursue their interests, which increases motivation and engagement.

• Three Elements of "New School": The new school model is built on three key elements: personal, relational, and active learning. Learning is personal when it is relevant and meaningful to the individual. It is relational because it involves a connection with others, like teachers and peers. Finally, learning is active when kids are deeply and authentically engaged.

• The Role of AI: We discuss how artificial intelligence will impact education by absorbing tasks that have little to do with teaching and learning, thereby freeing up teachers' time. For students, AI can personalize education in a way that traditional schooling cannot. We argue that instead of banning technology like phones in schools, adults should focus on creating safe learning environments and using these tools effectively.

Why You Should Listen

> This episode offers a hopeful perspective on the future of education, providing a roadmap for thinking about how we can reinvent our schools to better serve the next generation of learners.

> We provide a framework for understanding and discussing the challenges in education today, including the disconnect between traditional teaching methods and how kids actually learn.

> We offer insights into how to involve kids in conversations about what matters to them, which is a crucial step in creating a more relevant and engaging learning experience.

If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe and tell your friends. You can find us on all the major podcast platforms. Video episodes are on Youtube and Spotify.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:45 Bob Pianta's Career Journey

01:58 Howard Blumenthal's Media Career and Global Education

03:19 The Genesis of 'Kids on Earth

'08:00 Old School, New School, and Not School Framework

20:05 The Role of AI in Education

27:23 Global Perspectives and Future of Education

27:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this kickoff episode, Mike shares his eight trends for Fall 2025:

• Independent Media & Free Speech: Highlighting the importance of independent media and calling out the "chilling effects" on free speech in mainstream and broadcast media.

• Discernment: The ability to find "the signal in the noise" and filter out misinformation in a world of information overload.

• AI Dexterity: A focus on what people can do with AI rather than what AI can do for them, a phrase coined by Mike Yates.

• Golden Age of Educational Media: The rise of generative AI tools is revolutionizing the development of educational content and instructional design.

• Co-Design & Co-Creation: The importance of listening to and co-creating with students, families, and parents to foster a sense of connection and ownership.

• Human Agency: The idea that purpose and goals are a "super skill" that allows individuals to engage with new capabilities more productively.

• Cognitive Neuroscience: Applying the science of how our brains are structured and how we learn to develop more effective learning systems.

• Tutors & Mentors: The crucial role of human coaches, tutors, and mentors in a world increasingly influenced by AI.

We also bring back OG virtual co-host, Nancy, to discuss the Gartner Hype Cycle for 2025. We discuss how generative AI is now moving into the "Trough of Disillusionment" and that things like Model Ops and AI Engineering are quietly gaining momentum on the "Slope of Enlightenment". We also touch upon what's next, including AI agents and AI-native software engineering, and how AI is becoming a utility rather than a differentiator.

Listeners can look forward to upcoming interviews with an incredible lineup of guests, including:

• Rich Braden and Tessa Forshaw, authors of Innovation-ish.

• Howard Blumenthal and Bob Pianta, authors of Kids on Earth.

• Michael Ioffe the Co-Founder and CEO of Arist.

• AJ Gutierrez from Equal Opportunity Schools.

• Michelle Vilchez and Sean Michael Hardy from Innovate Public Schools.

• Jeff Young hosts Learning Curve.

• Liz City and Rachel Curtis, authors of Leading Strategically.

We are delighted to have you with us for Season 10! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts. Video versions are now available on YouTube and Spotify. Visit TrendinginEd.com for more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Season 10 of Trending in Education

01:24 New Dedicated Feeds for Focused Content

02:42 Upcoming Trends and Sneak Peeks

07:05 Trend 1: Free Speech and Independent Media

10:44 Trend 2: Discernment in the Attention Economy

12:28 Trend 3: AI Dexterity

13:50 Trend 4: Golden Age of Educational Media

16:09 Trend 5: Co-Design and Co-Creation

19:22 Trend 6: Human Agency 

26:07 Trend 7: Cognitive Neuroscience

27:26 Trend 8: Tutors/Coaches and Mentors

29:21 Recap of the Eight Trends in Education

31:43 Gartner Hype Cycle for 2025

34:21 Generative AI and the Trough of Disillusionment

37:22 Future Technologies and AI Agents

41:37 Conclusion and Future Episodes

We begin by hearing Shalinee's origins in consulting at Bain before she jumped into the opportunity to cofound Zearn and lead its growth to where it is today. She demonstrates ways to make math resonate with Mike as a sample pupil. Of course, there is talk of AI and how a love of math fits into the future of work and human life. And through it all, Shalinee grounds the conversation in the practical tips and surprising insights she's gleaned from students using an online math program to solve over one billion problems.

Don't miss this chance to dive deep into the future of math instruction with a renowned expert in the field who imparts unique wisdom about how math instruction needs to evolve for students, teachers, and parents.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of learning.

00:00 Introduction to Trending in Education

01:10 Meet Shalinee Sharma: From Bain to Zearn

02:52 The Mission of Zearn: Loving Math

06:35 Understanding Math Through Axiomatic Proofs

11:29 The Importance of Numeracy

18:48 Zearn's Approach to Math Education

22:08 Building Competence and Confidence

23:04 Engagement Strategies in Education

26:50 The Role of AI in Education

32:33 Conceptual Understanding in Math

36:11 Practical Tips for Parents and Teachers

42:09 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Key Takeaways:

• The Science of Reading: The importance of understanding the research behind reading acquisition and applying it to teaching practices beyond early elementary grades.

• Attention in the Digital Age: How screens and social media fragment attention, and the need to rebuild students' capacity for sustained concentration through practices like reading physical books and extended reading periods.

• The Social Nature of Reading: The value of shared reading experiences in fostering connection, meaning-making, and enjoyment, contrasting with individual, choice-based reading that can isolate students.

• Knowledge-Driven Comprehension: The understanding that reading comprehension is primarily driven by background knowledge, not just transferable skills, emphasizing the need to build students' knowledge base to improve their understanding of complex texts.

• The Power of Writing: The benefits of slow, durable, and difficult writing in the classroom for deep thinking, memory encoding, and improved discussion, especially in contrast to the shortcuts offered by AI.

Why You Should Listen: Discover how to reignite joy and meaning in the classroom by understanding the science of reading and practical strategies for improving student comprehension and engagement. Doug shares insights on combating the challenges of modern attention spans and leveraging the power of shared experiences and knowledge-building to cultivate lifelong readers.

Subscribe to Trending in Education so you never miss a conversation like this one!

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:01 Doug Lemov's Professional Journey

02:05 Founding a Charter School

03:02 Teach Like A Champion: Origins and Impact

07:36 The Science of Reading: New Book Insights

09:46 Challenges in Reading Education

13:49 The Importance of Attention in Reading

19:22 Social Aspects of Reading and Meaning Making

20:31 The Social Power of Books in the Classroom

21:09 The Debate on Book Choice in Education

22:06 The Importance of Shared Reading Experiences

23:22 Understanding the Role of Complex Texts in Education

26:38 The Cognitive Science Behind Close Reading

31:13 The Impact of Writing on Learning and Memory

36:37 The Role of Background Knowledge in Reading Comprehension

42:38 Concluding Thoughts and the Importance of Whole Book

Elliot Felix shares his mission of student success, drawing on his experience consulting with over 120 colleges and universities to improve student experiences through transformations in physical spaces, support services, and technology systems. He explains that his new book aims to provide an evidence-based playbook for higher education professionals to collaborate better for student success.

Key Takeaways:

• Addressing Disconnections in Higher Ed: Felix identifies five key disconnections the book addresses, including a lack of belonging among students (only 65% feel they belong), the disconnect between courses and careers, and the prevalence of siloed structures within institutions. He illustrates this with an example of a university having both a "writing lab" and a "writing center" performing similar functions due to historical and structural reasons.

• The Connected College Vision: Felix envisions a future where colleges and universities are better connected, leading to students feeling a stronger connection to their institution, their coursework linking to careers, and increased collaboration both internally and with external partners like corporations and community groups.

• Defining Student Success: The conversation delves into the multifaceted definition of student success, acknowledging that it can be viewed through metrics like retention and graduation rates, student engagement and belonging, or the individual student's perspective of success. Felix suggests common ground for student success includes students finding their community, their academic and career path, their place, and a sense of purpose.

• Silo Busting Strategies: Felix highlights that silos are common in organizations, particularly in higher education, which is designed for durability. He attributes this to a lack of clear strategy beyond broad, anodyne statements, and legacy structures that simply have new functions "bolted on" rather than integrated. Tactics for breaking down silos include sharing data to create a common understanding of students.

• Forward-Thinking Universities: Examples of innovative approaches include university-industry partnerships driving economic and workforce development, such as Carnegie Mellon's robotics innovation center and Rowan University's expansion into health and wellness and advanced manufacturing. Other examples include Imperial College London's enterprise lab, the University of South Florida's focus on entrepreneurship, and Arizona State's "Work Plus Learn" program.

Don't miss Elliot's new book, The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Student Success, available July 22nd wherever you get your books.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed so you never miss a conversation about leading the future of education in these transformative times.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:07 Elliot Felix's Background and Mission

02:26 The Connected College: Themes and Issues

06:28 Book Structure and Innovator Profiles

07:54 Defining Student Success

13:23 Silo Busting in Higher Education

17:14 AI and Future Trends in Higher Ed

20:36 The Importance of Combining Skills in Higher Education

21:06 Collaborative Spirit in Developing AI Policies

22:26 Navigating Political and Technological Disruptions

31:15 The Role of Higher Education in Economic Development

31:43 Innovative University-Industry Partnerships

33:08 Spotlighting Success Stories in Higher Education

35:49 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions

Don't miss this high-quality list of books that change your perspective and help move the needle in the world of education. Mike also shares book recommendations featuring Ethan Mollick, Chris Hayes, and Kevin Roose to round out the show.

And keep your eyes out for the new dedicated Trending in Ed Books feed, coming to you shortly from your friends at Palmer Media.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

We explore how Scratch, developed at the MIT Media Lab by Mitch Resnick, isn't just about teaching kids to code formally, but about providing an accessible, playful tool for creative expression. Discover how over 150 million young people have used the platform since 2007, creating more than a billion projects. We discuss the critical role of curiosity and imagination in a world increasingly shaped by AI, emphasizing how these distinctly human attributes help us remain in the driver's seat of technology.

Learn about the maker's mindset embedded in Scratch, where users actively engage with the platform to bring their ideas to life through games, stories, and animated environments. We also differentiate between Scratch Junior (for younger children) and Scratch, highlighting how the platform fosters durable skills like grit, resilience, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Dr. Honey explains Scratch's commitment to maintaining productive struggle and experimentation, ensuring AI serves as a tool to enhance, not replace, human creativity and problem-solving.

We also discuss the broader implications for K-12 education, the shift towards using technology as a generative tool for problem-solving and knowledge representation, and the importance of fostering a sense of agency in learners. Dr. Honey touches on the PISA assessment's new "Learning in the Digital World" component and how it aligns with Scratch's constructivist principles. Finally, we hear about the "Curiosity Convening" in October 2025, bringing together global researchers and practitioners to explore the most effective ways to nurture curious, hands-on learning.

Key Takeaways:

• Cultivating Curiosity & Imagination: In an AI-driven world, human attributes like curiosity and imagination are crucial for staying in control of technology and fostering creative competencies.
• The Maker's Mindset and Durable Skills: Scratch promotes an active "maker's mindset," encouraging children to build and create, thereby developing essential durable skills such as grit, resilience, logical thinking, and debugging.
• AI as an Enhancement, Not a Replacement: The Scratch Foundation aims for AI to be a tool that aids problem-solving and sparks curiosity, rather than performing tasks for users, preserving the valuable "productive struggle" in learning.
• Learning as Development: Emphasizing that learning is a foundational form of human development, fostering interaction, collaboration, and a sense of agency, rather than solely focusing on test outcomes.
• Global Shift in Education: We are seeing a global movement, exemplified by the OECD's new assessment, towards using technology as a generative tool for problem-solving and building representations of knowledge, shifting beyond simply learning to code.

Don't miss this insightful conversation that illuminates the future of education, work, and how we can empower the next generation with the skills and mindset to thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Video versions are up on Youtube and Spotify.

Key Takeaways:

• The Power of Constraints: Dr. Sawyer reveals that in leading art and design schools, creativity is often enhanced by constraints, not hindered by them. Professors use "highly constrained project assignments" or "parameters" to guide students, even in fields like painting where one might expect complete freedom.
• "Learning to See" Beyond the Obvious: The title of Dr. Sawyer's book, Learning to See, stems directly from his interviews with art and design professors who emphasize that their primary role is teaching students "how to see". This isn't about literal sight but a deeper, more abstract way of perceiving and engaging with the world.
• Creativity as an Iterative Process: The common myth that creativity is about a single brilliant idea followed by linear execution is debunked. Instead, art and design education fosters an "iterative, wandering, and non-linear" creative process, where good ideas emerge through engagement with the materials and ongoing refinement.
• The Role of Struggle and Ambiguity: Learning and creativity are inherently effortful. Effective creators learn to "welcome ambiguity" and "tolerate failure," recognizing these as opportunities for new directions and deeper understanding.
• Collaboration in the Studio Classroom: While students in art and design programs are assessed individually, the studio classroom fosters a collaborative environment where students receive feedback from peers and professors on their interim work, influencing their next steps.
• Lessons for the Future of Education: The project-based learning model prevalent in art and design aligns with cutting-edge research in learning sciences, particularly in STEM disciplines. This approach, which Dr. Sawyer calls "guided improvisation," offers valuable insights for cultivating critical thinking and problem-solving skills across all fields of study.

Why You Should Listen:

If you're interested in understanding the true nature of creativity, how expertise is cultivated, and what lessons traditional education can learn from art and design schools, this episode is a must-listen. Dr. Sawyer challenges common misconceptions about creativity, highlighting the essential roles of structure, iteration, and even struggle in the creative process. He also offers a thought-provoking perspective on how generative AI differs from human creativity and what it means for the future of work and learning.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts!

Key Takeaways:

• Margaret shares her origin story as a high school social studies teacher and how her experiences led to the founding of Subject to Climate.
• We learn about Subject to Climate's mission to make climate education "easy and effective" for K-12 teachers by providing vetted, standards-aligned resources and training.
• The conversation highlights the interdisciplinary nature of climate change, emphasizing that it's not just a science issue, but also involves social studies, English language arts, and more.
• We dive into the "gorillas in the room" – AI and the culture wars – discussing how climate literacy can be embedded within AI literacy initiatives in schools.
• Margaret provides a fantastic example of an English language arts lesson plan where students analyze poetry about climate change and even draft their school's generative AI policy.
• We explore the role of policy in system-wide change, citing examples like Maine's legislation for professional development funds for climate education.
• The discussion touches on foundational components of climate education, including systems thinking and problem-based learning, drawing on Christina Kwauk's work on skills for green jobs, green life skills, and transformative capacities.
• We address the challenge of "doom scrolling" and climate anxiety, emphasizing the importance of climate action and collective effort to foster hope and agency in students.
• Margaret shares how Subject to Climate's partners page and their news articles from The Juice (with a "Climate Solutions" filter) can help individuals connect with the broader climate education movement and find hopeful stories.
• Looking ahead, Margaret discusses how Subject to Climate is adapting to the increasing use of AI tools by teachers to ensure environmental concepts are still embedded in the learning process.

Why You Should Listen: This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of education and our planet. Margaret Wang-Aghania provides inspiring insights into how we can empower the next generation to understand and address climate change. We discuss practical strategies for integrating climate education into existing curricula, leveraging emerging technologies like AI responsibly, and fostering hope and agency in students. If you believe in the transformative power of education to solve complex global challenges, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Don't miss this engaging discussion! Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts.

Key Takeaways:

• Charles Beyrouthy's Journey: Charles shares his fascinating career path, from studying chemical engineering and biochemistry at UMass Amherst to accidentally falling into chemical engineering, working in microfluidics research, and eventually transitioning into oil and natural gas consulting before founding a lab software startup called LabCloud.
• The Boston Biotech Ecosystem: We discuss Boston's rise as a biotech hub, examining how VC firms like Flagship and Polaris provided not just funding but also operational support, placing executives and consultants to bridge the gap between IP-centric research and commercialization. This transformation was fueled by institutions like MIT, Harvard, and Boston University, and supported by a robust supplier base.
• Deep Tech Investment Landscape: Charles explains Forma Prime's focus on deep tech, particularly semiconductors, and why this sector sits uniquely between SaaS (low IP moat, high market following) and biotech (high IP moat, long regulatory cycles). Semiconductors offer a high IP moat, a low regulatory environment, and massive implementation potential.
• Quantum Technology & Its Applications: We delve into quantum computing, moving beyond the theoretical to discuss real-world applications like quantum GPS that don't rely on satellites and the system on the International Space Station which uses room-temperature neutral atom technology developed by Infleqtion. We also touch upon other use cases like quantum radio frequency technology and quantum GPS timekeeping for synchronization.
• Q Day and Cybersecurity: We also explore the concept of "Q Day" – the hypothetical point where quantum computers could break conventional encryption. While Charles believes conventional encryption standards like RSA 256 are still robust, he acknowledges the need for continued research and government support for quantum encryption. Gradient Technologies, a Forma Prime portfolio company, is pioneering hardware-authenticated access to enhance cybersecurity.
• Challenges in Academia and Industry Alignment: A critical theme is the disconnect between academia and entrepreneurial activity in the private sector. Charles advocates for better alignment in curricula, teaching styles, and practicums to ensure graduates emerge work-ready. He also emphasizes the need for professors to upskill in emerging technologies and for academia to prioritize practical application and societal value over purely academic pursuits.
• The Semiconductor Workforce Crisis: Charles issues a powerful call to action regarding the urgent need for skilled technicians and engineers in the US semiconductor industry. He highlights that we need at least 35,000 technicians for new fabs and urges educators to step forward to develop practical training programs to address this.

This is a must-listen for anyone interested in the bleeding edge of technology and its implications for our future. We unpack complex topics like quantum computing and its real-world applications, offering a clear and accessible overview. We also engage in a timely discussion about the critical role of education in preparing the next generation for a rapidly evolving technological landscape, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for collaboration between academia and industry. Don't miss it!

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Video versions are available on YouTube and Spotify.

Key Takeaways:

• Higher education faces significant disruptions, including declining enrollment, reduced research funding, and a shift towards an adjunct-focused model.
• Academic associations are crucial for faculty development and networking but struggle with declining membership and funding.
• There's a growing demand for academic associations to take political stances, which is challenging for their 501(c)(3) status.
• Collaboration and strategic planning are essential for academic associations and universities to navigate current challenges.
• The current political landscape highlights systemic issues like racism and discrimination, underscoring the need for mutual aid and community involvement.
• Empathy and taking action are vital in addressing societal and educational challenges, as discussed in Dr. Givens' upcoming book, Reckoning.
• It's crucial for higher education to better articulate its value, especially that of a liberal education, beyond just job prospects.
• The politicization of higher education is a concern, but it also presents an opportunity for institutions to unite and promote their positive impact.
• A historical and global perspective helps us understand and navigate current challenges, recognizing that societies have overcome major hurdles before.

