The GSV Big 10: Wrestling With Education

Liar Loans, Free Lunches, and STOP in the Name of Education

Chart of the Week

Higher Ed Dive

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The Big 10:

1. Skin in the game: Fixing higher education’s student debt problem | Anand Sanwal

   Anwand Sanwal is the founder of the very smart CB Insights and this is a very smart article. It’s absurd that college students are encouraged to spend several hundred thousand dollars, often taking on debt that increasingly is challenged to show a compelling return. Misaligned incentives are part of the problem, including that the underwriter of the student loan isn’t the university…it rhymes with the mortgage crisis in 2007 when the bank selling the loan wasn’t the same as the financial institution collecting the payments.

2. ‘A game changer:’ UT System announces free tuition for qualifying Texas families | Dallas News

   There is no free lunch, but in Texas, there is free college for any student whose family makes less than $100K. It’s not the pioneer — California and Michigan have similar programs. We are all for creating opportunities for everybody who wants to go to college to be able to go to college, but we do wonder about the unintended consequences. Most important is that colleges and universities have a product that materially benefits their customers, and if that’s the case, figuring out how it’s paid for becomes a good problem to have.   

3. Launchpad Jobs | The Burning Glass Institute

   Two million people in the United States earn six-figure incomes without a college degree. A “launch pad job” is one with strong wages, job stability, and upward mobility. AI allows a non-college graduate to help map out a career, essentially “Moneyballing” their work journey.

4. Linda McMahon to lead U.S. Department of Education | CT Insider

   Consistent with the non-traditional choices for the second Trump Administration, close Trump confidant and business person Linda McMahon was chosen to be Secretary of Education. Critics are howling Madame McMahon has little education experience…proponents say America needs a disruptive outsider — and she’s very accomplished. In addition to founding the very successful entertainment business WWE, McMahon got high marks for her leadership of the Small Business Administration during President Trump’s first term.

5. US international enrollment reached record highs. Will the trend last? | Higher Ed Dive

   While U.S. Colleges are facing enrollment issues due to demographic challenges and questions about product market fit, international students continue to flock to the U.S. Market. International students grew 6.6% last year to 1.1 million in U.S. higher education institutions, which followed 11% growth the previous year. International students are critical for universities in that they help fill the student gap and typically pay full boat.

6. How parents and officials hope to bring New York universal child care over 5 years | Gothamist

   It’s the problem country clubs face between their young and older members. Young members don’t mind increased dues to get more benefits, while older members complain and ask what’s in it for them. New Yorkers, already crushed by some of the highest taxes in the USA, also face the dilemma of losing families due to the prohibitive cost of child care in Gotham…which is estimated to cost $21K per preschool student.   

7. Of bots and bricklayers: AI and blue-collar work | People Matters

   Much has been made about AI replacing white-collar jobs, with Forrester estimating that 2.4 million professional jobs will disappear. Less attention has been paid to what AI might do to blue-collar work…but rather than replacement, reinvention of these jobs provides numerous opportunities for safety, efficiency, and productivity. Construction alone is a “Man & Machine” opportunity that is projected to grow from $2.5 billion in 2022 to $15.2 billion by 2032. 

8. Employee Upskilling Is Vital in Rapidly Evolving Job Market | Gallup

   Talking the talk isn’t walking the walk. 72% of CHROs recognize the significant retooling that needs to happen for their organization’s workforce due to AI, but the urgency and incentives for upskilling and reskilling aren’t there. Putting your credit card bill in the drawer doesn’t make it go away…it’s time every company becomes a learning enterprise.  

9. 5 Cures & Commentary for Your Post-Election Recovery | Forza…for Education

   Jeanne Allen is having a post-election surge. The founder of the Center for Education Reform, Jeanne hosted the STOP conference in Washington D.C. focusing on promoting Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless innovation in education. Also included in her missive is a prescription for how to improve education in the United States now and a Forbes article about what should be done with the Department of Education.

10. First Look / Whiteboard Notes | Whiteboard Advisors

    Like usual, our good friend Ben Wallerstein was ahead of the game in his analysis of what President Trump might do with his Secretary of Education pick. While Linda McMahon was a surprise pick for almost everybody, Ben had highlighted her work as Chair of the America First Policy Institute and positions on education. Not surprisingly, America First promoted many forms of school choice, the perils of grade inflation, and the need to support developing modern skills for the workforce.

ICYMI: Ed on the Edge Ep. 30: Arne Duncan | Dash Media

A fun conversation with the former Secretary of Education about hoops, Harvard, and how to improve our schools.

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This Week’s People Moves

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