The GSV Big 10: 📚 Will TikTok Try to Replace Textbooks?
Here's your weekly coverage corner for the top 10 stories, insights, and major plays in education and upskilling.
#1 Yale and Harvard Law Schools Abandon U.S. News Rankings, Citing Flawed Methodology
“U.S. News, you lose.” Rankings should be driven by outcomes, not inputs. If U.S. News is counting fellows and Ph.D. students as unemployed, then what’s the purpose of rankings in the first place?
#2 General Atlantic Eyes More Control of Edtech Firm Kahoot
Earlier this fall, General Atlantic became Kahoot’s largest shareholder. Now, they’re looking at a potential takeover. Although Kahoot’s stock is down 60% this year, the fundamentals are stronger than ever, as Kahoot is quietly becoming an enterprise powerhouse. 97% of Fortune 500 companies use Kahoot, while their largest and fastest-growing segment is Kahoot at Work.
#3 Public Schools Still Won't Pay Teachers
In an America that’s as divided as ever, one source of common ground is paying teachers more. More education money hasn’t resulted in larger paychecks for teachers: Illinois has increased education funding by 55 percent per student, yet average teacher salaries have declined.
#4 South Korea’s Education Success Is Faltering in Evolving Economy
Lifelong learning should focus on knowledge, not college. South Korea has the highest graduation rate in the world, but “golden ticket syndrome” prioritizes attending a prestigious university over developing lifelong passion and career.
Grades may be good, but the results aren’t pretty: South Korea has the least labor productivity for education spending, the highest level of labor-market mismatch, and the fastest level of cognitive decline in the OECD.
#5 Public education is drifting from its founding ideals and public purpose
The mission of public education is to attach our children to their country, their community, and civil society – not to attack them. Teaching “prejudices in favor of our country” is the best way to inspire the next generation to become problem solvers, not problem spotters.
#6 The culture wars are pushing some teachers to leave the classroom
A teacher’s fundamental job is to teach students to think critically and independently. While teachers shouldn’t impose political theories on their students, they also shouldn’t be harassed by parents and regulators. Teachers should engage with their students – not their whole world.
#7 Startup Uses AI To Turn Textbooks Into Gen-Z Friendly Videos
TikTok is eating the world, and it might eat your kids’ textbooks next. U.S. teens spend over 90 minutes per day on TikTok, while they average about an hour a night on homework. We need to meet kids where they are and make learning more engaging, social, and sharehable.
#8 Using Simulations to Upskill Employees
Whether you’re a surgeon or a solider, the most effective form of training is immersive, true-to-life simulations. As stated more bluntly in the “8Ps” of the U.S. Air Force, “Proper Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.” Where’s the next phase of employee training heading? We’re betting it will be the metaverse.
#9 Education technology: Five trends to watch in the EdTech industry
The future of enterprise learning is “just in time” learning, not “just in case” learning. Employees won’t learn from an onboarding manual, just like you don’t print out directions from MapQuest for a road trip. Instead, the best enterprise learning products will be like Waze for learning: they’ll offer real-time peer intelligence to identify and eliminate skill gaps in the workforce.
#10 Northwestern’s Kellogg School Makes an M.B.A. Play for Laid-Off Tech Workers
With tens of thousands of tech workers looking for new jobs, top MBA programs see an opportunity to attract their next batch of students by removing friction for potential applicants. However, they will continue to see double-digit applicant declines unless they innovate on their core product and value proposition. Maybe they can hire tech workers to help with that...