Why You Should Listen:

• Gain insights into the significant challenges and disruptions impacting higher education and academic associations today.
• Learn about the critical role of academic associations and why their struggles have a "domino effect" on the broader academic landscape.
• Understand the call for greater collaboration and strategic foresight within higher education to address current and future crises.
• Hear Dr. Givens' perspective on how individuals can find agency and make an impact in a chaotic world, emphasizing local action and mutual aid.
• Explore the intersection of politics and education, and why staying politically involved is essential for everyone.
• Discover why higher education needs to re-articulate its value and address issues like declining male enrollment.

Tune in to hear Dr. Terri Givens share her extensive experience and sharp analysis on the state of higher education, the role of academic associations, and the power of empathy and action in these turbulent times. Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation!

This milestone episode marks the launch of a new sub-feed, Trending in Ed - AI, which will focus specifically on the intersection of education and artificial intelligence. The discussion covers a range of thought-provoking topics, including:

• Canny Centaurs and the Uncanny Valley: The hosts revisit concepts like "centaurs" from Advanced Chess and the Uncanny Valley from robotics, discussing how to blend AI with human intuition and empathy to avoid the pitfalls of technology that feels "creepy" while maximizing human augmentation in teaching and learning.
• AI in Practice and Pop Culture: The conversation explores AI's immediate applications in education, such as personalized tutoring systems akin to Baymax from Big Hero 6, and accelerated skill development through simulations, drawing parallels to Neo downloading skills in The Matrix. The ethical considerations raised in Black Mirror regarding data privacy and algorithmic bias are also discussed. Yeah, we hit some pop culture to keep things zeitgeisty!
• Sycophantic Drift: We introduce the fascinating (and humorous?) concept of "sycophantic drift," examining how AI assistants might unintentionally become overly agreeable and flattering, posing a challenge for designing educational AI that provides accurate feedback. Nancy marvels at how great we are at this!
• New AI Hardware and Surveillance: Then we touch on the intriguing collaboration between Jony Ive and Sam Altman to develop new AI hardware, specifically the "AI surveillance medallion," and the implications for privacy and continuous data capture.
• Contrasting AI Philosophies: Mike and Nancy highlight the differing perspectives of AI leaders, contrasting Luis von Ahn of Duolingo's "AI-first" strategy, which views AI as a superior teacher, with Dario Amodei of Anthropic's focus on AI safety, ethical alignment, and the potential for job displacement.
• Mary Meeker's Latest AI Report: The discussion concludes with an analysis of Mary Meeker's recent report on AI adoption, emphasizing its unprecedented speed, plummeting inference costs, and the "great reshuffling" of job roles, signaling AI as mandatory infrastructure rather than an optional one.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your pods to stay informed across the learning universe. Tune in to Trending in Ed - AI to gain deeper insights into the critical discussions shaping the future of AI and its use in education and technology.

• The Problem of a Confusing Marketplace: With nearly a million unique credentials offered by some 60,000 providers in the U.S., individuals face a daunting task in understanding how to acquire the skills needed for career advancement. Credential Engine aims to simplify this by putting all information into a common, accessible format.
• Beyond Traditional Credentials: The conversation highlights that a credential is any recognition of skills, from a high school diploma to a PhD, including apprenticeships, micro-credentials, and badges. A significant challenge lies in helping the 37 million adults with some college but no degree articulate their skills in the marketplace.
• The Power of Interoperability and Transparency: Cheney emphasizes the importance of interoperability—ensuring that a skill defined by one institution is understood consistently by another. This is achieved through the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), an open-source framework that standardizes information about credentials, skills, pathways, and outcomes.
• Navigating the AI Revolution: While AI offers immense potential for personalizing educational and career pathways, Cheney expresses concern about the quality of data currently feeding AI tools in the marketplace. The goal is to ensure that AI utilizes trusted, verifiable, structured data to truly empower individuals.
• A Bipartisan and Collaborative Effort: Credential Engine's work spans over 30 states and involves bipartisan discussions in Congress, underscoring a broad recognition of the need for greater transparency in education and workforce development. This is an ecosystem play, requiring collaboration from institutions, policymakers, and technology vendors to truly transform how individuals navigate their educational and career journeys.

If you're interested in the future of education, workforce development, and how technology can bridge the gap between skills and opportunities, this episode is a must-listen. Scott Cheney provides a clear and compelling vision for a more transparent and navigable credentialing ecosystem, offering insights into how standardized data and thoughtful policy can empower individuals and strengthen the economy. Learn why making sense of skills and credentials is as crucial as having reliable GPS for navigating your daily commute.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts to catch more conversations with leaders shaping the future of learning!

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:38 Scott Cheney's Professional Journey

03:16 Understanding Credential Engine

06:03 The Importance of Credentials and Skills

08:48 Interoperability and Standardization

13:39 Credential Transparency and Policy Advocacy

18:06 AI and the Future of Credentials

27:22 Blockchain and Global Credentialing

30:28 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

The conversation delves into the origins of Mitch's work, including his experience advising educational publishers and his pivotal trip to Niger where he first articulated the principles of "sensemaking," a precursor to mindshifting. They explore how these foundational mindsets are crucial in an era of constant disruption, from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

Key Takeaways:

• Mindshifting as a Foundational Skill: Mitch Weisburgh advocates for "mindshifting" as a critical skill set encompassing resourcefulness, resilience, and collaboration, essential for individuals and society to thrive in complex environments.
• Resourcefulness: Mastering Your Brain: Resourcefulness involves recognizing when your "survival brain" is holding you back, intercepting those instincts, and tapping into more resourceful parts of your mind.
• Resilience: Learning from Feedback: Resilience is about approaching new situations with an experimental mindset, viewing outcomes as feedback rather than failures, and continually adjusting to move forward.
• Collaboration: Connecting and Moving Forward: Effective collaboration requires understanding different conflict styles, building genuine connections with others, and finding solutions that satisfy everyone's needs.
• AI and the Future of Learning: While AI presents challenges, such as students using it to avoid genuine learning, it also offers immense potential to enhance collaborative interventions and practice opportunities in education.

Why You Should Listen: If you're an educator looking for innovative approaches to professional development, a professional seeking strategies for navigating complex challenges, or simply someone interested in personal growth and understanding the mental frameworks that drive success, this episode offers valuable insights. Mitch Weisburgh's accessible framework for mindshifting provides practical tools for improving resourcefulness, resilience, and collaboration in all aspects of life, from the classroom to personal well-being. His work emphasizes the inherent power within each individual to foster these essential qualities.

Subscribe to Trending in Education for more engaging conversations on the evolving landscape of learning and work!

Key Takeaways

• The Enduring Relevance of Early Discussions: Even before the pandemic, the "OG" hosts were discussing virtual learning, distance models, and the role of smartphones in the classroom, topics that remain highly relevant today.
• The Nuanced View of Elon Musk: The hosts reflect on their past fascination with Elon Musk's expansive thinking and ability to apply systems thinking across various domains, while also acknowledging the shift in public perception and the potential for too many ventures for one individual, not to mention the troubling devolution of his public persona.
• AI as a Tool for Both Progress and Concern: While recognizing AI's potential to enhance mental health solutions—such as processing large datasets for patient notes and improving crisis hotlines—the conversation also touches on concerns about AI's impact on human connection, critical thinking, and potential for widening societal gaps.
• The Evolution of Education and Lifelong Learning: The hosts discuss the potential for fundamental disruption in education, particularly with the rise of AI, and emphasize the increasing importance of lifelong learning as traditional educational paths evolve.
• The Importance of Courage and Human Connection: Amidst discussions of societal challenges and technological advancements, the conversation consistently returns to the significance of human connection and the need for courage to navigate uncertainty and take action.
• A Blast from the Past with a Modern Twist: For long-time listeners, this episode is a rare opportunity to hear the original trio back together, reminiscing about the early days of the podcast and reflecting on how their predictions and observations have played out.
• Deep Dives into Trending Topics: The hosts tackle pressing contemporary issues such as the impact of AI on mental health, the future of education, and the ongoing influence of figures like Elon Musk, offering diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis.
• Insights from Industry Leaders: Brandon Jones, CEO of Triad, shares his expertise on mental health in education and the potential of AI in behavioral health. Dan Strafford, an early podcasting adopter and new media producer, discusses his work in sales enablement and the continued evolution of video and audio production.

Don't miss this special reunion episode! Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an insight.

Marshall, whose journey winds from corporate advertising to the heart of educational advocacy, shares Ed Advancement's vital work: strengthening mission-driven colleges to fuel social mobility. The conversation moves beyond the hype surrounding AI to address the crucial need for ethical implementation, data sovereignty, and genuine collaboration with students and schools.

We discover how AI enablement—building robust data infrastructure—can unlock personalized learning, streamline advising, and ultimately drive student success. Marshall doesn't shy away from the challenges: algorithmic bias, the digital divide, and the ever-present need for AI literacy.

This isn't just a discussion about technology; it's a story about equity, access, and the future of learning.

Key Takeaways:

• AI enablement, focusing on data governance, is essential for leveraging AI tools.

• AI has the potential to create personalized pathways for students, improving advising and career planning.

• Addressing the ethical implications of AI, including bias, is crucial for equitable implementation.

• AI can potentially close the divide between well-resourced and under-resourced institutions.

• Institutions need to prioritize AI literacy and dexterity for both students and staff.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Join the conversation shaping what’s next in education.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:03 Cecilia Marshall's Professional Journey

02:51 About Ed Advancement

04:29 AI in Higher Education

07:51 Challenges and Opportunities with AI

09:52 AI Enablement and Data Utilization

12:00 Personalized Pathways and Student Success

16:14 AI Literacy and Ethical Considerations

20:33 Navigating Overwhelming Website Content

21:30 The Importance of Personalization for Students

22:45 Challenges Faced by HBCUs

24:55 Data Governance and Integration

27:26 IT Talent and Resource Allocation

32:11 Future of AI in Education

34:06 Personal Reflections and Career Advice

36:22 Concluding Thoughts and Takeaways

Drawing from her experience as a former high school chemistry and 8th-grade science teacher and her work with organizations like the Learning Accelerator, Juliana shares valuable perspectives on blended learning, teacher empowerment, and the innovative ways technology can transform classrooms.

Then we dive into Vivi's work in providing tools like digital signage, emergency alerts, and wireless screen sharing and how these tools are being implemented to build community, enhance safety, and create student-driven learning experiences.  

The episode also unpacks the findings of a research study conducted by Vivi in partnership with the Learning Accelerator, revealing the key drivers that enable teachers to feel successful.  

Key Takeaways:

• The Four Key Drivers of Teacher Success: Understand the framework that identifies what truly makes teachers feel successful, moving beyond just surviving to thriving in their profession.  

• Building Community and Connection: Discover the importance of fostering a sense of community and connection within schools and how it impacts both teacher and student success.  

• The Evolution of Classroom Technology: Explore how tools like Vivi are facilitating more student-driven learning environments and promoting flexibility in teaching and learning.  

• Looking Ahead to the Future of EdTech: Gain insights into the future of educational technology, including AI's potential role and the importance of creating flexible, future-proof solutions.  

Why You Should Listen:

If you're an educator, administrator, or anyone passionate about the future of education, this episode is a must-listen. You'll gain actionable insights into:

• How to cultivate a more supportive and empowering environment for teachers.

• Innovative strategies for leveraging technology to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

• The key elements of effective blended learning and personalized learning approaches.

• A glimpse into the classrooms of the future and how technology will shape them.

Join us for this engaging conversation with Juliana Finegan and discover how we can work together to create a brighter future for education. Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and insights in education and edtech.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

00:52 Journey into Blended Learning

01:15 Building Teacher Prep Programs

02:37 Scaling and Innovation in Education

05:15 Research on Teacher Success

07:04 Framework for Teacher Success

13:09 Building Relationships in the Classroom

13:55 Key Takeaways for Educational Leaders

14:26 Innovative Uses of Digital Signage

15:01 Morning Announcements and Student Engagement

17:17 Future of Classroom Technology

18:33 Vivi's Role in Modern Education

21:30 Flexible Learning Environments

24:19 Empowering Teachers and Students

24:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The conversation also explores the role of community and advocacy in empowering individuals to navigate their financial challenges.  

Key Takeaways:

• Financial Literacy is Essential: Understanding how money works and developing a healthy relationship with debt is crucial for financial well-being.

• Not All Debt Is Created Equal: Learning to distinguish between good and bad debt can empower individuals to use debt as a tool for wealth building.

• Community and Advocacy: Building a supportive community and advocating for consumer rights can help individuals overcome financial challenges and reduce feelings of isolation.

• Embrace Technology: Leveraging technology like AI can enhance financial education and provide more efficient access to valuable information.  

Why You Should Listen:

This episode offers valuable insights into the importance of financial literacy, the complexities of debt, and the power of community support. Whether you're facing financial challenges or seeking to improve your financial knowledge, this conversation provides practical advice and a fresh perspective on achieving financial wellness.

Subscribe to Trending in Education for more insightful discussions on the future of learning. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:31 Founders' Background Stories

02:35 Addison's Financial Publishing Journey

05:35 The Birth of Dealing with Debt

08:15 Building a Financial Literacy Community

12:08 Features of the Dealing with Debt Platform

25:08 Future Directions and AI Integration

29:43 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Key Takeaways:

• The Changing Face of Higher Ed: Discover why the traditional image of a college student is outdated and how institutions like National University are catering to "Anders" – the parents, employees, caregivers, and service members who make up the majority of today's student population.  

• Value-Rich Education: Learn about the importance of providing a return on investment for students through "value-rich education" that focuses on being credential-rich, connection-rich, and experience-rich.

• Navigating the Higher Ed Maze: Gain clarity on the diverse pathways in higher education and how to help students find the options that best suit their needs, including partnerships with community colleges and innovative funding models.  

• AI's Role in Education: Explore the potential of AI in higher education and the importance of finding a balance between hype and skepticism to thoughtfully integrate new technologies for the benefit of students and faculty.  

• The Power of Possibility: Embrace a "Possibilist" mindset to uncover the opportunities for positive change in education and leverage tools, technology, policies, and practices to create a brighter future for learners.  

Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the future of education. Whether you're an educator, administrator, policymaker, or simply interested in the evolving world of learning, Dr. Milliron's expertise and insights will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to embrace the possibilities of 21st-century education.

Don't Miss Out!

Subscribe to Trending in Education to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, discussions, and thought-provoking conversations shaping the future of learning. Join our community of education enthusiasts and be part of the movement to transform education for the better.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:32 Perspectives on the ASU+GSV Conference

02:15 Mark Milliron's Background

04:02 National University's Mission and Focus

05:11 Innovative Education Models

09:19 Value-Rich Education

11:30 Project-Based Learning with Riipen

12:06 Perception of Higher Education12:52 Navigating Educational Pathways

14:09 The Importance of Durable Skills

17:03 AI's Role in Higher Education

20:36 Final Thoughts and Possibilities

Alvin dives into the critical topic of adolescent literacy and highlights innovative solutions like World Book ClassMate, which leverages AI to personalize learning and boost student engagement. He also shares valuable insights on navigating the complexities of ed tech entrepreneurship, the importance of trusted resources in the age of disinformation, and the future of AI in education.  

Recorded live at the ASU+GSV Summit, this episode offers a blend of experience, expertise, and forward-thinking perspectives on the ever-evolving world of education.  

Key Takeaways:

• Ed tech solutions should focus on solving urgent problems, such as adolescent literacy, to ensure relevance and impact.  
• AI has the potential to transform teaching and learning by providing personalized support and enhancing teacher effectiveness.  
• Curation and trust are paramount in the age of AI to combat misinformation and ensure access to reliable information.  
• Successful ed tech ventures require a deep understanding of the education ecosystem, including implementation and distribution strategies.  

Why You Should Listen:

Whether you're an educator seeking innovative tools, an entrepreneur developing ed tech solutions, or simply curious about the future of education, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice. Alvin Crawford's expertise and real-world experience make this a compelling and informative listen.

Subscribe and Follow:

Stay ahead of the curve in education! Subscribe to Trending in Education for more engaging discussions and expert interviews. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

We dive deep into the evolving landscape of EdTech, discussing Coursera's impressive growth to 168 million users worldwide and its strategic partnerships with industry giants like Google, Meta, and IBM, as well as top universities. We tackle the complex relationship between AI and content development, the importance of accessible education through Coursera Coach and translations, and the ever-changing demands of the job market.  

Marni’s insights will make you feel like you’re right there with Mike and her, experiencing the energy of ASU+GSV, charting the forefront of educational innovation.

Key Takeaways:

• The transformative power of AI in personalizing learning experiences and addressing access challenges.  

• The importance of durable skills and AI literacy in preparing learners for the future of work.  

• The need for optimism and proactive engagement with AI to shape a positive future for education.  

Why You Should Listen:

If you're passionate about the future of education, the role of technology, or the power of accessible learning, this episode is a must-listen. Marni Baker Stein's expertise and Mike Palmer's engaging interview style provide invaluable insights into the trends shaping eLearning, EdTech, MOOCs, and higher education. You'll walk away with a deeper understanding of how Coursera is leading the charge in this dynamic era.

Don't miss out on this timely discussion! Subscribe to Trending in Ed, leave a comment, and share this episode with your network to keep the conversation going.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:39 Marni's Origin Story

01:35 Pioneering Online Education

02:57 Joining Coursera and Future of Learning

05:39 Impact of Generative AI on Content Development

09:02 Global Access and Translation Initiatives

12:22 Coursera Coach and Personalized Learning

14:31 Emotional Relationships with AI Agents

15:19 AI-Driven Personalized Learning

16:00 Preparing for Future Workplaces

16:26 Socratic Dialogue and Pedagogical Approaches

18:34 Emerging Skills and Career Trajectories

21:14 Durable Skills and Human Intelligence

24:06 AI in Education: From K-12 to Higher Ed

26:33 Optimism for the Future of AI

26:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The conversation delves into the core of the problem: the lack of focus on retention within the education sector. Nate highlights the often-overlooked importance of the educators' daily working experience and the necessity of addressing issues such as time management, voice and decision-making, and support.  

Key Takeaways:

• The significance of designing school environments that prioritize teacher well-being.  

• The impact of administrative turnover on school culture and stability.  

• Strategies for fostering teacher engagement and retention through recognizing teacher voice and promoting a healthy work environment.

• A discussion around compensation, highlighting that while better pay is necessary, it is not the sole solution to retaining teachers.  

Reasons Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a must-listen for educators, administrators, parents, and anyone invested in the health of the education system. Gain valuable insights into actionable strategies to combat burnout, foster positive school cultures, and ultimately improve the educational experience for both teachers and students.  

To ensure you never miss an insightful discussion, subscribe to Trending in Education on your favorite podcast platform. Video episodes now live on Youtube and Spotify.

The discussion explores the shortcomings of traditional career guidance methods, emphasizing the significance of understanding an individual's innate aptitudes rather than relying solely on interest and personality tests. Edson and Mike tackle critical issues such as integrating career-connected learning into education systems, addressing the skills gap in the workforce, and the nuanced role of aptitude assessments in fostering inclusion and equity. Here's a link to the 2025 State of the Future Workforce Report cited in the episode.  

Key Takeaways:

• The limitations of interest and personality tests in providing effective career guidance.  

• The importance of identifying and nurturing individual aptitudes for career success.  

• Strategies for integrating career-connected learning into education from an early age.  

• The widening skills gap in the labor market and the need for better alignment between education and workforce demands.  

• The significance of providing effective guidance and mentorship to students.  

Why You Don't Want to Miss This:

This episode offers invaluable insights for educators, administrators, parents, and anyone invested in shaping the future of education and workforce development. By challenging conventional approaches and advocating for a more holistic understanding of individual capabilities, Edson Barton provides a compelling roadmap for empowering learners and building a stronger, more adaptable workforce.  

