The GSV Big 10: Coder Cubs
Technology replaces the technologist, Virginia bans legacy admissions, the choice revolution rages on...
#1 Gold-Medalist Coders Build an AI That Can Do Their Job for Them | Bloomberg
The opposite of the Tiger eating its cub is the code eating the coder. We’ve been predicting this day for a decade, and here we are. So technology’s not just replacing blue-collar workers or white-collar workers, it’s now no-collar workers as well.
#2 New Alabama Education Law Represents Small But Significant Advance | Forbes
Roll Tide! 2023 was the Year of Choice…and the revolution is showing no signs of slowing down in 2024. Alabama keeps the ball rolling with the CHOOSE Act. Starting with lower-income families, the bill creates ESAs of $7,000 beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
#3 Virginia has banned legacy admissions at its public colleges | NPR
Wahoowa! Meritocracy is our motto, so we don’t support tipping the scales for any reason. Legacy policies in particular fly in the face of equality. Way to go Governor Youngkin in prioritizing merit over how well kids choose their parents.
#4 Inside the Blunders That Plunged the College Admission Season Into Disarray | The New York Times
The fact that in 2024, we had 200 DoE employees manually reading 70,000 individual emails one-by-one kind of makes us worry about what else the government can get its grips on. Perhaps the intent was well-meaning, but as Milton Friedman said, it’s a great mistake to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results. So the verdict…manslaughter.
#5 Can You Create a Diverse College Class Without Affirmative Action? | The New York Times
Plunging into the waters where we’ve been bitten before. Diversity is not only a good thing, it’s a critical thing. Obviously, the SAT, which predicts at best how wealthy your parents are, is an imperfect tool to align with a broad societal objective. The model of most “elite schools” doesn’t support a reimagined education offering that was designed to bring more people under the tent. Elite must not equal exclusivity, but excellence and scale outcomes.
#6 Could Singapore Math Be a Fix for U.S. Mathematics Education? | RealClearEducation
To be excellent, study excellence. Singapore is the reigning gold medal winner in math achievement, so it would make sense to learn what makes them great. It’s clear that it will take more than just money to solve our children’s Math woes. As Bill Gates shared last year at ASU+GSV, the Gates Foundation is “All In” on Math. The Singapore Math Playbook could be a part of solving the problem.
We’ve long written about how the 7 C’s are the pillars of the future of education – Critical Thinking, Creativity, Character, Cultural Fluency, Collaboration, Civic Engagement, and Communication. An 8th C, Confidence, is a crucial ingredient for developing future leaders…and legends. Kudos to Legends for tackling a massive problem and building a Mission Company along the way.
#8 What should we be teaching students now to prepare them for the future? | The Future of Being Human
See above. Like Jensen Huang said, teaching the skills of today will only leave you left behind in the future. Yuval Noah Harari nailed it: the pace of technology innovation has gone exponential, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what to teach. The 7 C’s offers one framework for what to teach…Andrew Maynard offers another: what it means to be human, what it means to flourish, what it means to be part of something bigger than ourselves, how to maintain balance, how to create opportunities, and how to build positive futures.
#9 Is PE Ready for College Sports? | Institutional Investor
The real question is if College Sports is ready for Private Equity. As we wrote in our 2024 Predictions, as college athletics becomes more like the pros with its astronomical numbers, it should come as no surprise that the Barbarians are at the Gates. And it’s likely not just going to be the guys and gals in NYC, but the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appears to have an appetite for anything that bounces.
It’s no longer enough to have healthcare and a 401(k) program as the only employee benefits to attract and keep talent. Education as a Benefit is a megatrend, as is childcare, wellness, financial literacy, and now grief relief.