Tackling All That K-12 Schools Try to Do: The Solutions

As public confidence in major institutions continues to erode, the American K–12 education system finds itself straining under the weight of legacy expectations and modern demands. From grading and college recommendations to extracurriculars and character development, K-12 schools are tasked with a near-impossible mission: to do it all, for everyone. At the same time, new technologies and education models offer opportunities to rethink and unbundle these roles—yet such transformation raises complex questions about trust, equity, and feasibility.

So, in a world where schools are expected to do everything, what would it actually take to do fewer things better?

Welcome to The Future of Education. In the second part of this Class Disrupted series, co-hosts Michael Horn and Diane Tavenner are rejoined by Stacey Childress, Senior Education Advisor at McKinsey & Company. Together, they tackle the systemic overreach of K-12 schools, each selecting one key school function to rethink—and offering imaginative, practical pathways forward. From reimagining student evaluation to transforming core academics, this trio digs into what could (and should) change.

The key topics covered in this episode…

• Diane Tavenner challenges the evaluator-recommender role schools play, calling for higher ed to abandon traditional letters of recommendation in favor of streamlined, unbiased reference checks—and for grading to be handled by external, trained professionals or AI-powered platforms.
• Michael Horn reimagines character and civic education, proposing community-driven models rooted in local values, trust, and authentic collaboration over top-down mandates.
• Stacey Childress takes on the heart of the school experience—core academics—exploring how to responsibly unbundle this function through new providers, funding mechanisms, and hybrid learning ecosystems.

Stacey Childress is a seasoned leader in education innovation, with over 20 years of experience as a CEO, investor, and advisor across the K–12 and workforce sectors. She currently serves as a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company and sits on the board of Kahoot!, helping to scale impactful learning solutions globally. Formerly CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund and a key education leader at the Gates Foundation, she has spearheaded high-impact initiatives, deployed hundreds of millions in education investments, and earned recognition on Forbes’ “50 Over 50” list.