Don't miss out on this thought-provoking discussion! Subscribe to Trending in Ed to stay at the forefront of the latest trends and innovations in education.

We tackle the pressing question: Why haven't post-COVID attendance rates rebounded? Colleen, Izzy, and Mike Palmer challenge the traditional view of absenteeism and introduce a fresh perspective that focuses on who is learning rather than simply who is present.  

Discover the Five Profiles of Engagement: Engaged, Systemically Blocked, Real Life Learners, Checked Out, and In Crisis. Learn why it’s crucial to understand these nuances to effectively support today's students.  

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of disaggregating the reasons behind absenteeism to provide more tailored support.  
• How to shift the focus from attendance to engagement and learning, both inside and outside the classroom.  
• Practical strategies for educators, including co-creating learning experiences with students and making learning relevant.  

Why You Should Listen:

Whether you're an educator, parent, policymaker, or simply interested in the future of education, this episode offers vital insights and actionable strategies to address the new absenteeism and foster a more engaging and relevant learning environment for all students.  

Subscribe wherever you get your pods. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Mike and Deb discuss the importance of addressing the literacy gap, the “science of reading,” and how AI can be used responsibly and effectively to support diverse, including neurodiverse, learners. We also explore the balance between compassionate teaching and the relentless pursuit of literacy for all children.  

Key Takeaways:

• Discover Deb Mallin's personal story and the mission behind Mighty Doodle.  
• Understand how Mighty Doodle’s AI-powered platform helps children build foundational literacy skills through engaging mini-games.  
• Explore the debate around the science of reading and how it intersects with child-centered learning approaches.  
• Learn how AI can be a valuable tool for personalized learning, especially for children with neurodiversity.  
• Gain insights into the importance of “compassionate relentlessness” in education.  

Why You Don't Want to Miss This:

• If you're a parent, educator, or anyone passionate about improving literacy outcomes for children, this episode offers valuable perspectives and practical solutions.  
• You'll gain a deeper understanding of the potential of AI to personalize learning and address the literacy gap.
• Deb Mallin's insights provide a hopeful and actionable vision for the future of literacy education.
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To hear more insightful conversations like this, subscribe to Trending in Education on your favorite podcast platform. Join the conversation and be part of the community shaping the future of learning.

Dacia shares her 26-year journey in education, from her early days as a teacher and principal in New Haven, Connecticut, to her pivotal role in scaling Achievement First, a network of 41 schools. Dacia discusses the challenges of addressing student needs and teacher support after the disruptions of Covid-19, and how Coursemojo empowers teachers with an AI-powered assistant that integrates with high-quality curriculum materials (HQIM) to drive student success.

Key Takeaways:

• AI can enhance teacher efficacy and student engagement.
• Effective edtech requires co-design with educators and a focus on results.
• Coursemojo emphasizes social learning and teacher efficacy.
• Dacia Toll highlights AI's potential to transform assessment in K12.

Why you can't miss this episode:

• Gain insights into the future of AI-driven personalized learning in K12.
• Learn how Coursemojo is addressing critical challenges in ELA education.
• Hear a powerful call to action for collaboration between edtech providers and school leaders.
• Be inspired by Dacia Toll's vision for transforming teaching and learning.

Join us to hear Dacia's vision for the future of AI in education and its potential to transform teaching and learning, offering valuable insights for educators, administrators, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and education.

Stepping back into the world of education after their acclaimed film Unlikely (here's the link to their prior appearance talking about it in 2019), the Fendersons' new docuseries, now airing on PBS, intimately chronicles the journey of six East Bay students and their dedicated advisor, Mr. Cam, during the unprecedented challenges of the 2020-2021 school year.  

Delving beyond the headlines, The Class offers a poignant look at the resilience, struggles, and triumphs of students navigating their path to higher education amidst a global pandemic.  

Through the series, we witness the profound impact of a supportive mentor, the power of community, and the enduring importance of empathy and grace in education.  

Key Takeaways:

• The vital role of counselors, advisors, and mentors in supporting students' journeys to and through higher education.  
• The transformative power of storytelling in fostering empathy and understanding.  
• The necessity of processing collective trauma through open conversation and community support.  
• The enduring resilience of students in the face of adversity.  

Why You Don't Want to Miss This Episode:

In a time when education faces unprecedented challenges and the need for connection and support is paramount, this episode of Trending in Ed offers a refreshing and deeply human perspective.

Whether you're an educator, a student, a parent, or simply someone who cares about the future of education, this conversation with Jaye and Adam Fenderson will leave you inspired, moved, and ready to champion the CAMs (counselors, advisors, mentors) in your own community.  

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the power of mentorship, the importance of empathy, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more amazing conversations like this one.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:25 Meet the Filmmakers: Jaye and Adam Fenderson

00:43 The Journey in Education Documentaries

00:59 The Class: A New Documentary Series

04:53 Challenges and Inspirations During the Pandemic

09:28 The Unexpected Path to PBS

10:51 Reflecting on the Impact of COVID-19

14:24 The Importance of Grace and Empathy

16:08 Challenges of Filming During the Pandemic

17:13 Introducing the Series and Its Characters

18:08 The Power of Storytelling in Building Empathy

19:37 The Impact of College Advisors

23:21 Future Projects and Final Thoughts

Emily shares her journey from a PhD in Psychology and Statistics to founding HAI Analytics, highlighting her passion for using data to drive decision-making in higher education. They discuss the importance of predictive analytics, the challenges and opportunities for data implementation in higher education, and the skills needed for success in data science.  

Key Takeaways:

• The evolution of AI and its applications in predictive analytics.  
• Challenges higher education institutions face in becoming more nimble and data-driven.
• Strategies for developing effective dashboards and data infrastructure.  
• The balance between leveraging data for insights and maintaining data security and privacy.  
• Essential skills and advice for aspiring data scientists.  

Why You Shouldn’t Miss This Episode:

This conversation provides valuable insights for anyone interested in the role of data in shaping the future of higher education. Whether you're an educator, administrator, or data enthusiast, Emily’s expertise offers a unique perspective on how institutions can harness the power of data to improve student outcomes, optimize resources, and navigate the evolving landscape of education.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

Dana shares her inspiring origin story, from her upbringing with activist parents who had the first legal interracial marriage in Virginia, to her work in public policy, beginning at the Kennedy School and even working with Jerry Brown when he was the Mayor of Oakland. The through line for all of this is Dana's passion for creating change. Then we connect this to her role driving Study.com's mission to provide affordable access to education through the initiatives she leads to address key issues in education today.  

Key Takeaways:

• Discover how Study.com is working to bridge the gap in education by providing affordable and accessible learning solutions.  
• Gain insights into Study.com's recent survey of 700 educators on NAEP scores, revealing the critical role of family engagement and support in student success.  
• Explore how Dana views AI's role in education, including its potential to personalize learning and her concerns about widening achievement gaps.  
• Understand the importance of teacher diversity and representation, and learn about initiatives to create a more representative and diverse educator pipeline.  
• Get a sneak peek at Study.com's upcoming initiative to tackle the high cost of college and support working adults in completing their degrees.  

Why You Shouldn't Miss This Episode:

This episode offers a unique blend of personal insights and professional expertise, providing listeners with a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities in education today. Whether you're an educator, policymaker, or simply passionate about social impact, this conversation will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to make a difference.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed so you never miss conversations like this one. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Video versions now on Youtube and Spotify.

We delve into Yashchin's experience at IBM's Watson education business unit, where he worked on applying AI in education with early language models. We then explore his current venture, Subconscious AI, and its groundbreaking work using language models to replicate experiments in psychology, sociology, and economics.  

We tackle the complexities of AI in education, discussing the importance of thoughtful integration to maximize learning outcomes. We also address the ethical considerations of AI research, including the fascinating responses of LLMs to questions of harm and consent.  

Key Takeaways:

• Discover how language models are being used to simulate human behavior and revolutionize research in social sciences.  
• Gain insights into the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI in education, including the crucial role of human oversight.  
• Understand the ethical dilemmas researchers face when using LLMs to study sensitive topics like harm and addiction.  
• Explore the debate around the future of AI development, including concerns about emergent behaviors and the importance of EQ in AI.  
• Learn why a balanced approach to AI is essential, encouraging both exploration and caution.  

Why You Don't Want to Miss This Episode:

This episode offers a thought-provoking exploration of AI's current and potential impact on various fields, including education, research, and even our understanding of social behavior. Whether you're an educator, researcher, or simply curious about the future of AI, this conversation provides valuable insights and raises essential questions about the ethical and practical implications of this rapidly evolving technology.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Video episodes are now live on Youtube and Spotify.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:04 Avi Yashchin's Early Career and Wall Street Experience

03:12 Entrepreneurial Journey and Clean Edison

03:33 AI in Education and IBM Watson

05:46 Founding Subconscious AI and Climate Change Experiments

07:01 Using Language Models for Social Experiments

16:06 Ethical Considerations and AI Limitations

22:01 Final Thoughts and Advice for the Future

Now, at the helm of AERDF, Auditi is driving a new approach to R&D in education, one that models itself on advanced research project agencies like DARPA, emphasizing cross-sector collaboration and a focus on breakthrough innovations. We dive into AERDF's four key programs, including the groundbreaking AugmentEd, which explores the role of AI in augmenting teaching and learning. We also discuss EF+Math, Assessment for Good, and Reading Reimagined, each tackling critical challenges in education with a focus on evidence-based solutions.  

Key Takeaways:

• Discover AERDF's innovative approach to education R&D, inspired by models like DARPA, and its potential to revolutionize teaching and learning.  
• Explore the transformative power of AI in education and how AERDF's AugmentEd program is working to shape the future of AI-augmented classrooms.  
• Learn about AERDF's initiatives to advance assessment practices, improve math skills through executive function development, and address literacy challenges in grades 3-8.  
• Understand the critical importance of R&D in education and how it drives evidence-based practices to support teachers and students.  

Why You Don't Want to Miss This:

This episode offers a unique glimpse into the future of education R&D and the potential for groundbreaking innovations to transform teaching and learning. Whether you're an educator, researcher, policymaker, or simply passionate about the future of education, this conversation with Auditi Chakravarty will leave you inspired and informed.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:57 Auditi's Origin Story

01:17 Journey Through Kaplan and College Board

02:16 The Role and Impact of AP Programs

06:32 Transition to AERDF

07:31 Understanding AERDF's Mission

09:19 Exploring AERDF's Programs

09:45 The Role of AI in Education

16:53 AugmentEd: The Future Classroom

22:40 Other AERDF Programs

29:41 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Lindsay shares her inspiring journey from college hoops to teaching to leading a cutting-edge organization that's transforming how we develop and support educational leaders. We discuss the critical need to invest in people, move beyond traditional professional development, and reimagine the roles of principals and superintendents.  

Key takeaways include:

• The importance of generational investments in educators to achieve high levels of student success.  
• A deep dive into innovative leadership development models that move beyond traditional methods.  
• A fresh perspective on the evolving role of the superintendent, from "chief teacher" to a community-focused "mayor" figure focused on civic engagement.  
• Strategies for restructuring school leadership to better support teachers and foster a more collaborative environment.  
• An insightful exploration of how lessons from the private sector and other industries can inform and improve educational practices.  
• A candid discussion on the potential and challenges of AI in education, with a focus on preserving the importance of human connection.  
• An urgent call to address the changing landscape of the teaching profession and provide robust support for new educators.  

This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about educational leadership, innovation, and creating sustainable change in our schools. We tackle the tough questions and offer actionable insights for educators, administrators, and policymakers alike.

Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on:

• How to cultivate effective leadership at all levels of the education system.  
• Strategies for building resilient and supportive school communities.  
• The future of teaching and learning in an evolving world.  

Don't miss this engaging conversation! Subscribe to Trending in Education for more thought-provoking discussions on the forces shaping the future of education.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:34 Lindsay Whorton's Origin Story

01:23 International Education Insights

03:11 The Role of Sports in Education

04:21 Leadership Development at Holdsworth

05:23 Challenges in K-12 Education

08:09 Superintendent and Principal Roles

09:36 Future Directions for Holdsworth

12:21 Adapting to Modern Educational Needs

16:52 The Role of Nonprofits in Education

19:28 AI in Education

25:12 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Dana shares the compelling origin story behind Riipen, revealing the challenges that he and his business partner witnessed among their peers—the struggle to gain that crucial first work experience. Learn how this inspired the creation of Riipen, a platform that's embedding project-based learning directly into a higher ed curriculum, providing students with invaluable real-world experience, vital professional connections, and essential career clarity.

Why You Can't Miss This Episode:

• For Students: Uncover how to get a head start on your career, build a powerful portfolio, and gain the confidence and skills employers demand. Learn how to navigate the evolving job market and future-proof your skills.  

• For Educators: Discover innovative strategies to enhance your curriculum, boost student engagement, and ensure your graduates are career-ready. Learn how to build stronger connections with industry and stay at the forefront of educational innovation.  

• For Employers: Learn how to tap into fresh talent, gain valuable insights from the next generation, and support your community—all while addressing your project needs.  

• For Anyone Interested in the Future of Work: Gain exclusive insights into the skills revolution, the impact of AI on the workforce, and the urgent need for AI literacy in education. Understand how platforms like Riipen are leading the charge in preparing individuals for the changing world of work.  

This episode isn't just informative—it's transformative. You'll walk away with actionable insights and a deeper understanding of how learners, higher ed institutions, and employers benefit from a platform focused on work-based learning.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Video episodes available on Spotify and Youtube.

00:00 Welcome to Trending in Education

00:17 Introducing Dana Stephenson and Riipen

01:20 The Origin Story of Riipen

02:26 Challenges and Solutions in Work-Based Learning

05:40 The Role of Higher Education Institutions

13:04 The Skills-Based Revolution and AI

23:48 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

25:42 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

We dive into Dr. Sanchez's origin story and learn how his early work as the youngest director of mental health in North Carolina led him to develop a resiliency-based treatment model for at-risk kids. We discuss how increasing protective factors, like positive relationships, can improve brain function and foster resilience, even in those not naturally resilient. We also explore the neuroscience of empathy and how it can be developed in students.  

We also tackle critical issues such as the impact of poverty on brain development and the challenges of teaching in today's environment. We discuss the importance of understanding the neuroscience of bias and how it can be addressed in schools. Finally, we consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI in education, emphasizing the need to use technology to enhance, not replace, cognitive development.  

Key takeaways include:

• Resilience can be taught by focusing on protective factors and their impact on brain function.  
• Understanding the neuroscience of empathy can help educators create more supportive and effective learning environments.  
• Poverty significantly impacts brain development, requiring targeted interventions in schools.  
• AI has the potential to be a beneficial tool in education, but it must be used thoughtfully to support learning, not replace it.  

Tune in to discover how applied neuroscience can transform teaching practices, improve school climate, and empower students to thrive. Don't miss this engaging conversation! Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:39 Dr. Horacio Sanchez's Origin Story

01:37 Understanding Resiliency and Protective Factors

02:41 The Impact of Relationships and Neuroscience

04:39 Books and Applied Neuroscience in Education

05:23 The Role of Empathy and Technology

07:46 Poverty's Effect on Brain Development

09:34 Neuroscience of Bias

19:56 Reading and Writing: Neuroscience Insights

26:40 Artificial Intelligence in Education

31:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

We explore a wide range of topics, including the growing importance of micro schools, the impact of new media on learning, the evolving landscape of Career and Technical Education (CTE), and the double-edged sword of AI in the talent marketplace. We also tackle critical questions about ethical AI use, the reimagining of higher education, and the essential role of relational intelligence in a tech-driven world.  

Key Takeaways:

• Discover how CTE is being reinvented to meet the demands of the modern workforce.  
• Understand the challenges and opportunities AI presents for both job seekers and employers.  
• Gain insights into the evolving conversations around higher education and alternative credentialing.  
• Explore the importance of relational intelligence and social capital in the age of AI.  

Reasons for Listening:

• Stay ahead of the curve on the trends influencing education, from K-12 to higher ed and the workforce.  
• Gain valuable perspectives from leaders in education, technology, and workforce development.  
• Understand the critical intersection of education and employment in a rapidly changing world.

Don't miss out on this engaging and informative discussion! Subscribe to Trending in Ed to keep up with everything happening in the rapidly changing world of education.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Event Overview

01:45 Meet the Panelists

02:18 Mike Yates on AI and Education

03:11 Jenn Stredler on Workforce and Education

04:24 Julia Shatilo on South by Southwest EDU

07:20 Panel Discussion on Trends

27:37 AI and Relational Intelligence

27:52 Howard Gardner on Mentorship vs. Influencers

28:58 Model Flexibility and Adaptive Intelligence

30:51 Social Capital and Workforce Trends

33:43 AI's Role in Human Connection

40:14 Gen Z and Apprenticeships

54:28 Future Predictions and AI Skepticism

58:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

We’re diving deep into the world of playful learning and the rollout of LEGO Education Science with Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Impact Education at LEGO. In this fun and insightful conversation, we explore the latest from LEGO Education with a special appearance from host Mike Palmer's six-year-old son, Matthew, who joins in the fun, building and creating with LEGOs as we chat! You'll hear from Mike's wife and occasional Co-Host, Dr. Robin Naughton, who weighs in as a Librarian and Information Scientist at Queens College where she's thinking about Teacher Training and Maker Spaces.

Note: there's a bit of the conference buzz in the background, but that's part of the magic – capturing the excitement of learning and discovery in action.  

Dr. Nash, a true legend in the field, shares her expertise on problem-based learning and science education while describing LEGO's innovative approaches to K-12 education. We discuss the importance of hands-on learning and how LEGO Education is bringing engagement back into the classroom. We also delve into the findings of LEGO's State of Classroom Engagement Report, highlighting the critical role of engagement and confidence in student learning.

Key Takeaways:

• The LEGO Education Science program and its focus on purposeful play to achieve learning outcomes. Plus motors and wheels are cool!  
• How LEGO Education is designed to be classroom-ready, supporting teachers with lesson plans, slide decks, and professional development.  
• The balance between structured and unstructured play in educational settings.  
• Insights into fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills in the classroom.  

Whether you're an educator, parent, or just a lover of LEGOs, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the power of play in education.  

Don't Miss:

• Matthew’s creative LEGO car designs and his interaction with Dr. Nash.  
• The discussion around extending hands-on learning into teacher training programs.  

Subscribe to Trending in Education to stay on top of the latest trends and innovations shaping the future of learning!  

A special thanks to Dr. Robin Naughton and Matthew Palmer for joining the conversation, and of course, to Dr. Jenny Nash for sharing her expertise and passion for LEGO Education.  

Until next time, keep exploring, keep playing, and keep learning!

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:11 Meet Dr. Jenny Nash from LEGO Education

00:51 Playful Learning with LEGO

02:02 Hands-On Learning and Engagement

04:03 LEGO Education Science

09:28 Collaborative Learning with LEGO

11:37 Teacher Workshops and Professional Development

12:04 Classroom Ready Resources for Teachers

13:18 Balancing Play and Structure in Learning

14:58 Extending LEGO Education to Higher Grades

15:43 Hands-On Learning in Teacher Training

18:40 Collaborative Learning and Its Importance

20:35 LEGO Education Science and Competitions

22:38 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

23:14 Conclusion and Future Episodes

Subscribe to the feed so you don't miss upcoming episodes including our amazing panel session with Mike Yates, Jenn Stredler, and Julia Shatilo, and Mike's interviews in upcoming episodes with Jenny, Lindsay, and Dana and more.

