The GSV Big 10: Still Chatty
Here's your weekly coverage corner for the top 10 stories, insights, and major plays in learning and skilling.
#1 Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach
Gen Z loves ChatGPT: the hashtag #chatgpt has more than 578 million views on TikTok. The rub is the wisdom of crowds on steroids has the risk of being conventional wisdom... not typically a recipe for excellence.
#2 If Affirmative Action Ends, College Admissions May Be Changed Forever
Bizarrely, it’s viewed as OK to discriminate against someone by the color of their skin. The world’s a messy place, but if we can’t start with the goal that the color of the skin shouldn’t determine your future (either way), then we're in trouble. For an Asian American male with good grades and high SAT scores, the odds of admission to Harvard are 25%. If they were an African American male instead, the odds are 95%. You should be admitted to a school based on your qualifications, not based on the color of your skin... or the college of your parents, for that matter.
#3 Byju's Byju Raveendran Speaks On Edtech Sector, Company's IPO Plans & More
Byju is betting big on BYJU’s in 2023. The CEO of the world’s most valuable education company gives a candid assessment of the good, bad, and ugly in 2022 at Davos among world leaders.
#4 Youngkin Blasts ‘Maniacal Focus’ on ‘Equity’ in Education
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is America’s #1 high school… but that could change soon. The school is under fire for failing to release National Merit awards until after the early decision application window closed, hurting high-performing students. Excellence should be celebrated, equality is foundational, and equity should be earned.
#5 Against Macro Headwinds, US Edtech Raised $5.2 Billion in 2022
Our friends at Reach Capital published their annual roundup of US edtech funding trends. While US edtech VC funding decreased from 2021 to 2022, it's still roughly doubled as a share of overall US venture investment. The good news is that investors have more dry powder than ever while innovation (and impact) is progressing faster than ever.
#6 Boys and Men Need Better Educational Policies
There are twice as many women flying U.S. military planes as there are men teaching kindergarten. Boys and men are falling behind in both the front and back of the classroom. Richard Reeves of Brookings has a few solutions: (1) “redshirting” boys by giving them an extra year of Pre-K, (2) recruiting men into HEAL (health, education, administration, and literacy) jobs, and (3) expanding apprenticeship programs.
The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal
#7 "Exhausted majority" wants to rethink K-12 education
Most Americans want schools to rethink how best to teach kids, rather than just get back to the way things were before COVID. Parents care most about developing critical thinking, character, and learning at their own pace, while they overestimate the public’s desire for teachers to prepare kids for college, internships, and the highest-paying jobs.
#8 ChatGPT And AI Will Fuel New EdTech Boom
AI is going to be as ubiquitous in edtech as the Internet. And instead of a magic trick, it’ll be like electricity – pretty cool, but you won’t think twice about it.
#9 Pennsylvania drops college degree mandate for state jobs
Utah, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Colorado are leading the way in eliminating 4-year college degree requirements for state jobs. The beat goes on... it's knowledge, not college; it’s what you know, not where you go.
#10 It’s Time to Get Serious
Treating young adults as children isn't how society advances. It’s time for extended adolescence to grow up and for the next generation of builders and founders to get going.