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Summit Learning—Summit Public Schools’ online platform created to help deliver and manage its blend of “personalized learning,” project-based learning, and mentorship—attracted a lot of attention in the mid-2010s. And then it faded—fast. What lessons should the field learn from the last time an established and successful school network took a flashy new technology and aimed to use it to both redesign itself and then offer that technology to other schools to help them transform as well?

Summit Learning—Summit Public Schools’ online platform created to help deliver and manage its blend of “personalized learning,” project-based learning, and mentorship—attracted a lot of attention in the mid-2010s. And then it faded—fast.What lessons should the field learn from the last time an established and successful school network took a new flashy technology and aimed to use it to both redesign itself and then offer that technology to other schools to help them transform as well? https://archive.org/download/cd-summit-live-part-one-final/CD%20Summit%20Live%20part%20one%20FINAL.mp3 Episode transcript: TranscriptDownload

In this episode, we discussed how existing school models, despite efforts to innovate, remain constrained by the foundational structures, policies, funding mechanisms, and data systems rooted in the industrial era. Our conversation explored how a future core could focus more on individualized learning pathways, competency-based progress, unbundled educator roles, and funding tied directly to learners. Throughout, we also talk about the need to build this new core with models of schooling that truly prioritize each student’s unique trajectory, leverage advances in technology, and respond to growing public demand for meaningful change in education. We invite your feedback and improvements to this new idea. https://archive.org/download/cd-s-8-ep-2/CD%20S8%20Ep%202.mp3 Episode transcript: TranscriptDownload

In the season opener of Class Disrupted, Diane Tavenner and Michael Horn reflected on their journey cohosting the podcast and take stock of the evolving challenges and opportunities in education. They then set the stage for a deep dive into the urgent need for high school transformation.Buckle up for a season of reimagining what high school can become in a world of AI. https://archive.org/download/cd-s-8-ep-1/CD%20S8%20Ep%201.mp3 Episode transcript: Stamping the Moment in TimeDownload

In our season seven finale of Class Disrupted, Diane Tavenner and I reflected on the conversations about AI that we’ve had over the second half of this season—from those focused on new schooling models to new tools. This felt like a no holds barred conversation—candor and lots of back and forth as we talked about how much of the education sector is still operating under the traditional model, the challenges of creating learning experiences outside of that model, and the tensions between innovation and entrenched systems. We discussed issues like policy backlash against technology in schools, the value of outcome-based contracts, and whether microschools or low-cost private schools can actually drive large-scale change. https://archive.org/download/cd-finale-final/CD%20Finale%20FINAL.mp3 Episode transcript: Takeaways from a Season of AI in EducationDownload

In this live episode of Class Disrupted, recorded at the ASU + GSV Summit, Netflix founder Reed Hastings joined Michael and Diane again to discuss Reed’s decades-long journey through various chapters of education reform culminating in his vision for how AI will profoundly reshape learning and schooling. Reed reflected on the slow progress and setbacks of past education initiatives, explored the transformative potential of individualized AI-powered tutoring, shared his ambitious global efforts to expand educational access, and emphasized the urgency and promise of harnessing AI for accelerated, mastery-based learning and global impact. https://archive.org/download/gsv-reed-final/GSV%20Reed%20FINAL.mp3 Episode transcript: Reed Hastings transcriptDownload

MagicSchool has emerged as the breakout AI tool in education, with millions of teachers rapidly adopting it. But what’s behind that growth? How exactly does it use AI? And what does its adoption mean for teaching and learning? Its founder, Adeel Khan, joined us to go beyond the hype. https://archive.org/download/adeel-final/Adeel%20final.mp3 Episode transcript: TranscriptDownload

Dacia Toll, Co-CEO of Coursemojo and the co-founder of Achievement First, joined Michael and Diane on our latest episode of Class Disrupted to learn about how Coursemojo is using AI to support students and teachers in English Language Arts. Our conversation dove into how Coursemojo functions in real classrooms and the very human process Dacia and her team took to build the product itself. https://archive.org/download/cd-dacia-toll-final-1/CD%20Dacia%20Toll%20FINAL%20%281%29.mp3 Episode transcript: The AI Startup Aiming to Help All Students Find their ELA Mojo.docxDownload

We’re turning from schools powered by AI to different AI-powered tools now on Class Disrupted!Matt Pasternak, founder and CEO of Once, an AI-powered software solution for early reading instruction, joined us to share the journey of creating Once—including how he started from a low-tech beginning and evolved into a software-powered solution that equips school support staff to deliver effective one-on-one reading tutoring. Our conversation also talked about the importance of human connection in learning. https://archive.org/download/120677-how-ai-can-help-educators-v-5/120677_How%20AI%20can%20help%20educators_v5.mp3 Episode transcript: How AI Can Help Educators—and High Schoolers—Tutor Students So They Learn to ReadDownload