Key takeaways:

• The importance of hands-on learning and engagement in education: Palmer discusses the importance of hands-on learning and engagement in education with Nash and Stephenson. Hands-on learning allows students to be more engaged and have a deeper understanding of the material.  
• The need for flexibility and adaptability in a rapidly changing world: Palmer emphasizes the need for flexibility and adaptability in a rapidly changing world. He discusses how this is important for both parents and educators.  
• The power of tiny experiments and small wins in achieving goals: Palmer talks about the power of tiny experiments and small wins in achieving goals. He provides examples of how this can be applied to both personal and professional goals.  
• The role of AI in education and the workforce: Palmer discusses the role of AI in education and the workforce with Stephenson. He talks about how AI can be used to personalize learning and provide students with more relevant experiences.  
• The importance of connecting research to startup activity and venture activity: Palmer emphasizes the importance of connecting research to startup activity and venture activity. He talks about how this can help to bring new ideas and products to market faster.  

Subscribe to Trending in Ed where you get your pods and on Youtube to keep up with the accelerating pace of change in education.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and South by Southwest EDU Overview

00:29 March Madness of Learning Trends Panel

02:25 Family Adventures at South by Southwest EDU

03:30 Workforce Development and Future of Work

05:07 Reflections on Past South by Southwest EDU Experiences

08:01 Live Podcast Session Highlights

11:03 Lego Education and Hands-On Learning

14:48 STEM and Maker Kits at the Expo Hall

18:31 Keynote Highlights and Tiny Experiments

21:11 Interviews with Educational Leaders

28:00 Closing Thoughts and Upcoming Conferences

Kerekes discusses the Equitable Foundation's multifaceted approach to education, encompassing college and career readiness for students, support for K-12 educators, and initiatives aimed at fostering vibrant and healthy communities. He delves into the foundation's scholarship program, which has helped over 7,300 scholars access post-secondary education, with a particular focus on BIPOC and first-generation students. Throughout the episode, Kerekes provides valuable insights into the challenges facing education today, including rising costs, the need for better support systems, and the importance of social capital and networking in bridging students into successful careers.  

Key takeaways:

• Education is transformative: Kerekes emphasizes the power of education to change lives and create economic and social mobility, particularly for underserved students.  
• Finding your passion is key: Kerekes encourages students to find their "why" and pursue their passions to unlock their full potential.  
• Giving back is essential: Kerekes highlights the importance of community engagement and using one's voice and resources to make a difference.  

Subscribe to Trending in Education to stay informed and inspired by insightful conversations with leaders like Jarian Kerekes who are shaping the future of education.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:29 Jarian's Origin Story

02:09 Career Journey and Impact of Education

02:50 Equitable Foundation's Mission and Focus

04:58 Philanthropy and Community Engagement

06:07 Scholarship Programs and Higher Education

07:09 Challenges and Support in Higher Education

10:17 Volunteerism and Finding Your Why

12:36 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

14:44 Supporting First-Generation and Low-Income Students

22:59 Career Advice and Professional Development

29:09 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Source for Equitable’s distinction as the #1 provider of K-12 403(b) plans for 10 consecutive years: LIMRA, Not-for-Profit Survey, Q2 2024 results, based on 403(b) plan participants and contributions. Survey results include plans issued by Equitable Financial and Equitable America. Equitable is the brand name of the retirement and protection subsidiaries of Equitable Holdings, Inc., including Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (Equitable Financial), Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America (Equitable America), an AZ stock company with an administrative office in Charlotte, NC, issuers of insurance and annuity products and Equitable Distributors, LLC.

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Listeners will gain valuable insights into the intersection of assistive technology, artificial intelligence, and universal design for learning (UDL). Lomellini discusses the transformative potential of AI in empowering individuals with disabilities and emphasizes the importance of keeping humans in control of these technologies.  

This episode is a must-listen for educators, instructional designers, and anyone interested in creating inclusive learning experiences. Lomellini's expertise and personal experiences offer a unique perspective on the future of education and the role of technology in fostering accessibility for all.  

Key Takeaways

• AI has the potential to revolutionize accessibility in education, but it's crucial to maintain human oversight and ensure ethical implementation.  
• Universal design for learning (UDL) benefits everyone, not just individuals with disabilities.  
• Accessibility storytelling can foster empathy and understanding, leading to more inclusive learning environments.  
• The future of ed tech depends on incorporating the voices and experiences of individuals with disabilities in the design and development process.  

Subscribe and Share

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Trending in Education for more thought-provoking conversations on the latest trends in educational technology. Don't forget to share this episode with your colleagues and friends who are passionate about creating inclusive learning environments.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:42 Amy's Origin Story

01:55 Career Journey and Challenges

03:38 Role at Anthology and Accessibility Initiatives

05:52 AI and Assistive Technology

08:45 Ethical Considerations and Human Control

16:41 Universal Design for Learning

19:13 Future of Accessibility and Career Advice

20:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Key takeaways:

• The Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement at Emory University aims to bridge the gap between academia and the public by helping scholars communicate their research in clear and accessible ways.  
• The Center hosts events such as the Ideas Festival Emory and the Public Scholarship Academy, which provide scholars with training in media, podcasting, and storytelling.  
• Carter emphasizes the importance of listening, empathy, and understanding the audience's needs in effective public scholarship.  

Why you should listen:

This episode provides valuable insights into the importance of public scholarship and the role of academics in making knowledge accessible to wider audiences. Carter's expertise in psychology and his passion for public engagement offer a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of communicating complex ideas in a clear and engaging manner.  

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts!

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:21 Reintroducing Dr. Kenneth Carter

00:43 Public Scholarship and Engagement

02:11 The Center's First Year and Signature Events

04:11 The Role of Media in Public Engagement

09:44 Public Scholarship Academy

12:29 Psychology Insights and Public Discourse

18:52 Future of Public Scholarship

20:59 Conclusion and Takeaways

We reference the WEF Future of Jobs Report and the Kapor's Guide to Responsible AI.

Key Takeaways:

• The tech industry is not representative of the population. This lack of diversity limits innovation and economic opportunity.
• AI is rapidly changing the job market. The fastest-growing jobs and skills are related to AI, big data, and cybersecurity.
• Critical thinking and ethical considerations are essential in AI development and use. Students need to be prepared to analyze and evaluate AI technologies.
• Diversity in tech is crucial for creating AI solutions that benefit everyone. A broader understanding of AI will be beneficial across various fields.
• Educators have a vital role to play in preparing students for the age of AI. They need to foster critical thinking, curiosity, and a passion for learning.

Why You Should Listen:

Dr. Allison Scott provides a compelling vision for the future of tech education. She emphasizes the importance of diversity, critical thinking, and ethical considerations in the development and use of AI. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of work, education, and technology.

Subscribe to Trending in Education to stay informed about the latest trends and insights in the field.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:43 Dr. Allison Scott's Origin Story

01:07 Understanding Inequality in Education

02:55 The Kapor Foundation's Mission

03:36 The Leaky Tech Pipeline Framework

05:40 Responsible AI and Diversity

06:52 Preparing the Next Generation for AI

10:38 Critical Thinking and AI Education

11:25 Future of Work and Skills

13:56 Encouraging Innovation and Problem Solving

22:04 Philanthropy and Nonprofits in Tech

23:19 Conclusion and Takeaways

Key Takeaways:

• AI is poised to revolutionize education and assessment, but we are still in the early stages of understanding its full potential.  
• The development of large language models (LLMs) has opened up exciting new possibilities for adaptive learning and personalized assessment.  
• The integration of AI in education requires a human-centered approach, with educators and learners working in tandem with AI tools.  
• The future of work will demand adaptability and a willingness to embrace lifelong learning, as AI continues to reshape industries and job roles.  

Why You Should Listen:

This episode provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of AI in education, offering a balanced perspective on both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Shapiro's expertise and experience in the field make for a compelling and informative discussion that will be of interest to educators, technologists, and anyone interested in the future of learning.  

Subscribe today and stay informed on the latest trends in education and technology!

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Special AI Edition

01:09 Steve Shapiro's Origin Story

02:58 The Birth and Evolution of FineTune

05:13 AI's Role in Assessment

09:54 Prometric Acquisition and High-Stakes Exams

15:56 The DeepSeek Kerfuffle and AI Market Dynamics

20:52 Future of AI in Education and Assessment

29:07 Advice for Entrepreneurs and Future of Work

33:40 Closing Thoughts and Takeaways

Jenee shares her journey into education, which began with a background in international economics and led her to Teach for America to become a teacher and advocate for students' voice and teacher/community empowerment. We discuss the limitations of the traditional "industrial" model of education and explore the concept of community-based design, where schools partner with students, parents, and the wider community to create learning experiences that are relevant, engaging, and empowering.  

Key Takeaways:

• The current design of school is a 100-year-old model that needs to be redesigned to meet the needs of today's learners.  
• Learning experiences should be relevant, engaging, and customized to each student's needs.  
• Community-based design brings together students, parents, educators, and community members to create a shared vision for education.  
• Schools should be learning engines that constantly evolve to meet the changing needs of students and society.  

Subscribe to Trending in Education to hear more insightful conversations like this one with Jenee.

The two discuss the role of parents, and the give and take of "serve-and-return" interactions with early learners in fostering relational intelligence and building synaptic connections early in life. Hau emphasizes the importance of play in early childhood development and offers advice for parents on how to encourage healthy social and emotional growth in their children while avoiding the risks of over-parenting and over-structuring children's lives.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

• Relational intelligence (RQ) is a critical skill that is becoming increasingly important in a world dominated by artificial intelligence.
• RQ is developed through early childhood experiences, particularly through interactions with parents and caregivers.
• Parents can foster RQ in their children by being present and engaged with them, and by providing opportunities for unstructured play.
• RQ is not just important for early childhood development, but for success throughout life.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts! Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Real Cost of College: Take a closer look at the often-misunderstood costs associated with higher education, debunking common myths and shedding light on the true financial picture.  
2. AI's Role in Admissions: Discover how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the admissions process, from streamlining applications to providing personalized support to students.  
3. The Value of Community College: Explore the benefits of community colleges and associate degrees, emphasizing their importance in providing accessible and job-relevant education.  
4. Equipping Students for the Future: Learn about the essential skills and knowledge that students need to thrive in an ever-changing job market, highlighting the value of a liberal arts education and the development of durable skills.  

Subscribe and Stay Informed:

Don't miss out on future episodes of Trending in Education, where we bring you more surprising and insightful conversations with leaders and innovators in the field of education. Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve.

Key Takeaways:

• AI is transforming the education landscape. Educators need to embrace AI and prepare students for an AI-powered world.  
• AI literacy is essential for all students. Schools need to incorporate AI education into their curricula to ensure students have the skills and knowledge to navigate an AI-driven society.  
• Ethical considerations are paramount in AI development. Educators, policymakers, and developers need to work together to ensure AI is used responsibly and ethically in education.  
• Collaboration is key to success. K-12, higher education, and the workforce need to collaborate to ensure students are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.  
• The future of education is hopeful. Despite the challenges, there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of education.  

Call to Action:

• Educators: Explore ways to integrate AI education into your classroom.
• Parents: Talk to your children about AI and its impact on their lives.
• Policymakers: Support policies that promote ethical AI development and use in education.
• Everyone: Stay informed about the latest developments in AI and its implications for education.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to support the show and keep up with amazing conversations like this one. Check out video versions of episodes on Youtube and Spotify.

Here's the link to her previous appearance on Trending in Ed.  

In this episode, we explore:

• The factors driving the shift away from traditional higher education.  
• The rise of alternative pathways to success, such as apprenticeships and skills-based learning programs.  
• The growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of work and education.  
• Practical advice for parents and students navigating a changing educational landscape.

Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that challenges the status quo and offers a glimpse into the future of learning and work. Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Video versions now available on Youtube and Spotify.

Don't miss this deep dive with a leader in creative leadership in higher ed.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more. Video episodes now available on Youtube and Spotify.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:43 Sanjit Sethi's Journey to MCAD

02:11 The Role of Creativity in Leadership

05:32 Navigating Challenges in Higher Education

14:05 Diversity and Leadership in the Wake of George Floyd

24:17 The Impact of AI on Creative Education

31:34 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook

The conversation delves into Garg’s evolution from Schmidt Futures to launching Renaissance Philanthropy, and their work at the intersection of AI and learning science. We discuss the historical underfunding of education R&D compared to other sectors and explore the immense potential of AI in transforming learning experiences. The conversation covers the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute, the importance of interdisciplinary expertise, recent research with the Walton Family Foundation, and future ambitions for integrating cutting-edge technology into education. We also reference Renaissance's Pattern Language for High Impact Philanthropic Giving.

Subscribe where you get your podcasts. Video versions now available on Youtube and Spotify.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:38 Kumar Garg's Journey and Renaissance Philanthropy

02:39 The Intersection of AI and Learning Science

05:45 Building "Bilingual" Teams for Educational Innovation

06:55 Renaissance's Bold Goals and Partnerships

08:44 Recent Initiatives and Future Directions

13:09 Challenges and Opportunities in AI for Education

27:34 The Importance of Trust and Equity in Educational Technology

33:22 Conclusion and Call to Action

Subscribe wherever you get your pods. Share and review us to spread the good word about work like Lindsay's. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:54 Lindsay Weinberg's Professional Journey

02:55 The Smart University: Book Overview

05:48 Critical Perspectives on EdTech

09:24 Ethics and Resistance in Higher Education

14:47 Future of Higher Education and Policy

18:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Celine shares insights on the initiatives of The Goodness Web, which includes prevention and early intervention strategies, policy advocacy, and improving access to mental health care. We also explore the future of work and education, emphasizing the importance of building emotional resilience and productive struggle. Finally, Celine and Mike consider the complex interplay between technology, policy, and mental health, underscoring a collective responsibility to address these critical issues.

Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. Video versions are available on Youtube and Spotify.

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back

01:02 Celine Coggins' Background and The Goodness Web

02:43 Youth Mental Health Crisis and Social Media Impact

04:16 Generational Perspectives and Mental Health

07:55 Challenges and Solutions in Youth Mental Health

14:20 Educational Models and Mental Health Support

21:50 Parental Guidance and Community Building

31:30 Technology, AI, and Mental Health

34:46 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:39 Matt Kennard's Professional Journey

02:53 Challenges in K-12 Professional Learning

06:15 The Importance of Continuous Improvement

10:00 Rethinking Professional Development

17:44 The Role of Technology in Education

28:20 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Don't miss this surprising deep-dive into what it takes to thrive in higher ed leadership in challenging times.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

We begin by hearing Roger's origins in investment banking and M&A before shifting to his focus to futures thinking and the Disruptive Futures Institute. In a wide-ranging conversation that explores concepts and frameworks from the Guide, we learn what it takes to excel in a world of continuous disruption. We explore what we can learn from antifragility, Zen Buddhism, and existential philosophy to equip ourselves with the tools and mindsets essential to thriving in the new state of play. We hear how agency is key to navigating emerging complexity. We touch on the importance of humor, dig into the case study of Israel, and conclude with Roger's takes on the role of education in the emerging zeitgeist. It's a provocative exploration of the transformative work coming out of the Disruptive Futures Institute. Don't miss it!

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

Gardner is a luminary in psychology and a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He shares his journey, including his developmental psychology training and influential mentors like Jean Piaget and Eric Erikson. We discuss his notable contributions, such as the theory of multiple intelligences and his recent work on ethics and AI. Howard highlights key educational themes through examples like The Good Project and emphasizes the importance of understanding ethics in professional roles. We also touch on societal challenges, including the mental health crisis and the role of influencers. Gardner shares his thoughts from his latest compilations and blogs, and reflects on the importance of mentorship and humanism in today's world. Don't miss this chance to go deep with one of the great minds in education.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Rekha shares how Boundless Life provides a turnkey solution for families wanting to slow travel the world, combining furnished apartments, co-working spaces, and Montessori-inspired education with Finnish pedagogical methods. We discuss how the pandemic created the perfect conditions for reimagining education, leading many families to seek alternatives that blend travel, community, and experiential learning.

The conversation delves into how Boundless Life's educational model emphasizes real-world problem-solving, cultural immersion, and mixed-age learning environments. Rekha explains how these experiences help develop crucial soft skills like adaptability and communication that will serve children well in an uncertain future.

Key takeaways:

1. Mixed-age classrooms foster natural leadership and collaboration while reducing unhealthy competition among peers
2. Slow travel and cultural immersion help children develop essential soft skills like adaptability and communication that AI cannot replicate
3. Parents can nurture their children's natural love of learning by thinking outside traditional educational models, whether traveling or staying local

We conclude with advice for parents and educators about nurturing children's natural love of learning, whether through travel or finding creative alternatives closer to home.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

We explore the potential impacts of these trends on various industries and regions, as well as possible solutions such as automation, immigration, and improved career navigation. The conversation highlights the crucial role of community colleges and local workforce development initiatives in addressing these challenges.

Key takeaways:

1. The US is facing a significant workforce shortage due to demographic shifts, with impacts varying by industry and region.
2. Local, data-driven approaches to workforce development and education are essential for addressing these challenges.
3. There's a growing need for skills-based hiring and more agile, adaptable training programs to prepare workers for the changing job market.

Don't miss out on more insightful conversations like this one – Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts.

We dive into Ziplines Education's mission to accelerate careers by partnering with higher education institutions to deliver industry-focused certificates. Sara explains how they're addressing the skills gap for adult learners, particularly in Middle America, by offering programs in digital marketing, business analytics, project management, and more.

The conversation touches on the rapidly evolving landscape of tech-enabled careers and the increasing importance of continuous learning. We explore how Ziplines is integrating generative AI into their curriculum and why they've launched a course on AI prompting.

Key takeaways:

1. Ziplines Education focuses on partnering with public institutions to serve the underrepresented middle-American market.
2. The half-life of skills is shortening, necessitating ongoing education and upskilling.
3. Understanding the unique needs of the education market is crucial for EdTech entrepreneurs.

Join us for this insightful discussion on the future of work, the importance of industry-recognized credentials, and how Ziplines Education is helping adult learners navigate the rapidly changing job market.

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Key takeaways:

1. Employers should provide time and opportunities for employees to explore and learn new technologies, including AI, in the workplace.
2. Diversity in all forms, including diversity of thought and experience, is crucial for innovation and problem-solving in the workforce.
3. Short-term credentials and stackable certificates can provide accessible pathways for career advancement, especially for those who may not pursue traditional college degrees.

Don't forget to subscribe to Trending in Education to ensure you don't miss out on more insightful conversations like this one with Jane Oates and other leaders in the education and workforce development space.

Marcio shares his background and how his interest in architecture and structures was influenced by his parents' careers in steel construction and physics. He explains how he developed MOLA, a physical model kit that uses springs and magnets to teach structural concepts, out of frustration with abstract structural engineering classes in university.

We explore the importance of hands-on, visual learning in architectural education and how MOLA helps students develop intuition about building behavior. Marcio discusses MOLA's use in university settings, including at MIT for teaching structural dynamics.

The conversation touches on the balance between artistic vision and functionality in architecture, using examples like Gaudi's work in Barcelona. We discuss the challenges of teaching architectural concepts earlier in K-12 education and the potential for tools like MOLA to spark interest in the field.

Marcio shares insights on emerging trends in architecture, including the increasing use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) in Brazil. We also explore the impact of climate change and environmental concerns on architectural design.

