Michael Horn’s Post

Jeff Selingo and I recently had a fascinating 🎙 conversation with Greg Lukianoff, attorney, author and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). We discussed the state of 📣 #freespeech on college campuses, which has come into focus during the recent wave of protests centering on the Israel-Palestine conflict. 💭 Below are four thoughts/questions I left the conversation with: 1️⃣ - A lot of schools already have free speech laws on the books. It comes down to leadership that is willing to enforce it.  2️⃣ - Where does the onus of decaying free speech lie on tenured or non-tenured faculty?   3️⃣ - How and to what extent can new entrants—like Minerva University & University of Austin —into #highered solve free speech challenges on campuses? 4️⃣ - Are admissions departments failing to identify students with the will or skills to engage in tough conversations? 👇 I included the full conversation in the comments below. Give it a listen and let me know what thoughts it sparked for you—or weigh in on mine!

👉 On the one hand, our education system is struggling to teach kids the core competencies, like math and literacy, so we need to do those better. On the other, students 👨🎓 are uninspired by school and lost as to what to do post-grad, so we should focus on connecting kids with their #passions. ⏳ There’s a sense in the education world that there aren’t enough hours in the day to address both these problems. It’s an either-or. 🎙 But my recent conversation with MacKenzie Price is Exhibit A in the case against that dichotomy.  🔥 Mackenzie founded Alpha, a private school network that concentrates instruction in the core subjects to two hours and uses the remaining time to create opportunities for students to build #lifeskills and follow their passions. 💡 Their condensed curriculum has produced such impressive results that she has bottled into a new app 2hr Learning, designed to allow for educators everywhere to drive similarly efficient and transformative learning. 👇 I included our full conversation in the comments below. Give it a listen or share with an education innovator you think would be interested. ⏱ What would you do with the extra time? Would love to hear your take in the comments! 

📈 Surveys are showing that more and more parents and students want to make sure college makes financial sense and will lead to a job. 📣 I have been calling out this trend as an important one for colleges to be tracking. A recent Boston Globe Media article cited my diagnoses in an editorial that warned #highered of the impending demographic cliff, offered a set of solutions, and highlighted examples of innovation. 💡 Here are the four main ways they suggest colleges can adapt to survive: 1. Recruit new student populations 2. Do a better job retaining students  3. Avoid steep tuition hikes that will scare off potential applicants  4. Consider budget cuts, partnerships, or mergers 🤔 What do you think of their recommendations? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

🤝 In partnership with the Navajo nation, Aspire Ability is getting tribe members plugged into opportunity. How are they doing it? Investments in digital infrastructure + innovative workforce solutions are a big part of the answer. 🎙 I sat down Aspire Ability’s CEO, Jon Mott, PhD, and head of policy Moroni Benally to learn how the nonprofit is building access to good jobs through remote work. We discussed connecting necessary stakeholders across sectors, the importance of precise skills training, and the downstream benefits of employment. 💡 Check out the full episode in the comments below—and share this with those excited about building pathways to opportunity.

Given the craziness on college campuses at the moment and the very clear rise of the heckler's veto through protests -- and cancellation of in-person classes at Columbia University -- this conversation with Greg Lukianoff couldn't be more timely.

⭐ Sustainable, transformational, outstanding, and permissionless. Each year, the The Center for Education Reform awards the 🏆 The Yass Prize 🏆 to the school that best embodies these four characteristics. I sat down with CER’s Jeanne Allen and Anthony Brock, the Founder and Head of School at this year’s winner, VALIANT CROSS ACADEMY. 🎙 We discussed Valiant Cross’s personalized, holistic, and career-focused approach; their plans for spreading the benefits of their model; and how winning the Yass Prize will help. 💡 Check out the full conversation in the comments below or share with an educator interested in bringing innovation to their school.

As Michael T. Moe shared yesterday at #ASUGSVSummit Clay Christensen's prediction still has a few years left in it. those who discount it aren't grappling with the challenges. Here's some more nuance.

📈 The rapid growth of #dualenrollment has blurred the lines between high school and college. 🎙 Jeff Selingo and I sat down with John Fink, a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center, to understand the various dual enrollment arrangements, highlight its potential benefits, and consider its challenges.   💡 Check out the full Future U Podcast episode in the comments below or share with a high school or college administrator who may be interested.

Loved joining this conversation. Look forward to people's thoughts. So much continues to change!