In the second episode of our miniseries on AI-powered tools in education on Class Disrupted, Andrea Passinetti, the co-founder and CEO of Kira Learning, joined me and Diane Tavenner to discuss the impact of AI on education with a focus on Kira Learning’s new 2.0 platform.Andrea shared the challenges of personalizing learning at scale and how Kira is leveraging AI to consolidate the massive number of edtech tools that districts use, enable real-time curriculum adaptation, and facilitate personalized paths for students. Our conversation explored how Kira’s AI operating system seeks to replace static textbooks with dynamic, deeply tagged curricula to empower teachers and students to achieve mastery through ongoing assessment and individualized interventions. https://archive.org/download/kira-learning-video/Kira%20Learning%20Video.mp3 Episode transcript: Class DisruptedDownload

Cady Ching, CEO of Summit Public Schools, and Dan Effland, Senior Director of Innovation, joined me and Diane on Class Disrupted to discuss Summit’s ongoing transformation from Summit 2.0 to a new, AI-native school model. This is the third and final episode in this mini-series exploring new school models powered by AI—check out our first two on Alpha and Flourish. This conversation explored how clarity around school outcomes and model design enables effective integration of AI. Cady and Dan shared insights into the evolution of Summit’s expeditions, the importance of holistic, purposeful education, and the need for a robust technology infrastructure to scale innovation. https://archive.org/download/summit-2.0-updated-final/Summit%202.0%20updated%20final.mp3 Episode transcript: Transcript_ Behind the Reinvention of Summit Public Schools with AIDownload

John Danner, the cofounder of Rocketship Public Schools and now the founder of Flourish Schools, an emerging network of AI-native microschools, joined Michael and Diane to share what’s now possible when it comes to school design in the age of AI that wasn’t previously possible. John explained how Flourish is leveraging AI to deliver foundational skills like reading and math through conversational tutors to free up teachers to focus on building relationships and nurturing students’ passions and “superpowers.” John pointedly explained how the conversational models can be much more powerful than previous edtech applications. He also talked about how Flourish is working to use AI to provide real-time assessment and feedback on student projects. https://archive.org/download/flourish-final-v-2/Flourish%20FINAL%20v2.mp3 Episode transcript: Transcript_ The AI Behind Flourish MicroschoolsDownload

Many in education—and many beyond—are talking about Alpha School right now. Alpha has been featured in dozens of articles in the mainstream and education media outlets. Its leadership has appeared on countless podcasts to explain and dissect its school model and explore the bigger opportunity to rethink schooling.  On this episode of Class Disrupted, Mackenzie Price, co-founder of the Alpha School, joined Michael and Diane not to explain Alpha School’s model, but instead to dive deep into how Alpha School is leveraging AI to radically rethink the school experience. The intent behind this conversation is more on how AI itself is being leveraged at Alpha—from the core academic block to the afternoon spent in real-world projects and life skills development. What’s possible now in school design that wasn’t possible a decade earlier thanks to AI?  https://archive.org/download/116772-future-of-education-the-ai-behind-alpha-school-v-02/116772_Future%20of%20Education_The%20AI%20Behind%20Alpha%20School_v02.mp3 Episode transcript: Transcript_ The AI Behind Alpha SchoolDownload

Diane and Michael sat down with Paymon Rouhanifard, CEO of Timely, to explore how AI optimization can transform master scheduling in schools. The conversation unpacked the critical role that master schedules play in shaping student experiences, resource allocation, and district priorities. Paymon explained the pain points schools face with traditional scheduling methods and how Timely’s AI-driven approach saves hundreds of hours while enabling systemic change and better use of resources. https://archive.org/download/116144-future-of-education-the-impact-of-ai-optimization/116144_Future%20of%20Education_The%20Impact%20of%20AI%20Optimization.mp3 Episode transcript: Transcript_ The Impact of AI Optimization on the Use of Time Space and Resources in SchoolsDownload

Michael and Diane stepped back from their interviews to have a one-on-one conversation and reflect at the midpoint of their season on AI in education. They dove into the evolving role of AI in education and questioned whether AI is truly transforming the system or simply being layered onto outdated structures. They explored a framework of three school models that Diane posed and discussed the challenges of meaningful innovation amidst existing accountability systems and education policies. From these models, they analyzed how one might expect transformational change to occur in K–12 schooling—through traditional schools incrementally changing and evolving over time or, as Michael and Diane both argued, through fundamental migration away from the existing system. https://archive.org/download/115147-v-1-1/115147_V1_1.mp3 Episode transcript: Transcript_ Reflections on Whether AI is Actually Changing Schools—and WhereDownload