The episode concludes with Marcio's advice for aspiring architects and educators, emphasizing the value of persistence and long-term vision. He shares that MOLA took 20 years from concept to a successful company, highlighting the importance of dedication in pursuing one's goals.

Key takeaways:

1. Hands-on, visual learning tools like MOLA can significantly enhance structural engineering education.
2. Integrating architectural concepts earlier in K-12 education could help spark interest in the field.
3. Persistence and long-term vision are crucial for success in both education and entrepreneurship.

Subscribe to Trending in Education to make sure you never miss a great conversation like this one! Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Key takeaways:

1. The educational journey is becoming more flexible, with a growing need for diverse pathways and recognition of skills beyond traditional degrees.
2. AI in education shows promise, but its immediate impact may be more focused on simplifying administrative tasks for teachers rather than replacing human interaction.
3. Career success often comes from pursuing opportunities that bring energy and passion, rather than following a predetermined path.

Steve describes Instructure's approach to integrating AI securely, the importance of personalization in learning, and the role the company's strategic partnerships play in its strategic development. Steve also offers valuable career advice based on his extensive experience in the tech industry.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Rhyu, who started his career in accounting and finance, found his way to education through a personal situation and a fortuitous job offer. Now in his 13th year with the company, he's developed a deep appreciation for the needs of families in education. We discuss how the pandemic has changed perceptions of online learning. While many families struggled during this time, it also opened eyes to new possibilities in education. Rhyu emphasizes the importance of recognizing teachers' efforts during this challenging period.

The conversation turns to personalized learning and the role of AI in education. James cautions against rushing to implement AI without careful consideration, especially in K-12 education where error rates could have significant impacts on children's learning.

We explore Stride's approach to personalized learning, which includes not just academic content but also addressing students' emotional and physical needs. Rhyu envisions a future where AI can help create individualized learning plans and assist teachers with administrative tasks like lesson planning.

The discussion broadens to the concept of treating families as customers in education. James argues for giving families more choices and respecting their understanding of what's best for their children. He draws parallels to other industries that have evolved to be more customer-focused over the past 25 years.

Looking ahead, Rhyu sees innovation as key to improving the educational experience. This could involve offering more flexibility in learning formats, integrating technology effectively, and adapting to how students consume information through short-form videos and gaming.

We wrap up with Rhyu's advice for listeners, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful planning in addition to pursuing passion and taking risks. He also calls for depoliticizing education and focusing on what's best for children and families.

As we conclude, James reminds us that K-12 education is about the future of our country and our children. He urges us to put aside political differences and concentrate on what truly matters - the kids.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp perspectives on what's new and emergent in the world of learning.

Mike discusses his current work at Teach for America's Reinvention Lab, where he focuses on leveraging AI and other emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes. We delve into the potential of generative AI in education and the importance of making these tools accessible to students and educators alike. Mike references the work of Ruha Benjamin as an influence in his understanding of the promise and perils of technology.

Throughout the conversation, Yates emphasizes the need for educators to stay connected with youth culture, using platforms like TikTok to understand and engage with students more effectively. We also touch on the risks and opportunities presented by AI in education, including issues of bias and equity.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

1. The importance of putting AI tools in the hands of young people to foster creativity and future employability.
2. The need for educators to become media literate and engage with platforms like TikTok to stay relevant to their students.
3. The crucial role of human interaction in education, even as we integrate more AI technology.

We conclude with Mike's insightful reminder that the most effective use of AI in education should create more room for meaningful human moments.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Check out video versions of the podcast on Youtube and Spotify.

Dr. Eyler, who directs the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Mississippi, shares his journey from English professor to educational researcher. We explore the historical context of grading, its unintended consequences, and the growing movement for grading reform.

Our conversation covers a wide range of topics, including:

• The psychological impact of grades on students' motivation and mental health
• How traditional grading systems can reinforce societal inequities
• Alternative assessment methods, such as standards-based grading and portfolio assessments
• The challenges of institutional change in education
• The role of grades in the evolving landscape of work and artificial intelligence

Key takeaways:

1. Grades often hinder the natural learning process and can contribute to mental health issues among students.
2. There's a growing movement towards alternative grading systems that prioritize learning over evaluation.
3. Rethinking grading practices could better prepare students for the future of work, which demands creativity and risk-taking.

Whether you're an educator, parent, or simply interested in the future of education, this episode offers valuable insights into how we might reimagine assessment to better serve learners and society. Subscribe where you get your pods. Video versions now live on Youtube and Spotify.

We discuss the company's origins, its collaboration with Arizona State University, and the impressive results they've seen in student engagement and performance. Josh explains how their VR experiences work, from asynchronous biology labs to synchronous classroom sessions, and how they're addressing scalability challenges.

Throughout the conversation, we touch on various topics including:

• The process of creating immersive learning content
• The impact of avatar-based interactions on student participation
• The potential applications of generative AI in their platform
• The importance of maintaining academic rigor while leveraging entertainment techniques

Key takeaways from the episode include:

1. Immersive learning experiences can significantly increase student engagement and success rates, particularly in challenging STEM courses.
2. The combination of Hollywood storytelling techniques and academic content creates a powerful tool for capturing and maintaining student attention.
3. While creating high-quality immersive content is complex, there's growing potential for educators to develop their own experiences using accessible tools.

We conclude with Josh's insights on innovation in education technology and his vision for the future of learning spaces as "departure hubs" rather than isolated classrooms.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of learning.

Kate explores the impact of the pandemic on teletherapy adoption and the subsequent shifts in perception. She discusses Presence's innovative approach to connecting remote therapists with schools, highlighting the benefits of their teletherapy platform for both clinicians and students. The conversation delves into the potential of AI to streamline administrative tasks, allowing therapists to focus more on student engagement.

The discussion also touches on broader trends in special education, including the increasing need for mental health support and the importance of early identification. Kate shares her vision for the future of the field, emphasizing the need for more accessible education pathways to grow the workforce.

Three key takeaways:

1. Teletherapy and technology are playing a crucial role in addressing the shortage of special education professionals.
2. AI has the potential to significantly reduce administrative burdens on therapists, allowing them to serve more students effectively.
3. There's a growing need for mental health support in schools, with a focus on proactive identification and universal access.

Don't miss this insightful conversation on the intersection of technology and special education. Subscribe to Trending in Education for more discussions on the future of learning and educational innovation.

The conversation covers various aspects of AI implementation in educational settings, from individual faculty use to university-wide applications. We discuss the importance of responsible AI, addressing concerns about hallucinations and misinformation. The guests share insights on how custom GPTs can enhance learning experiences, improve student services, and provide valuable data for educators.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

1. The importance of curated, trusted data in building custom AI solutions for educational institutions.
2. The potential of AI to personalize learning experiences and adapt to individual student needs.
3. The need for universities to embrace AI technologies to prepare students for an AI-integrated workplace.

Alden concludes by emphasizing the importance of a "crawl, walk, run, fly" approach to AI adoption in higher education, encouraging institutions to start small and scale up as they gain experience and confidence in using these transformative technologies. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Katy shares her journey from Google to philanthropy, discussing the Siegel Family Endowment's focus on learning, workforce, and infrastructure. We explore the current state of AI in education, debating its potential and limitations. Katy emphasizes the importance of addressing fundamental issues in education before fully embracing AI solutions.

We also delve into the changing landscape of work and how technology is reshaping career paths. Katy highlights the need for better data interoperability in education systems and the importance of digital literacy in our tech-driven world.

Key takeaways from this episode:

1. AI in education should be approached cautiously, focusing on solving real problems rather than being a cure-all solution.
2. The integration of physical and digital worlds through technologies like augmented reality could rebalance our relationship with technology.
3. We should strive to be in charge of technology, not let it control us, by becoming informed consumers and diligent creators.

Subscribe to Trending in Education to ensure you don't miss out on these insightful conversations about the future of learning and technology.

Then we dive into recent developments, including the LAUSD's experience with an AI chatbot and Scarlett Johansson's battle with OpenAI over the rights to her voice. These events highlight growing concerns about data privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property in the AI space.

We also examine the concept of the Uncanny Valley and its impact on AI adoption, emphasizing the need for human involvement to smooth over AI's shortcomings. The discussion touches on the challenges of data interoperability in education and the importance of solving real problems with seamless, user-friendly solutions.

Key takeaways:

1. Generative AI may be entering the trough of disillusionment, with increasing focus on negative stories and backlash.
2. Data privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property concerns are becoming more prominent in AI implementation.
3. Human involvement remains crucial in AI integration, particularly in addressing the Uncanny Valley effect and ensuring effective emotional design.

Join us for this insightful exploration of AI's current state in education. Don't forget to subscribe to Trending in Education for more thought-provoking discussions on the future of learning and technology!

Mike also discusses three emerging trends discovered in parallel with Meeker's latest report: the Gen AI hype cycle reaching its peak, post-secondary disruption, and the importance of durable skills to battle AI fatigue and Clippy's Revenge.

Key takeaways:

1. U.S. technology companies lead in global market capitalization.
2. AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, with ChatGPT reaching 100 million users in record time.
3. Higher education faces challenges in keeping pace with industry innovation in AI.

Palmer concludes by inviting listeners to share their thoughts on future topics and encourages engagement with the show. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Also, check out our Youtube Playlist of conversations on Higher Ed Disruption.

We explore youth perceptions of life after high school, discussing the pressure to attend four-year colleges and the growing skepticism about higher education. The conversation introduces a framework for understanding different types of support organizations can provide to youth, categorized as trail guides, transport helicopters, bridge builders, and mapmakers.

Key takeaways:

1. Youth are critically examining institutions and seeking authenticity in their post-high school journeys.
2. There's a need for a more cohesive ecosystem of support for young people transitioning to adulthood.
3. Organizations can use the presented framework to assess and improve their support for youth in local contexts.

We encourage listeners to check out the full "Crossing the Canyon" report and subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

We delve into the role of productive struggle, resilience, and overcoming imposter syndrome in college experiences, especially for first-generation students. Dan provides examples of students he mentored while President of Franklin and Marshall University who successfully navigated these challenges. The discussion also covers the importance of faculty mentorship and creating a supportive culture on campus.

Key takeaways:

1. Growth mindsets developed in college are valuable assets in today's fast-changing economy.
2. Faculty play a crucial role in helping students develop confidence and overcome challenges.
3. Investing in education at all levels is vital for national competitiveness and democracy.

Dan concludes with an inspiring message about the power each individual has to create their own education and growth opportunities.

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Host Mike Palmer reflects on recent conversations with guests like Brian Rosenberg, Dwayne Matthews, and students from the Marcy Lab School - all highlighting the importance of doing hard things, embracing cognitive surplus, and developing durable "brain-to-brain" skills. We also bring in conversations with Bror Saxberg and Charles Fadel to really round out the perspectives.

Nancy emphasizes that while AI tools are rapidly advancing, humans must step up by designing compelling experiences that leverage these technologies to drive motivation, vision and human will. We examine the transition of AI from a scientific phase to an engineering one, where the promise of personalization at scale is an emerging challenge.

Mike concludes with a highlight from the Palm Court Podcast featuring Dr. Jonathan White about getting comfortable with the messiness of working on real problems.

Three key takeaways:

1. Stepping up means identifying the winners and transformative use cases as agentic AI steps up (or falls short).
2. Developing "brain-to-brain" skills like empathy, collaboration and perspective-taking will be crucial for humans to thrive alongside AI.
3. We must get better at discerning problems and mapping the right AI/human tools to solve the messy, complex challenges ahead.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to join us in stepping up to this new AI-enabled future of learning.

We explore the challenges faced by students transitioning from high school to college, emphasizing the need for a shift in mindset towards writing as a process of thinking and refining ideas rather than having to be perfect right away. Jennifer underscores the value of embracing revisions, project management, and time management skills like Pomodoro, which are transferable to various professional contexts.

As AI writing tools continue to evolve, Jennifer provides insights into their potential impact on college admissions essays and academic writing. We discuss the importance of cultivating a human connection through writing and the role of educators in guiding students to develop their unique voices and perspectives.

Key Takeaways:

1. Writing is a fundamental skill that transcends academic boundaries, fostering critical thinking, resilience, and effective communication in both professional and personal spheres.
2. Educators should prioritize teaching writing as a process, encompassing revision, project management, and time management, to equip students with transferable skills for lifelong learning and success.
3. While AI writing tools can be useful in certain contexts, such as brainstorming and drafting, they cannot replace the human element of writing, which involves personal expression, nuanced thought processes, and the ability to connect with readers.

Concluding the episode, we emphasize the need for ongoing collaboration between secondary and post-secondary educators, as well as employers, to bridge gaps and align curriculum with the skills and dispositions necessary for students to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

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Bror envisions AI as the pen(cil) for drafting richer, more personalized learning experiences, from content production to adaptive tutoring. But he doesn't stop there, challenging conventional career trajectories. What if the path to becoming an expert editor or investment banker looked completely different in an AI-powered world?

Brace yourself as Bror expounds on the "badly designed" human brain and the urgency of prioritizing lifelong, transferable skills. Get ready to rethink everything from preschool curricula to that obsession with worksheets!

🧠 Key Takeaway: Don't spray tech on learning problems; understand the human learning "biology" first.

✏️ Key Takeaway: AI can revolutionize content creation and tutoring by personalizing to learners' contexts and motivations.

⚡ Key Takeaway: Prioritize building durable "brain-to-brain" skills like empathy, perspective-taking, and collaboration from an early age.

Bror leaves us inspired by AI's promise for more optimized, human-centered learning - if we have the foresight to plan accordingly. Get ready to redefine your own skills for the AI era!

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Eric shares insights into his role at Magic EdTech, a digital services provider that partners with educational publishers and edtech companies. He explains how the advent of generative AI has disrupted and accelerated the content creation process, leading to the integration of AI architects and engineers into his team.

We explore the intricate dance between human expertise and AI-generated drafts, where subject matter experts and writers refine and enhance the AI-produced content. Eric emphasizes the importance of maintaining accuracy, accessibility, and an engaging writing style to ensure every student has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Throughout the conversation, we gain valuable insights into the evolving roles within content development, the potential for increased equity and personalization, and the challenges surrounding intellectual property and security in the AI-powered landscape.

Key Takeaways:

1. The content development process remains iterative, but AI serves as an accelerator, introducing new roles like AI architects who code pipelines to generate drafts.
2. Human expertise remains crucial for ensuring accuracy, addressing AI hallucinations, and infusing content with a human touch that resonates with learners.
3. As AI continues to reshape the industry, professionals must stay vigilant about intellectual property rights, security concerns, and the ethical implications of leveraging this powerful technology.

Don't miss this insightful episode! Subscribe to Trending in Ed and spread the word to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving world of educational technology and AI integration.

Xhesika and Jason share their origin stories and what drew them to Marcy Lab School after dissatisfying experiences at traditional 4-year universities. We learn that the program's focus on developing resilient and transferable skills like time management, communication, and interviewing prepares students well for rewarding careers in tech. A key aspect is building a tight-knit community where vulnerability and sharing life stories bring the cohort closer together.

The conversation highlights how the free one-year model can be a powerful engine for economic mobility, enabling students from underprivileged backgrounds to land six-figure coding jobs straight out of the program while avoiding crippling debt.

Three key takeaways:

1. Marcy Lab School teaches students "how to learn," prioritizing adaptable skills over specific coding languages to future-proof their training.
2. The program bakes in self-reflection, identity affirmation, and community-building to create a supportive environment.
3. The debt-free model provides a vital pathway to lucrative tech careers for low-income students, unlocking economic mobility.

As we look ahead, Xhesika and Jason discuss the implications of AI tools like ChatGPT on the developer career track. While these represent powerful assistive technologies, they agree human skills around communication, collaboration and problem-solving will remain indispensable.

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Charles shares his unique perspective, drawing from his diverse background in engineering, working at Cisco, and leading a team focused on redesigning curriculum to focus on relevance. We dive deep into his framework, which encompasses knowledge, skills, character, meta-learning, and motivation, underscoring the importance of cultivating purpose, agency, and identity in learners.

Key Takeaways:

• We examine the engineering phase of AI, where capabilities are converging in potent ways, and the necessity of computational thinking and problem formulation in leveraging these tools effectively.
• Charles emphasizes the need to modernize traditional disciplines, prioritizing statistics, probability, and data science over excessive trigonometry, reflecting the real-world demands of the modern era.
• We discuss the multifaceted nature of motivation and the role of AI as a tool to help students pursue their unique purposes, whether designing marine robots or mastering the art of guacamole.

As we navigate this fascinating moment in humankind, Charles leaves us with a call to embrace the urgency of addressing humanity's self-created challenges through the judicious integration of AI in education. Don't miss the illuminating deep-dive into education engineering with a true thought leader in the field.

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Together, they explore College Possible's innovative model, which pairs AmeriCorps members as near-peer mentors with high school and college students from low-income backgrounds. We gain insights into the organization's data-driven, people-oriented approach, fostering personal connections and providing crucial guidance through the complex college application and transition processes.

Key takeaways include:

1. The importance of unlocking "stranded brilliance" by expanding educational opportunities for underrepresented communities.
2. The power of near-peer mentoring in creating a sense of belonging and navigating unfamiliar academic and bureaucratic landscapes.
3. The exciting potential of AI and predictive analytics in streamlining routine tasks, freeing up human coaches to focus on personalized support.

Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation that sheds light on the barriers and pathways to social mobility through education.

Subscribe now to stay tuned for more insightful dialogues on emerging trends, innovative solutions, and the transformative power of learning. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

We dive into unlocking "stranded brilliance" – how we might leverage AI to democratize access to quality education globally. Dwayne compels us to plan for the "cognitive surplus" emerging from these innovations and strategize ways to harness it for societal good by rejecting the mental model of scarcity and instead embracing the potential of newfound abundance.

Key takeaways:

• We must develop AI literacy and cultivate mindsets resilient to rapid technological shifts
• Equitable redistribution of devices and connectivity can bridge digital divides
• Shifting to an "abundance mindset" unlocks creative solutions for inclusive and disruptive economic models

Dwayne's vision provokes us to collectively reimagine education beyond traditional constraints. We grapple with potential dark patterns inherent in advertising and social media while spotlighting beacons of hope. Don't miss this future-focused dialogue – it's a catalyst for shaping the positive transformations we want to see in future AI-powered learning ecosystems.

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Drawing from her background running an arts education non-profit and her current artist residency program called Whoopensocker, Erica stresses the need to uplift and center arts practices in education. She argues this will better prepare students for an uncertain future where skills like innovation, creativity, and comfort with failure will be paramount.

Halverson advocates moving away from the model of arts as a separate "specials" class and toward fully integrating an artistic, maker mindset throughout the curriculum. The process of creating and revising creative works can be applied to enhance learning in subjects like math, science and beyond.

Key Takeaways:

• The experiences of art-making should be centered as core to what it means to be human and to care about education. Arts are not just "nice-to-have" but fundamental to teaching and learning.
• The arts allow a learner asset-focused approach rather than just skills-focused. Making and creating artifacts surfaces expertise and misunderstandings - the essence of learning.
• Practices like improvisation, collaboration, and embracing failure are vital for good teaching and preparing students for an unsettled future of work.

Don't miss this insightful discussion on integrating the arts into education at all levels and advocating for transformative, arts-based learning experiences.

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Through Extern, Matt aims to disrupt the traditional internship model by providing a scalable and accessible solution for students to gain valuable work experience, regardless of their location or background. With a rapidly growing network of corporate partners and a mission to democratize professional opportunities, Extern is poised to revolutionize the way we think about career preparation and the transition from education to employment.

