The GSV Big 10: First Place vs. First Principles
The GSV Big 10: First Place vs. First Principles
Here's your weekly coverage corner for the top 10 stories, insights, and major plays in learning and skilling.
#1 Video: Unpacking the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision
We are for meritocracy, equal opportunity for all, diversity and an aspiration for a color blind society…but we understand the complexity of these concepts. Important to be listening, learning and evolving.
#2 Don’t stop at affirmative action: End college legacy admissions too
If both sides on the aisle are serious about ensuring fair college admissions, then legacy admissions should be next on the docket. Harvard Legacies are 11x likelier to get in (33%) vs. the standard acceptance rate (3%). Talk about injustice.
#3 Hear why one liberal expert witness is happy about this conservative ruling
Harvard is majority minority, yet they have 15x as many rich students as poor students. Giving a break to socioeconomically disadvantaged students will help all students…especially Black and Hispanic working class students. At Harvard, 71% of the Black and Hispanic students are from the richest 1/5th of those populations.
#4 Opinion | Affirmative Action Is Dead. Campus Diversity Doesn’t Have to Be.
What’s clear is that the status quo of admissions was not working. Students from the top 1% of earners were 77x (!) as likely as poor students to be admitted to the Ivy League. Merit-based admissions are one important part of the puzzle, but giving everyone an equal opportunity needs to start when kids are 18 months old, not just 18 years old.
#5 Blue Pennsylvania on Verge of Passing School Choice
Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro has broken ranks with teachers’ unions to fight for the Lifeline Scholarship program. For failing schools in the bottom 15 percent of achievement, one-third of per-student public funding would be placed in a spending account that would go to the student (about $7,000) to cover tuition and other expenses at a private school, leaving behind two-thirds for the school district. Superstars should have a chance to shine.
#6 Filling the Ranks
Personnel is Policy. Arnold Ventures is taking their coordinated campaign approach to remaking the ED to the next level. If every executive in the FTC used to work for Amazon (and suddenly started to overturn key policy), wouldn’t that jeopardize the integrity of the institution?
#7 Part II: At High School Debates, Watch What You Say
A typo on Twitter shouldn’t be a death sentence on the debate stage, and when a judge’s “rules” have no definition, any student can be guilty of them. The NSDA should return to its roots and allow the best argument to win.
#8 How Roblox Grows: From Virtual Playground to Global Empire
Roblox has created a virtual country where community, culture, creativity, education, and commerce meet. Roblox has 214M monthly active players in its virtual world ...the metaverse may be muted, but it’s not going anywhere.
#9 Exclusive: Upgrad in talks to buy majority stake in US edtech firm Udacity
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. While the World watches Indian EdTech, Ronnie Scrwevala’s Upgrad is rumored to be buying a majority stake in Udacity at a fraction of its peak valuation.
#10 Why Tech-Savvy Sweden Is Banning Screens In Classrooms
Ironically, removing screens in the classroom could be a dramatic accelerant for education innovation. Completely eliminating technology doesn’t seem like the answer, but technology should be one part of the learning process, not a panacea.