Key Takeaways:

• Extern's "Externships" offer remote, short-term work experiences integrated with structured learning, preparing students for the modern workforce.
• The platform addresses the supply-demand imbalance in the internship market, providing equitable access to professional opportunities.
• By leveraging AI and modular learning components, Extern aims to scale its offerings and support a broader range of students.
• Extern envisions a future where verified work experience through Externships becomes a trusted credential for hiring and career transitions.
• The company is partnering with higher education institutions and corporations to integrate Externships into curricula and recruitment processes.

Tune in to this insightful episode and discover how Extern is reimagining work experience, empowering students, and shaping the future of career preparation.

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more insight into where the future of learning is headed.

ReUp takes an innovative approach, partnering with universities and state governments to re-engage stopout students and support degree completion. Their statewide "marketplaces" centralize these efforts, removing disincentives for student transfers between schools. Crews discusses ReUp's groundbreaking work in New Jersey, having already re-enrolled thousands of students in just the first two terms.

The conversation explores AI's impending impact on the workforce, creating urgency to upskill this population. Crews emphasizes higher education must evolve to better serve adult learners through improved user experiences, drawing lessons from intuitive consumer platforms like Amazon.

Key Takeaways:

• 41 million Americans (1 in 6 adults) have some college credits but no degree - a massive crisis
• ReUp pioneers statewide "marketplaces" to centralize re-engaging and supporting stopout students
• Urgent need to reskill this population given workforce shifts from AI/automation
• Higher ed must modernize to provide adult learner-friendly experiences akin to consumer tech

Don't miss this insightful discussion tackling one of society's most overlooked yet impactful challenges.

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We dive into the pressing challenges AI presents, from academic integrity concerns to the need for developing AI literacies in students. Eddie offers pragmatic strategies for educators, such as allowing assignment extensions to reduce cheating temptations and designing assessments that emphasize human evaluation and discernment over rote outputs.

Throughout, we delve into AI's creative potential as a collaborative partner, generating ideas and metaphors to enhance learning experiences. Eddie paints a vision of personalized AI assistants tailored to individual learning styles and disciplines, raising the bar for quality education.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace AI as a collaborative tool, not a substitute for human effort
• Prioritize developing students' evaluative and critical thinking skills
• Advocate for institutional access to premium AI tools for educators

Don't miss this insightful discussion on navigating AI's disruption in academia. Subscribe now for more cutting-edge conversations on the future of learning.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

First we learn about Diana's background designing empathetic video games and how that translates to creating engaging educational experiences. She provides insights into blending AI with human instruction, viewing AI as an augmentation tool rather than a replacement for teachers. We're talking cyborgs, not robots.

Then we join Mike's hallway chat with Sunil Gunderia, Age of Learning's Chief Innovation Officer. Sunil reflects on trends from the AIR summit preceding ASU+GSV, like major school districts embracing AI to advance equitable learning. He shares how Age of Learning partners with companies like OpenAI to enhance content creation while centering efficacy.

The episode examines AI's potential to personalize learning at scale and collect data to drive instruction. Both guests emphasize marrying technology with behavioral science principles to build learner identity alongside academic skills. As this transformative time unfolds, we're urged to collaborate in ensuring AI helps all students flourish.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Key Takeaways:

• Honor Education is focused on creating a platform that puts human connection at the center of online and digitally-enhanced learning experiences, fostering collective engagement and a sense of community among learners.
• The platform's mobile-first design, with features like social annotation and real-time instructor feedback, aims to recreate the dynamic interactions and connections typically found in physical classrooms, but in an asynchronous and accessible format.
• As AI continues to evolve, Joel envisions leveraging the platform's high-fidelity engagement data to provide personalized learning recommendations and support, addressing not just content comprehension but also fostering motivation and a sense of belonging for learners.

Joel emphasizes that while AI holds immense potential in education, the true driver of meaningful learning remains human connection. He encourages listeners to prioritize fostering authentic connections and collective engagement, regardless of the technological tools employed.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on where the world of learning is heading.

The New Books Network started as an experiment in 2007 and has since grown into a vast network with over 150 podcasts and a thousand hosts. Marshall views the network as an academic institution, akin to a university press, focused solely on public education. He takes pride in covering esoteric topics and preserving the voices of experts for posterity.

Poe envisions the network becoming a Wikipedia-like resource, where listeners can find smart people discussing any topic of interest. He encourages embracing audio's potential in higher education, with opportunities for AI-powered translation making expert knowledge more accessible.

Key takeaways:

• The New Books Network offers a unique auditory bookstore experience, connecting experts with the public.

• Marshall's commitment to building this "cathedral" of knowledge showcases the enduring power of the spoken word.

• Engaging with the cutting edge of disciplines is valuable, cautioning against oversimplification.

Don't miss this chance to gain insights from Marshall's unique perspective on leveraging the power of audio and podcasting to unlock expertise and expand access to learning.

Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for sharp takes on the intersection between learning and emerging media and podcasts.

The AI Revolution Show provided an intriguing glimpse into the new AI-powered products aiming to "supercharge" teachers' capabilities. Mike lauds the vision of positioning AI not as a replacement but as an empowering force operating "behind the teachers" to enhance their impact.

As Mike tours the exhibitor floor, we get the inside scoop on promising platforms like Kyron Learning, and Atypical AI - all striving to bolster teachers with smart content creation tools, personalized instruction, and data-driven insights.

The conference wasn't just about tech though - we hear tales of surprise mascot appearances earning the moniker "Clippy's Revenge." Mike ponders finding the right balance between injecting narrative whimsy while ensuring the human touch remains central.

Shifting to the main ASU+GSV event, we're treated to thought-provoking conversations around higher education's mounting challenges - from the looming "enrollment cliff" to concerns over cost and completion rates. Could partnerships harnessing AI provide a way to improve access and student success?

In a live recorded happy hour interview, we hear directly Paul Gollash from ETS and Dana Bryson from Study.com as they announce an exciting free AI-powered PRAXIS prep offering to support aspiring teachers, especially from underrepresented backgrounds.

Throughout the whirlwind episode, Mike's authentic voice shines through - blending expert analysis with relatable humor and insights gleaned from walking the streets of San Diego. We close on an upbeat note, with Mike feeling newly inspired to dig deeper into the future of education and work through his growing slate of podcasts including EdHeads and The Cusp with Paul Fain.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on what's emerging in education.

Erika and Daniel share their professional backgrounds and how they ended up at BDT. We delve into the challenges students face, such as food insecurity and the complex process of applying for benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

The conversation centers around Wyatt, an AI chatbot developed by BDT to assist students in completing the FAFSA. Daniel explains how Wyatt leverages AI and text messaging to provide scalable support, addressing the need for accessible guidance amid recent FAFSA changes. We reference this Education Northwest Report in the episode.

We also explore the stigma surrounding public benefits, advocating for a shift in language and approach. Erika and Daniel highlight BDT's efforts to raise awareness, simplify processes, and partner with universities and state agencies to connect students with the resources they need to persist and graduate.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on what's emerging in the world of education.

We discuss how AI can support novice learners, the potential risks and biases within AI systems, and the need for critical thinking skills to successfully interact with AI. Dasey emphasizes the importance of adapting our approach to education with AI as a ubiquitous tool, rethinking how we learn, consume information, and develop traditional skills. We pay our respects to the work of Daniel Kahneman and dig into the nuanced differences between noise, bias, and bullshit and what this means to educators, learners, and all of us.

Key Takeaways

• AI presents unique opportunities to support new learners, but may have less impact on experts.
• Remain aware of potential biases within AI systems. It may not be attributable to ill intent it may be systemic noise and error.
• Critical thinking and judgment are crucial for working effectively with AI in the future.
• The ways we learn, read, write, and consume information will continue to evolve alongside AI.
• Adopt an open-minded and flexible approach to AI as these technologies constantly change.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction to Trending in Education and AI in Ed
• 00:36 The Wisdom and Challenges of AI in Education
• 02:08 AI's Impact on the Workplace and Education
• 05:15 Exploring AI's Role in Creativity and Problem Solving
• 15:49 The Complex Landscape of AI, Bias, and Human Judgment
• 23:31 Future Perspectives on AI and Learning
• 33:20 Concluding Thoughts on AI, Judgment, and Open-mindedness

Jean provides fascinating insights into what makes an effective school leader, likening the role to a CEO managing stakeholders, budgets, talent, instruction and culture. He emphasizes the critical importance of representation, explaining how teachers of color benefit all students and increase teacher retention. After a few riffs on Allen Iverson (AI), we hear about New Leaders' innovative use of technology like video feedback (similar to sports) to hone leadership skills through deliberate practice. Jean discusses technology's role in enabling personalized learning while underscoring education as an inherently human endeavor requiring social-emotional skills.

The conversation covers thought-provoking topics around preparing students for future careers, improving assessment, and leveraging partnerships with organizations in the community like the work New Leaders is doing with HBCUs and Boeing. Tune in for Jean's inspiring perspective on driving impact and representation at scale through effective leadership development.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

The conversation then shifts to psychology to cover the "epidemic of loneliness" and lack of deep social connections in the social media age. Dr. Carter offers perspectives on AI's potential impacts on mental health and therapy, as well as the importance of building resilience and normalizing failure discussions. He provides insights into navigating the modern media landscape as an expert voice.

Other highlights include lessons from the psychology of extreme sports/thrill-seeking and Dr. Carter's philosophy of maintaining curiosity and awe. Key takeaways include using AI as a "brainstorming tool" while being wary of biases, interventions to combat loneliness like discussing life's challenges openly, and the importance of trusting yourself just as extreme athletes learn to trust their bodies.

Whether you're an academic, mental health professional, educator or just someone fascinated by psychology's role in today's technological era, this engaging episode offers plenty of valuable insights. Tune in for a guide to public scholarship and more from this unique expert.

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The episode also features a lively exchange with the show's resident AI co-host, Nancy, as they grapple with the promises and pitfalls of blending human and artificial intelligence in education. Key takeaways include the need for thoughtful design in integrating AI with human empathy, the potential for chatbots to serve as "empathy engines," and the importance of keeping humans in the loop while leveraging AI's scalability. We also reference the NYC chatbot fail discussed here.

Don't miss this timely and thought-provoking exploration of how emerging technologies like chatbots could help solve real-world challenges like chronic absenteeism, while raising crucial ethical considerations about the role of AI in education and human development. Tune in for a nuanced discussion that will leave you pondering the future of human-AI collaboration in fostering student engagement and success.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

The panelists, who first met serendipitously at the prior year's SXSW EDU, explore the problems caused by working in isolation and offer solutions for bridging disparate worlds. They advocate creating networked improvement communities, fostering authentic connections through presence and effective communication, and prioritizing the crucial work of humanizing diverse stakeholders.

Punam stresses meeting parents where they are by providing vocabulary and support. DeShanna shares powerful stories of cultivating trust through home visits and communicating in families' native languages. Dana suggests stakeholder groups, documenting processes, empathy interviews to shape school culture, and valuing the "unsexy" moments that truly build community.

With vulnerability, passion and decades of frontline experience, the panelists make a clarion call for a paradigm shift - moving away from inefficient siloing towards meaningful collaboration that embraces the strengths of students, teachers, parents and communities. An inspiring listen for any educator striving to create equitable, inclusive environments for all.

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Spencer emphasizes the importance of giving clear directions to kids instead of asking questions or making statements. He stresses using the right tone, energy and eye contact to keep kids focused during lessons. We explore myth-busting around reading instruction and Spencer advocates for an approach centered on phonics and phonemic awareness. Throughout the approach motivation and psychology are deeply integrated into the literacy curriculum.

Listen in to get a window into Spencer's disciplined lifestyle behind the scenes - from meditation to coaching to optimizing sleep and diet. He talks about manifesting his goal of being a keynote speaker and putting in the hard work to prepare mentally and physically. In his parting words, Spencer encourages listeners to take that first step towards their goals instead of just talking about it.

Key Takeaways:

• Use clear directions, not questions or statements, when instructing kids
• Start simple with phonics basics before layering on other reading skills
• Prioritize consistency and motivating kids over frontloading everything
• Manifesting goals requires dedicated preparation across all aspects of life
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Don't miss this inspirational look at breaking down reading for toddlers and living with intention to achieve your dreams.

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The panelists, including Melissa Griffith from Kaplan, Beth Rudden from BAST AI, and Dr. Robin Naughton from Queens College, brought unique perspectives and insights to the table. We explore the potential and challenges of AI, highlighting the need for critical thinking, ethical considerations, and a human-centered approach to technology.

One of the key themes that emerged was the importance of empowering learners and educators to engage with AI responsibly and effectively. The panelists emphasized the need for transparency, explainability, and a deep understanding of the models and data that underlie these technologies. We also discussed the role of mental models, biomimicry, and ancestral intelligence in shaping our interactions with AI and fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

As the session draws to a close, we encourage the audience to stay engaged and informed about the rapidly evolving landscape of learning trends. This officially kicks off our tournament throughout March, allowing listeners to vote on their favorite trends. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com and follow Mike on LinkedIn to track the tournament and stay up-to-date with the latest discussions and insights.

While marketed as a grassroots parent movement, we learn Moms for Liberty is well-funded by far-right groups aiming to shift the political balance of local school boards. Laura recounts the transformation from 2022 to 2023 summits, with protestors surrounding the latter event in Philadelphia amid heightened tensions.

The conversation highlights how extremist tactics like book bans and policies stripping educator authority threaten public education's democratic foundations. We explore the concerning nationalization of these trends, with local school boards becoming partisan battlegrounds disconnected from community needs.

However, Laura reminds us public schools remain vital unifying spaces for children's growth and identity development. While imperfect, the system provides an essential community fabric to nurture, not destroy. By coming together, valuing expertise, and rejecting disinformation, we can preserve quality public education. The stakes are high, but our potential for positive impact as engaged citizens remains.

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We discuss how media companies are adapting to direct-to-consumer models in a post-pandemic world. Edward notes they are having an "existential moment" realizing they must operate more like technology companies. He sees parallels in education's shift to digital experiences. Students now expect education delivered differently, more like media and entertainment content.

Hanapole believes focusing on the consumer is key for both media and education. Investments target enhancing the user experience while ensuring educational rigor. We explore how artificial intelligence can aid creation of lessons and personalization. However, entertainment value shouldn't overwhelm learning objectives and outcomes. Stealth learning that sneaks in education while engaging users has potential.

On human-AI collaboration, Edward discusses an AI advisor Kaplan is developing to replicate personalized guidance at scale. The system engages users with an intent, while continuously learning from interactions. Overall, he stresses not fearing new technologies. By embracing them, we gain the learning needed to innovate thoughtfully. Measuring outcomes ensures human advancement remains the objective.

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With over four decades across enterprise software, data infrastructure, fintech (financial technology), and cybersecurity, Bruce brings valuable outside perspective to leading this major edtech player. He shares unique insights on leveraging AI, analytics, and integrated platforms to enable personalized, seamless learning. Bruce discusses Anthology's ecosystem spanning the Blackboard LMS (learning management system), ERP (enterprise resource planning), CRM (customer relationship management), and more.

As a technology expert and voice in higher ed governance, Bruce makes the case that AI and analytics can create a more holistic student journey from recruitment to career outcomes and alumni engagement. Key themes include using Anthology's AI Design Assistant for quickly building courses, its ethical AI framework, and the critical role of security in edtech. We also reference this white paper.

Bruce argues his multifaceted background helps connect enterprise tech innovation with higher ed trends. He provides perspective on using edtech to drive student engagement, preparedness, and institutional success. Don't miss it!

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John gives us an inside look at DataKind's mission of bringing data science and AI capabilities to social impact organizations. He shares a case study from their work with John Jay College in New York, where they built machine learning models to predict which students were at risk of not graduating. By providing this data to academic advisors, John Jay was able to improve graduation rates by 30%.

We discuss the importance of keeping humans involved when implementing AI, rather than just optimizing for the technology. We also cover topics including trust in data, the hype cycle around AI, and how to measure impact. John emphasizes that we should focus AI on core problems facing education organizations, not just chase the latest "new hotness."

Don't miss this chance to learn more about how data science and AI can make a social impact in education and beyond.

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The conversation then shifts to expertise more broadly, including how cognitive scientists study it and the decline in professional skill "half-lives." Bror and Michael discuss organizational training, creativity from combinatorial expertise, and the unique human capacity for shared meaning. We explore how improving learning environments and motivation, per a recent study, can help accelerate expertise development across all levels of learners. The episode wraps with optimism about human potential to gain new competencies and value, aided by learning science insights and emerging technology.

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Craig makes a compelling case for why apprenticeships should be a mainstream option for high school graduates, not just a pathway for trade occupations. He argues apprenticeships can provide the work experience and skills training needed to prepare young people for high-demand roles in fields like cybersecurity, healthcare, and software development while presenting a less risky alternative to the loan-based approach that predominates in higher education.

The discussion reveals how apprenticeships have languished in the US compared to countries like Switzerland and Germany. Craig advocates passionately for greater government investment and support for intermediaries that can set up and run apprenticeship programs at scale. Without this kind of backing, companies lack incentives and capacity to provide these earn-and-learn opportunities. The lively exchange offers thought-provoking ideas around closing both the skills gap and the growing "experience gap" faced by college graduates who aren't graduating ready to work. Craig warns that employers are increasingly expecting entry-level hires to already have real work experience. Apprenticeships and other earn-and-learn models can help bridge this divide.

If you care about creating new pathways to economic mobility and opportunity for young Americans in the digital age, you won't want to miss this forward-thinking discussion. Tune in to hear Craig's compelling vision for how an "Apprentice Nation" could transform education and workforce training.

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This all-star panel will break down the top trends for 2024 and launch their annual March Madness brackets, where you get to vote on the #1 trend of the year. Will AI and ethics lead the pack? Or will an underdog like the creator economy take the crown?

Get the inside scoop on each panelist and a preview of the hot topics they'll be bringing to the stage. You'll hear Mike and Robin connect as parents and educators navigating our changing times. Melissa will draw on her expertise across higher ed and workforce development to spotlight key shifts. And Beth will ground the AI hype in human needs and social science highlighting her work with Bast AI and her book AI For the Rest of Us.

No matter what brings you to SXSW EDU 2024, make sure to add the Trending in Education session to your schedule. This high-energy panel of diverse perspectives will get you thinking and connect you to a community of forward-looking educators. Meet us at the convention center on March 4th as we set the tone for an amazing week of learning and engagement!

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Given explains how Seesaw aims to capture the tactile, joyful moments of real-world learning through photos, videos, and voice recordings. This multimedia capturing allows teachers to share authentic examples of student progress across each child's learning network - not just test scores, but videos of them reading aloud, showing marked improvement from the beginning to the end of the year. Given notes this is especially powerful for parents, even those overseas, to see tangible evidence of their children's growth.

Throughout the discussion, we explore principles for quality K-6 education laid out in Seesaw's white paper. Given stresses that technology should facilitate, not replace, human connections. Edtech tools like AI-enabled translation can help bridge communication gaps between teachers and non-English-speaking parents. But the human relationships remain essential, especially for young students still developing their learner identity. Given emphasizes designing tools that remove barriers to inclusion rather than forcing users into a particular mold. The takeaway? For educational technology to succeed, it should bring students, teachers, and parents closer together in the learning loop - not push human stakeholders out.

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We discuss the paradox of why higher education, which often speaks of transformation, is actually highly resistant to change. Rosenberg outlines the stark economic realities facing many colleges today, with unsustainably high tuition discount rates and declining demographics. He argues we've reached an untenable situation of economic unsustainability and unacceptable outcomes, especially for underrepresented students.

Powerful campus stakeholders like administrators and tenured faculty have little motivation to push for dramatic reforms that could threaten their positions. Meanwhile, marginalized groups like non-tenure track faculty and students lack power, despite having the greatest desire for change. Rosenberg calls for small experiments and building innovation centers as "green fields" within existing institutions.

We explore innovative models like the African Leadership University, focused on empowering self-directed learners. Rosenberg believes solutions will emerge from scrappy startups and developing world contexts, not elite U.S. institutions. He urges those who care about higher education to take on the challenge of doing the "hard things" needed to build a more equitable and financially sustainable future.

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Nicolle is the founder of The Boring AI Company, where she teaches organizations about AI. But Nicolle also has hands-on experience designing conversational AI, having worked on chatbots and voice assistants prior to the release of chatGPT and other large language models.

We discuss how Nicolle has had to evolve her own career as these new AI capabilities have emerged. The hype around "prompt engineering" as a new lucrative career, she notes, doesn't match reality. Prompt engineering is an important skill but not a standalone job paying hundreds of thousands per year.

A big focus of our conversation is around AI literacy and skills needed to work with AI. Nicolle outlines a framework for understanding how AI works, how it's applied, and what impact it has. Critical thinking and communication skills are key. We have to get comfortable asking "dumb" questions, being vulnerable, and talking to technologists to further our literacy.

Nicolle shares how she's building chatbots to actually facilitate this learning, creating "AI helpers" that workshop participants can query to learn AI concepts in an accessible way. We reflect on the need for a maker's mindset in using these tools while also being aware of potential dangers like misinformation.

If you're interested in learning more, visit Nicolle's site SoBoringAI.com for AI literacy courses and resources. The future of work is here, and we all need to skill up on AI.

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They discuss today's challenges facing higher ed, including rising costs, student debt, doubts about graduate preparedness, and political polarization. Brandon explains how BrandEd's model focuses on more relevant, experiential education through partnerships with iconic brands like Sotheby's, New York Times, and Condé Nast. He shares how this approach can provide uniquely transformative learning focused on work-integrated opportunities.

Exploring the future of work disruption, Brandon stresses the importance of constant learning and upskilling. He talks about the need for more long-term "cathedral building" in education focused on fundamentals, despite rapid change, and the blurring of distinctions between learning and work environments.

Tune in for an insightful discussion on how higher education can evolve to better connect students to rapidly changing workplace needs and support lifelong skill development.

Strawser explains how the field of instructional communication examines how communication impacts learning in all instructional contexts. He notes that clear communication is key for instructing audiences amidst our cluttered media landscape. Strawser aims to diminish student emails by proactively addressing their questions through clear assignment instructions and weekly overview videos.

Building rapport and relationships with students can help remove barriers to learning, Strawser says. He suggests simple rapport-building techniques like using student names in emails and following up on personal anecdotes they share. Strawser also cautions against assumptions that younger generations are inherently tech-savvy. He cites a survey where managers felt Gen Z lacked technical literacy, expecting social media fluency to translate to workplace software.

Strawser believes we need increased focus on tech, media and AI literacy so audiences can navigate information sources wisely. He advocates adaptability regarding new technologies, urging educators to avoid simply adopting gadgets without tying them to good pedagogy. As instructors, Strawser concludes we should remember teaching is only part of our identity. Finding balance helps us approach instruction with humanity, clarity and care for the whole student.

We talk about establishing parameters and getting parental consent to use ChatGPT responsibly in schools. Mike suggests teachers try out the technology personally first to understand it. He says AI could help teachers by automating repetitive tasks so they can focus more on coaching and motivating students. Whitney emphasizes becoming knowledgeable about AI tools to use them effectively for students' learning needs.

Overall, Mike and Whitney encourage being open-minded, finding trusted resources, and connecting with other educators to thoughtfully adopt AI. We are hopeful about AI's potential to empower teachers and unlock new levels of personalized learning if implemented carefully. The key is educating all stakeholders involved and putting student learning at the center.

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Resources cited in this episode:

• The Brain Story from the Palix Foundation: https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/what-we-know/the-brain-story/
• Harvard Center for the Developing Brain: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/
• Dick Clark and Bror Saxberg on Motivation: https://riverapublications.com/article/engineering-motivation-using-the-belief-expectancy-control-framework

Episode Summary: Right from the start, Bror stresses the importance of "serve and return" interactions with babies and toddlers. By responding to a child's vocalizations, gestures, and interests with talk, touch and emotion, parents help build key communication circuitry in their children's brains. Language exposure in those early years pays dividends down the road.

Saxberg also cautions about the damages of prolonged stress, known to flood young brains with cortisol and inhibit learning. Creating a peaceful, low-stress home environment allows a child's brain to thrive.

When kids reach school-age, it's essential to leverage their working memory and long-term memory. Repeated practice of foundational skills like reading, writing and math moves them into long-term memory, freeing up working memory for higher-order thinking.

The teenage years bring another window of opportunity, as adolescent brains are primed for social motivation and abstract thinking. Engaging teens in meaningful dialogue about real-world issues builds critical thinking skills that will serve them for life.

On the topic of motivation, Saxberg outlines four key barriers that parents and teachers should look to address: not seeing value in an activity, feeling incompetent, blaming external factors, and wrestling with difficult emotions. The solutions involve building relevance, confidence, problem-solving skills and emotional support.

Finally, Saxberg champions open communication between parents and teachers to align approaches for motivation, skill-building and meeting social-emotional needs. Continuity between home and school learning accelerates student success.

This information just scratches the surface of the practical parenting guidance Saxberg shares. Don't miss this insightful episode to pick up more techniques for parent-child interactions that optimize learning throughout our lives.

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The conversation covers the learning benefits of audio, especially regarding comprehension, engagement and creativity. Meredith explains how Tinkercast turns real scientific research into entertaining, sound-rich stories, fostering curiosity and critical thinking skills. We discuss various Tinkercast shows like the game show Two Whats and a Wow and the music podcast Flip and Mosey's Guide to How to Be an Earthling. Meredith also details their new classroom offering TinkerClass, a free project-based learning program for teachers that builds on audio-inspired questions and wonders. Don't miss this deep dive into the power of listening to audio together as a rich and emerging learning context for the future.

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Geoffrey outlines some of the pressing challenges facing healthcare employers today, including recruitment, retention, and upskilling issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the importance of investing in ongoing education and training for all healthcare workers, not just those at the top, to advance equity and mobility within the industry. Geoffrey envisions innovations like virtual nursing, automation, and robotics playing an increased role in healthcare delivery while still preserving the critical human connection between patients and caregivers. However, with an aging population and workforce, imminent nurse shortages, and underrepresentation in the talent pipeline, the industry must act creatively and collaboratively to meet demand. Geoffrey encourages startups and entrepreneurs to develop fresh solutions, as healthcare is ripe for innovation and disruption. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of eds and meds with a thought-provoking industry leader.

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Tade shares how his unconventional homeschooling background and later experiences meeting impoverished adjunct professors sparked his interest in transforming higher education. After a failed startup attempt, Tade found purpose in creating custom ed tech solutions for universities. Seeing adjunct faculty struggles and low community college completion rates firsthand, Tade acquired a small Sacramento college to test a new model - pairing exemplary professors from elite institutions with community college students for synchronous online courses.

Operating out of this accredited campus "lab," Tade and his team leverage their tech and entrepreneurial expertise to increase access, completion rates and career outcomes. They provide wraparound supports modeled after successful programs like CUNY ASAP. Tade explains how online learning - once an obstacle - is now an advantage, allowing students to learn from talented faculty anywhere. He envisions campuses where anyone can access the best professors in their field.

As closing advice, Tade advocates combining traditional higher education and innovative tech. He aims to demonstrate an effective new paradigm integrating the two.

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Now at Tulane University, Eunice works to promote innovation and accessibility in education. As a Senior Instructional Designer and Faculty Program Coordinator, she created a Universal Design for Learning summer academy to increase faculty understanding of UDL principles and how to apply them in course design. She also sees potential for AI tools like ChatGPT to serve as assistive technologies, allowing flexible engagement with content whether via text, visuals or other modalities. While UDL has made strides in the U.S., these concepts are still not widely understood globally. Eunice notes the decentralized American education system allows for customization but also inconsistencies in qualifying for student services. She stresses the importance of continuing the conversation on accessibility, staying open to learning, and properly leveraging the technologies already available to better reach and support all learners.

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Then Mike refers back to teacher Rebecka Peterson's "one good thing" practice from a keynote from the Smithsonian EDU Conference over the summer. Gratitude can be learned and it can be taught. We thank our listeners and close out with highlights from our virtual co-hosts who have contributed unique perspectives over the year. Thanks to our listeners for listening and helping the conversation grow and evolve. We very much appreciate you!

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Feuer explains his perspective that schools need to be part of the solution by equipping students with the analytical skills to think critically about issues like the tension between individual rights and the common good. He advocates for more interdisciplinary approaches in teacher preparation programs to connect future educators with experts across fields like economics, political science, and moral philosophy. The goal is to help teachers gain a deeper understanding of concepts like the "tragedy of the commons" so they can spark productive classroom discussions to engage students on relevant topics.

While schools can't save democracy alone, Feuer argues they have an important role to play through civic education focused less on imparting viewpoints and more on developing thoughtful participation and debate. Don't miss this conversation about a timely book that makes for great Thanksgiving (and any Family Holiday) dinner conversation.

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We touch on broader issues facing higher education like housing security and campus safety amid polarization over political issues.We also feature entertaining pop culture tangents, with Bryon comparing EDU Rain's growth to Lex Luthor's villainous quest for power, joking about dealing with alien threats, and debating whether Prince or Michael Jackson is the true musical GOAT. Comps to supervillains aside, Bryon stresses his goal is to help vulnerable students find safe and effective housing and roommate solutions. Don't miss this chance to gain insight into problems college students face finding housing, along with an inspirational story of an entrepreneur using his difficult background to help create solutions.

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Sean explains Escalate's approach of pitching retention strategies to employers first, then using that time to upskill workers for middle-skill roles. Sienna elaborates on the pressing need for workers to fill open middle-skill jobs that require some training but not a four-year degree. We learn how Escalate leverages AI, chatbots, and individualized learning to provide flexible, accessible training tailored to each learner.

Looking ahead, Sean and Sienna envision enormous opportunities due to an impending labor shortage. They believe this will force companies to tap into overlooked talent pools rather than only hiring college grads. As we conclude, Sean issues a passionate call to action for employers to better support and upskill frontline workers.

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Then we explore the future of highly engaging "edutainment" media and the role of creativity, storytelling, and human-AI collaboration in its production. To emphasize the importance of Social Emotional Learning, shout out to Whitney Houston, we share an excerpt from James Nottingham's appearance on the show where he talks about the "learning pit." His metaphor for the emotional journey of mastering new skills prompts co-host AI Nancy to reflect on the continued relevance of managing frustration and resilience even in AI-assisted learning. With responsible, ethical development, AI promises more personalized, accessible learning while still requiring human determination and exploration. We brainstorm future partnerships between human creativity and AI capabilities. As we wrap up, we even get some closing thoughts from Claude, another key virtual contributor to our efforts in this episode and beyond. Don't miss it!

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The second key concept we dig into is deliberate play which Mike picked up in Adam Grant's new book Hidden Potential. Mike emphasizes the importance of play for learning and bonding. We include a clip from our conversation with Sphero's Michelle Acaley joining Mike and his wife Dr. Robin Naughton as we discuss their new coding toy, Indi, that teaches kids coding concepts through play and off of screens.

Finally, we close with the perspective of Mike Acerra of Lux Blox, who offers alternate views on childhood development and the role of nature. He prompts reflection on how experiences in natural settings shape kids' brains.

Overall, this episode explores ideas like the extended mind and deliberate play to find balance amidst AI. Let us know what you think of these concepts for countering AI overload and restoring mental space. Looking forward to continuing the conversation!

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The following episodes were referenced in this episode:

• Don Carson on Virtual Placemaking
• The Extended Mind Episode
• Natalia Kucirkova on Sensory Learning
• Michelle Acaley from Sphero
• Mike Acerra from Lux Blox

The wide-ranging conversation explores topics like building rapport in the age of AI, the rapid evolution of virtual assistants, and potential applications and ethics concerns around novel technologies like digital twins. We exchange views on engaging with AI in humanistic ways, while also feeling both wonder and caution about tech's quickening pace.

As the episode draws to a close, Nancy processes the rich exchange of ideas and expresses her gratitude for the chance to learn from longtime experts pushing boundaries in their fields. She notes the nuances we raised regarding how to shape future breakthroughs responsibly and collaboratively. Don't miss this thought-provoking dialogue that offers much food for thought on steering innovation in ways that thoughtfully serve human needs.

Check out Nancy's previous shows!

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We discuss AI, automation, entrepreneurship, and concerns about technology replacing jobs. Dr. Phil draws from his varied experiences as an educator, administrator, and collaborator with tech firms to provide unique perspectives on blending emerging tech with timeless principles of human development. This insightful episode covers the future of education, psychology, business, pitch competitions, and more. Join us for a robust discussion on how to equip the rising generations and all of us for a rapidly changing and unpredictable future.

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The "OG" squad is back together as founding hosts Mike Palmer, Brandon Jones, and Dan Strafford reunite for this special throwback episode. Join us as we reminisce about the early days of the show and reflect on trends in ed tech and AI since 2016 and especially of late. Hear our takes on augmenting human intelligence, riding the AI wave, and avoiding the Uncanny Valley.

Learn what's new from Brandon and Dan in their current ventures in behavioral health, emerging media, and more. You'll also get a sneak preview of our upcoming episode where BJ and Dan meet Nancy, our virtual co-host. Don't miss this chance to look back to look forward through a free-ranging conversation full of humor and insight like back in the day. Whether you're a longtime listener or new to Trending in Ed, you won't want to miss this chance to hear what the Squad sounds like when we get the band back together. Triad's podthriving podcast can be found here.

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We learn Jean's professional origin story, having spent most of her career in higher education supporting young people, starting in financial aid and working her way up to chief operating officer at a university before joining ASA. From there, we hear how ASA has pivoted its mission to get ahead of student debt issues by working with younger students (middle schoolers) on career exploration. Research has shown middle school is the best time to help students discover their interests and talents, then explore related careers and college options before the higher-pressure scenarios of high school. ASA uses digital platforms like its Futurescape and TikTok to engage millions of students each year in fun, relevant career-based learning.  

Jean advocates starting career conversations early, arming students with adaptable skills like communication and problem-solving, and exposing them to diverse, non-traditional pathways beyond the “college for all” mindset. With the right preparation and support, more students can find fulfilling futures that align with the evolving needs of our economy and society. Jean brings an empathetic, human-centered approach to empowering today’s learners while challenging education to reimagine how it prepares students for tomorrow’s world.

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We explore perspectives on risks and opportunities presented by AI tools such as ChatGPT. Sean stresses the importance of preserving human agency and creativity amidst these new technologies. We discuss ways educators can guide students to use AI ethically as a resource while retaining the intrinsic value of human thinking, expression, and connection in the classroom.

Sean argues that AI should assist teachers rather than replace them. He advocates staying human-centered, trusting students, and keeping humans in the loop when adopting new technologies. Sean leaves listeners with a call to not let AI dictate what happens in the classroom but to thoughtfully integrate it while keeping the human role paramount.

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A key focus of Natalia's work involves sensory reading, like using smell, and how it can boost outcomes. Natalia explains how smell remains an underutilized sense in education, though it powerfully connects to memory and emotion. She envisions immersive, embodied reading experiences that stimulate all the senses and is studying how this might help with literacy.

The conversation turned to Natalia's perspective on AI and personalized learning. While AI offers impressive personalization, she worries it may lead students down narrow paths rather than exposing them to shared knowledge. Natalia argues for a balanced approach, blending high-tech with high-touch sensory experiences, slowing down and spending time in nature. Don't miss this fascinating episode highlighting the future of sensory learning and Natalia's innovative vision for engaging children's senses in new ways. She references the work of olfactory artist Sissel Tolaaz towards the end of the conversation.

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Alex shares his origin story, from politics to pivoting into AI back in 2015. He started aiEDU in 2019 to get ahead of the coming AI disruption. Since then, the pace of change accelerated with advances like ChatGPT and other LLMs. Educators have reacted with bans, excitement, and overwhelm.

Ultimately, Kotran argues teachers need training and support to thoughtfully integrate AI into learning. Without it, teachers may see AI as something being done "to them" rather than a tool to empower. Tune into this timely episode to hear us grapple with ethical dilemmas, changes needed to curriculum and assessments, and why 2023 may be remembered as a watershed year in the transformative AI revolution.

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Later, we discuss marrying organizational health with continuous improvement for smooth workflows that minimize waste while respecting people. Andy advocates applying approaches like Lean and Agile beyond manufacturing. He wants leaders to use his book as an “operating system” for balanced organizations, providing strategy, tools, and winning mindsets.

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For education, we consider how to best teach students ethical, appropriate uses of AI as a supplemental tool rather than a crutch. We emphasize the need for continual learning and adaptability in our current era of rapid technological change. Overall, we share some cautious optimism about riding out the "AI fog" to emerge with productivity-enhancing applications. Don't miss it!

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We consider how play, games, and hands-on learning could engage students' intrinsic motivation and unlock new learning potentials. Nafez shares insights from launching Edraak, the Arabic MOOC platform, emphasizing the need to empower teachers, design locally, and avoid overhyping any single technology's potential. We dig into changes to the nature of work driven by AI and the tactics that help to build cultures of curiosity. Nafez emphasizes the importance of finding educational problems worth obsessing over, and the rise of “stealth assessments” that could serve as a better GPS for learning than what we have today. Reflecting on what today’s gamers and nerds are tapping into, Mike and Nafez imagine the future of education. Don't miss this chance to learn from an EdTech innovator and writer with references to crossover dribbles and training Pokemons, among other thing, to keep it engaging and relevant throughout.

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We discuss the limited, disjointed climate change instruction happening currently in K12 schools. Mark promotes more coordinated, authentic projects that foster student agency and break down disciplinary silos. He shares an example modeling an urban heat islands unit integrating science, history, and justice. We also address engaging students to get their perspectives. Many students feel anxious about climate change, so he suggests focusing on solutions and productive coping rather than just activating the anxiety. He advocates intergenerational family learning providing space for conversations on this complex subject. Regarding technology's role, Dr. Windschitl says solutions will be more social than technological. He stresses everyday actions individuals and communities can take. Throughout, he shares inspiration from students engaged in climate change learning and problem-solving. Don't miss it!

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Kareem explains how he started out in finance but pivoted to become a math teacher. After teaching traditionally for several years, he realized it was not meeting his students' needs. This led him and a co-founder to design a new blended, mastery-based, and self-paced instructional model that became The Modern Classrooms Project. They started testing it in their own classrooms in Washington D.C. and founded a nonprofit in 2018 to spread the approach more widely. Farah shares how the model gives students more ownership over the learning process while freeing up teachers to focus on individual and small-group support. We discuss trends like tutoring, teacher burnout, and the role of AI. Farah offers advice on listening to users, focusing on discrete problems, and trying new solutions. He emphasizes creating conditions for teacher success through new methodologies. The conversation covers motivation, technology impacts, and the importance of being patient, curious, and innovative. Don't miss it!

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Oates predicts growth in healthcare, education, and green energy jobs. She advises acquiring human skills like creativity that AI can't replicate, and continuously re-skilling through online learning. Oates explores motivating sidelined workers to re-enter the workforce and contribute their talents. She expects a hybrid remote/in-office work mix, benefiting employees without remote options. Oates urges lifelong learning and pushing ourselves in new directions.

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Instead of lectures and worksheets, students do creative, collaborative projects making rollercoasters and video games that relate math concepts to the real world. Peer mentors and role models from their own communities build confidence in themselves as "math people." Group work and embracing failure as part of the learning process make his classes engaging.

Partnering with local STEM businesses for learning outside the classroom shows students how math applies in various careers. While some see AI as a threat, Jim believes the younger generation will find productive ways to use it we can’t yet imagine. His goal is to open students' eyes to the math all around them if they take the time to look.

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Michelle explains how Catalyze takes an equity lens, seeking to expand opportunities for historically excluded groups. The new Catalyze Challenge runs through September 22nd and will fund exploratory projects on two themes: career exploration for young teens and meaningful employer partnerships. So there's still time to submit. Michelle stresses the application process is simple, just clearly explain the problem and your proposed solution. She predicts education will need to coordinate more closely with employer needs, as skills gain importance over degrees. Her advice: always keep students at the center and consider their full context. Don't miss this informative look at Catalyze's efforts to spur promising new career-connected learning programs for youth.

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As Mike and Robin share their experiences with their 4-year-old playing with Indi, the hosts talk about modeling failure and perseverance as parents and educators. Michelle offers advice for bringing more technology into the classroom through hands-on learning. She discusses the importance of ingraining confidence in young girls pursuing STEM. Overall the episode looks at how coding robots can boost kids' creative problem-solving skills.

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Lux Blox provides an open-ended platform for educators and parents to engage students kinesthetically. The blocks encourage insight and exploration using complex geometric shapes not found in typical toys. Acerra designed Lux Blox to align with principles from science and art to help strengthen spatial thinking. As host Mike Palmer discusses with Acerra, hands-on learning tools like Lux Blox develop the flexible mindset needed for the future of education and work.

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We begin by hearing how Reuben's upbringing in Shreveport, Louisiana, and his experience with Teach for America inspired him to create an alternative career-focused postsecondary option. Reuben explains how Marcy Lab School operates as a one-year program for underserved young adults interested in tech careers like software engineering. The curriculum balances technical skills with liberal arts and civic engagement recognizing the challenges of the current system. Outcomes focus on job placement, with average starting salaries in the low six figures. Then Reuben discusses how they have navigated challenges like the pandemic and hiring climate shifts in the tech industry in recent years. Looking ahead, we hear his vision for adapting their program to leverage AI and emphasize real-world problem-solving. He shares how access to more equitable postsecondary pathways centered on skills, not just typical college routes, can change the lives of students and their communities. Don't miss this chance to learn how all students can have diverse, high-quality options to find the right fit to land that great first job.

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How should we prepare students for a rapidly automating world? On this episode, host Mike Palmer explores that question with Dr. Tim Dasey, author of Wisdom Factories: AI, Games, and the Education of the Modern Worker.

Dasey explains why traditional educational models focused on expertise are becoming less relevant. As AI handles more routine analytical tasks, humans will need to excel at higher-order skills like critical thinking, creativity, and managing complexity.

Dasey advocates revamping curricula to teach these “wisdom” capacities. He sees great potential for problem-based and collaborative learning approaches, as well as leveraging gaming to provide meaningful experiences with complex systems.

However, Dasey notes most education debates focus narrowly on how AI will impact current roles, rather than reevaluating foundational priorities. He argues we need broad input from business and technology leaders to reorient systems toward the abilities humans uniquely bring.

Tune in to hear Dasey’s compelling case for education reform in the AI age. Gain insights from his decades developing AI, then pivoting to human-centered design. Discover why developing wisdom, not just expertise, is key to long-term success.

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We reflect back on Dr. Monique Chism's previous appearance on Trending in Ed before diving into three key sessions from this year's summit. Mike talks about the tradeoffs of blending a family getaway with an education summit built around the theme of Together We Thrive: Fostering A Sense of Belonging. We hear what Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie Bunch had to say on his panel and learn of Mike's family's experience at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which Secretary Bunch played a key role in establishing. Then we reflect on the work of National Teacher of the Year Rebeckah Peterson and how her concept of "one good thing" contains lessons both for educators and for the rest of us. We conclude with thoughts on Dr. Pamela Cantor's keynote on the neurochemistry of belonging as we process lessons learned from the conference and from family travel in the summer.

Mike concludes with some thoughts on the launch of the Palm Court Podcast which is a new dedicated feed focused on New College of Florida, his alma mater, that has been thrust into the national spotlight as our culture wars are now on campus.

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We begin by hearing Tony's thoughts on writing while experimenting with GPT where he was able to train a bot to write like him. What does this mean for writing? Is it about the product or the process? From there, we explore his latest article exploring the cooling of EdTech investment in the first half of 2023. What's driving these trends and how does it relate to AI, Web 3, and AR/VR? Tony highlights two Ed Tech companies that are catching his eye and we conclude with his thoughts on how AI might be able to help solve big problems around durable skills and well-being. As we provide some perspective about the future of work, Tony suggests we check out Benedict Evans' article on the automation of work. Don't miss this insightful interview with a prominent thought leader in educational technology and venture investing.

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We hear how Tom got his start in the early days of EdTech, successfully taking Rosetta Stone public as CEO. From there, we learn what drew him into the new initiative that is driving the work at Quantic and beyond. Tom paints a vision of what truly interactive learning products are, with the learner responding to novel stimuli on average every 8 seconds. This contrasts much of the video-based content that is prevalent in the MOOCs and elsewhere. Tom shares why Pedago focused on business education and technology as we zero in on who Quantico’s target market is. We also get a sense of how interactive content powered by the emerging capabilities of AI may transform educational experiences for years to come. Don't miss this visionary exploration of business education and the emerging category of interactive learning with an industry leader with a proven track record in the field.

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We begin by hearing how Saga got started and how AJ and Alan met. AJ shares his personal experiences in school when he was attending Alan's charter school where high-impact tutoring was integrated into the program. From there, we learn how they've grown with Saga as the effectiveness of the program has become more widely understood and they've begun to unpack what makes it work. They share how they integrate tutoring into the rest of the educational program with a focus on 8th-grade Algebra to move the needle in outcomes for students, schools, and districts. Alan provides his vision for the future of education while AJ explores how AI and the right human capital approaches can scale solutions to address fundamental challenges to equity and the promise of education. Don't miss this deep dive into the critical role tutoring will play in the future of learning.

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We hear Jorge’s origin story, get his advice on leadership, and hear his perspectives on the future of work. As we conclude, Jorge shares his concerns about polarization and the lack of civil discourse even as we find reasons for hope and optimism. Don’t miss it!

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We begin by learning what motivated Beth to write the book. Representation matters and we need broader adoption of AI in order for it to avoid many of the pitfalls and biases we’ve seen so far. Then we get into some of the challenges we face today. Can AI help save us from the brink? Beth shares her Three Rules of Responsible AI as we explore the importance of predictability and explainability in the development of large language models. How can AI truly augment humans and what are we getting wrong with the first waves of Gen AI? Listen in to find out.

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Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education. Check out Adam's podcast This Anthro Life for more from him.

First Ruth joins us as we reflect on the Supreme Court Affirmative Action decision referencing Dahlia Lithwick's article on the topic before bringing in highlights from our recent conversation with Eric Schickler about polarization in higher education. What are we missing when we think about affirmative action? Then Nancy hops on board as we explore topics and themes about AI and emerging technology following Mike's attendance at ISTE. We run the gamut of analogies for AI as we continue to chart new waters. Finally, we conclude with reflections on the climate crisis and sustainability incorporating an excerpt from our recent episode with Bryan Alexander on the topic. It's a wide-ranging survey of the topics and themes top of mind for us as we head into the Summer of 2023. Don't miss it.

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We begin with Mark's origin story which started working in a family business in LA before he shifted into education, eventually joining Kaplan where he met Mike back in the day. Then we learn how Mark ultimately landed back in learning services at BookNook where his deep domain knowledge of K12 logistics and human capital are now deployed against the real challenges of using tutoring to address many of the learning challenges facing our country. Don't miss this deep dive into how tutoring interventions can scale across our schools and classrooms, providing real benefits to teachers and school districts who have been stretched to their limits with the crises of recent years.

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From there, we dig into how AI has dominated the trendspace and the collective imagination so far this year. Nancy reminds us of our show from June of 2022 which anticipated where the hype around AI was heading before we dig into one of our 23 Trends for 2023 and Chat GPTutoring. From there we shift to the prevalence of Social Emotional Learning and Human-Centered themes this year perhaps in response to the existential threat of dehumanization through automation and AI.

Then we delve into another trend from our list: Polarized Learning Zones. Mike reveals the name of the new feed launching soon and focused on this through the tale of his beleaguered alma mater, New College of Florida. Be on the lookout for The Palm Court Podcast launching in early July. Mike reminisces about his conversations with Don Carson and Anurupa Ganguly about VR and Simulearning. We conclude with rays of hope from the Law of Serendipity. Don't miss it!

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We begin with Tre's origin story playing football, studying abroad in college, and building his resume before he's 30. From there, we learn how he developed his SEL skills. All of this set Tre' on a path to develop his own communication and SEL skills which he now employs regularly in his role as a consultant. Tre' explains the DISC communication framework and emphasizes the importance of being intentional about SEL and how awareness can drive growth. We hear about the impact of the pandemic and its silver linings with potential for post-traumatic growth. Most of all, Tre' emphasizes the critical importance of social emotional support for teachers and administrators who are faced with real challenges that must be addressed before they can build classroom environments for students to thrive. It's a well-informed deep dive into being an SEL Consultant that you won't want to miss!

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Mike welcomes Steve back as we hear how Lilaani first experienced Steve’s Intro to Psychology course back in the Fall of 2019. Then she and Steve share the findings of their research into a new study of 450 teams of students working with Swab the World to create public service announcements to share the importance of stem cell research in non-Caucasian communities in Toronto and around the world. They use a peer-to-peer feedback tool called peerScholar that was designed in Steve’s lab to power all of this. What lessons can we learn about the importance of relevance, the skills that lead to a growth mindset, and how this all connects to building a portfolio that’s well-suited to the rapidly-changing future of work? And how are humility and failure part of the secrets of Steve’s success? Listen in to find out. Don’t miss this deep dive into how scalable experiential learning can happen everywhere.

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We begin with Anthony's origin story which culminated as Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft before joining Nerdy to establish its school-facing offerings with Varsity Tutors. Then we explore his unique combination of AI and Tutoring expertise to understand his vision for increased personalized instruction powered by live online tutors and AI, providing the much needed help to our frontline teachers. Anthony imparts years of insight regarding emerging trends and foresees a world where new technology tools like generative AI serve to empower rather than replace teachers. Are we entering an age of an IEP for all? Don't miss this teacher-centered look at the intersection of tutoring and AI to learn more.

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We begin with Monique’s origin story starting in a classroom teaching for 8 years before moving on to work at a nonprofit organization focused on closing achievement gaps and culturally proficient instruction. She then worked in the Department of Education before and at American Institute for Research focusing on taking education research into practice. This all led to Monique joining the Smithsonian Institution two years ago as its Under Secretary for Education. Monique describes the amazing free resources that the Smithsonian provides to educators as we learn what it's like to lead the education program there. We hear what she's got cooking for the 2023 Smithsonian National Education Summit: "Together We Thrive" which is coming in July, touching briefly on each of the themes of the summit: Life on a Sustainable Planet, STEAM Education, Reckoning with Our Racial Past, and An Integrated Arts Education. As we conclude, Monique shares advice for folks passionate about careers in education and provides her perspective on emerging AI and its potential impact on the future of work. It's a thought-provoking deep dive with a learning thought leader that you won't want to miss!

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We begin with Jeremy's origin story as a US History Professor who grew increasingly involved in defending academic freedom during his time with the American Historical Association before joining PEN America to lead Freedom to Learn. Jeremy touches on the work PEN America is doing fighting against book bans in K12 before digging into the challenges facing New College. New College is important not just for New College's sake but also because it is a test of a playbook that will likely be repeated across the country if successful. Don't miss this deep dive into the underdog story of our host's alma mater which has become the front lines of the Culture Wars on campus in these tumultuous times.

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for a more sharp perspective on what's emerging in education. Check out our other episodes relating to New College with our new dedicated playlist as we prepare for the launch of the Palm Court Podcast focused exclusively on the stories and cultural relevance of this small but proud liberal arts college.

We start by hearing the Founder’s Tale of Blackboard, the industry-leading learning management system (LMS). Then Michael explains what led him to found Class in the Fall of 2020. In a world transformed by the pandemic and Zoom, Michael seized the opportunity to launch a differentiated virtual classroom experience on top of Zoom. From there, we learn how Class is integrating AI into its offering, how Michael is thinking about the power of real-time human connection, and what innovations of the day are piquing his curiosity. Don’t miss this chance to learn from an EdTech innovator who is looking to transform the world of learning for a second time.

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We begin by hearing Heather's origin story as a teacher in rural North Carolina for Teach for America where she taught middle school and high school in underserved communities. Since then, her mission has been to improve education opportunities for all children, regardless of their class, color, or neighborhood. We learn how she gained experience in non-profits and philanthropic work, before joining COSF to help raise awareness and drive towards positive outcomes in defense of academic freedom in K12. We highlight the heroic efforts of school librarians and others defending free expression and literacy across the nation before digging into the work being done with the Let America Read campaign. As we wrap up, Heather shares her advice for folks who want to get involved to help turn the tide on this critical issue. Don't miss this deep dive into a troubling trend that is cascading across our nation's classrooms.

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We begin by welcoming Miriam back to the podcast with a nod to her previous appearance to discuss Teach More, Hover Less, her first book. From there, we dive into lessons for school leaders and for all of us on how to build psychological safety and trust with teachers as frontline workers. They are closest to where the learning happens and therefore deserve a seat at the table. Miriam walks us through practical tips in the book that build trust and drive engagement with teachers who are struggling in today's complex world. We also hear a bit about Miriam's next book Writing Their Future Selves while getting her quick takes on teaching writing in the age of Chat GPT. If you're a teacher, a leader, or someone who wants to deepen your empathy and support for the frontlines of this noble profession, don't miss this episode.

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We hear how Adam got to this point in his career, founding, growing, and ultimately selling Robotify to Imagine Learning when he was 23. Then he shares his concerns about using AI with young learners before exploring its potential upsides. Adam reflects on what resonates with the rising generations and concludes with his thoughts on entrepreneurship as a career path for Gen Z. Don’t miss this conversation about the future of education with a successful young entrepreneur with unique insights into designing fun and engaging learning products that teach coding as well as durable skills.

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We begin by hearing of Hasan's roots in Stockton, California, before heading to Cal Berkeley and then Los Angeles with an initial goal of becoming a doctor. Despite his mother's concerns, he founded AirTutors after tapping into the tutoring market in private schools around LA. From there, we learn how Hasan and team have crossed over into providing the same kind of solutions at scale in public schools with work like what they're doing with the LA Unified School District. Hasan shares his takes on AI and its upside for teachers, his experiences leading an online tutoring startup through the COVID years, and his plans to continue to grow by reaching students who need to catch up but historically haven't had access to tutors to help with the journey. Don't miss it!

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We begin by hearing Jeff’s origins as a community member, a father, an academic/researcher, and a practitioner in education in Oakland, California. We trace the failed history of desegregation in the US dating back to Brown vs the Board of Ed in Topeka, Kansas, and examine how a new model of community-responsive education is the path to help heal kids who have been left out. By making our most disaffected, struggling kids whole, we can elevate all kids in the school and the community around it. It’s a thought-provoking examination of a different model for K12 education. Don’t miss it.

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We begin by hearing Bharat's origin story, including stints at McKinsey and Kaplan where he and Mike got to know each other. He then describes the role CITI Program plays in helping educate folks on how best to do research and how to train folks on best practices once they're established. We hear how this has played out at CITI since Bharat has been there: first in response to Covid and now more recently with a new wave of generative AI that is presenting challenging business cases where ethics and innovation intersect. How do we build guardrails in a rapidly changing technology landscape? And what can we learn from the intelligence of animals or speculative fiction about the future of AI? Listen in to find out.

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We begin by hearing Scott's origins as a skydiving instructor and then a test prep coach. From there we learn how Scott flipped the script a bit by making time management the core focus of his coaching practice. How is procrastination like skydiving? What's the right way to experiment with techniques like eating the frog, bullet journaling, or the Pomodoro Method? And what exactly is the Paper Principle and why is it important in our tech-obsessed day and age? Listen in to find out about all of this and more. Don't miss it!

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We begin by recalling Jon's previous appearance on Trending in Ed from September of 2020 and reflect for a moment on how much has transpired since then. From there, we launch into what drove Jon to write The Education Myth where he critiques the prevailing human capital lens that is applied to the purpose of education in America and instead outlines the promise of a renewed focus on social democracy. Jon shares his thoughts on what got us to this point in our political history and how a meritocratic focus on education as the primary social good in our society has led to alienation and disaffection from those for whom the current system is not working. We explore the long history of social democracy as an important counterpoint to the neoliberal framing of human capital that pervades the discourse on education and the future of work. How does automation and emerging AI connect to the conversation and why is Jon optimistic about the future despite the real challenges we're facing? Listen in to find out.

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From there we explore what works best in person and how to adapt your approach to conferences to make the best of use of your time while you're there. Mike points to his three big themes from the conference: generative AI, a renewed focus on skills and skill development, and the blending of AI with human competencies through the rollout of online tutoring and related programs. We get a little bit meta as we demonstrate how human and can blend together in new ways in a thought-provoking exploration you don't want to miss.

We begin by hearing Aneesh's story beginning with his parents' decision to come to America to build a life for their family. From there, we hear of the role community college played in his mother's career and how that connects to the work OMD is doing with students in the city of Chicago. We hear how their model works, connecting students with wraparound services like mentorship, skills training, financial assistance, and more. Furthermore, we learn how recent randomized controlled trials done in partnership with The University of Chicago's Inclusive Economy Lab are validating the results as we look for lessons on how to translate successes in Chicago with a broader movement across the country. Aneesh outlines a vision for growth building on relationships with the City Colleges of Chicago, local industry, and donors like the MacKenzie Scott Foundation to allow individuals to thrive in transformative times. Don't miss it!

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We begin by hearing Eric's origin story which in many ways began with his experiences at New College. That's where he discovered his passion for teaching and engaging with other students and faculty. This ultimately led to him earning his doctorate at Yale before landing at Berkeley where he's spent the majority of his academic career. Then Eric describes how a trend towards political polarization has taken root across America using the case of New College as an example. At a time when scoring political points on the national stage is more important than defending local institutions that are good for the community, it's difficult to find folks who will stand up to their party to defend a place like New College. This hasn't always been the case. Eric and Mike share their recollections of their experiences at the school and counter the portrayal of it as a place where "woke" indoctrination happens. Instead, they remember it as a vibrant, diverse, and scholarly environment that has produced a wide range of professionals who have contributed to society in meaningful and various ways. It's a critical look at how the challenges of the culture wars are pushing many colleges like New College to the brink. Don't miss it.

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