Podcast Epis.

Stride at 25: Redefining the Digital Learning Ecosystem for Today’s K–12 Learners

digital learning ecosystem

As virtual learning matures and school choice accelerates across the U.S.,the 25th anniversary of Stride Inc. offers a moment to reflect on how far the digital learning ecosystem has come and where it’s headed.. Once known as K12 Inc., the company helped pioneer online education at scale. But in a landscape shaped by evolving…

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Latest

Education & EdTech
Educational Choice Isn’t Enough—Implementation Will Make or Break It

The U.S. education landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as more states adopt education savings accounts (ESAs), signaling a broader push toward personalized, parent-directed learning and broader educational choice. With over a dozen states now offering universal ESA programs, debates around school choice have reached a new level of urgency. Throughout 2024, enthusiasm for…

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Education & EdTech
Florida’s Education Evolution: From School Choice to Education Choice

In Florida, education is undergoing a radical shift—not just in who can choose schools, but in how education itself is being delivered. With over 500,000 students now receiving state scholarships and more than 80,000 families engaging in a la carte learning through education savings accounts (ESAs), the Sunshine State is no longer just a…

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Education & EdTech
A Skills-First Model Without Student Debt: How MedCerts Is Tackling the Healthcare Staffing Crisis With Tech-Driven Training

A growing healthcare staffing crisis is forcing institutions to rethink how the next generation of clinical talent is trained. A study by Mercer and Lightcast, cited by the American Hospital Association, projects that the U.S. could be short of as many as 100,000 critical healthcare workers by 2028. This urgent gap is pushing innovators to…

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Education & EdTech
Debt-Free and Results-First: ACE Is Rewriting the Rules of Higher Ed

As student loan debt surpasses $1.7 trillion nationwide, cracks in the traditional higher education model are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Meanwhile, the American College of Education is quietly operating with an approach that flies in the face of convention, where 85% of its students graduate debt-free. What does it take to build a…

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Education & EdTech
Nontraditional Education Is Outpacing the System With Real-World Skills, Student-Led Ventures, and Community-Driven Networks

Across the country, a growing number of students and educators are taking education into their own hands—literally. As frustration with traditional education mounts, a new wave of entrepreneurial energy is leading to radically reimagined learning spaces. From food forests to fashion start-ups, the classroom looks more like a collaborative studio than a lecture hall….

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Education & EdTech
Reboot Business Education: Make Lifelong Learning the Default

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and digital skills rapidly evolve, business schools find themselves at a crossroads. Traditional MBA programs and executive education are no longer endpoints but touchstones in a lifelong learning journey. As digital tools and technologies advance rapidly, educational models must keep pace to remain relevant in a changing workforce. Business schools…

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human-centered
How Human-Centered Design Led to a Startup Accelerator for Education: A Conversation with Transcend Network’s Co-founder Michael Narea
June 20, 2025

The convergence of human-centered design and education innovation is reshaping how edtech ventures emerge and scale. As AI enables hyper-efficiency and bootstrapped entrepreneurship becomes more viable, the real differentiator is empathy—founders who listen deeply to users before building solutions. A McKinsey study of 300 public companies found that design-led organizations significantly outperformed their peers, with…

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care navigation
AI-Powered Care Navigation Reduces Healthcare Spend and Improves Patient Access
June 20, 2025

The U.S. healthcare system is strained by rising costs, uneven quality, and fragmented care navigation. Employers are bearing the brunt, spending more without always securing better care for their teams. According to the RAND Corporation, one effective strategy is to “change their network and benefit designs to encourage patients to use lower‑priced, higher‑value providers…

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edge computing
Building the Wireless Future: Low-Power IoT, Edge Computing, and the End of the Gs
June 19, 2025

As the global race to 6G heats up, telecom providers, governments, and tech companies are investing billions to advance the next generation of hyperconnected infrastructure. European operators urge regulators to release more spectrum to stay competitive, while U.S. programs like the USDA’s ReConnect have funneled over $1 billion into rural fiber backhaul. Meanwhile, companies like…

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healthcare operations
Healthcare Operations Improve with AI That Unites Data, Automation, and Ethics
June 18, 2025

Generative AI has captured the public imagination, but its most transformative use cases may lie far from flashy consumer tools. In healthcare operations, where complexity, inefficiency, and fragmentation remain persistent challenges, AI is now driving measurable improvements. Research suggests AI-enabled healthcare systems could cut administrative costs by up to $360 billion in the U.S. alone….

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Other Podcast Epis.
Career Planning Beyond the College Track: How Work-Based Learning Expands Career Options for Students
May 2, 2025

As debates around the value of college heat up and the demand for skilled workers rises, a growing number of educators and policymakers are rethinking the “college for all” mindset. A 2024 report from Georgetown’s CEW found that many middle-skill jobs—requiring only a certificate or associate’s degree—pay over $53,000 annually early on in a…

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Rethinking the High School Transcript: ETS and MTC Chart a New Path for Student Success
April 30, 2025

In a moment where the traditional architecture of K-12 education is being reimagined, a quiet revolution is underway. As the conversation around durable skills, competency-based learning, and alternative transcripts gains traction, a powerful partnership between Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) signals a bold step forward. With nearly 400 schools…

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Can a Docuseries Change the Way Communities Think About School Infrastructure Reform?
April 28, 2025

School infrastructure in the United States is in a critical condition. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an estimated 54% of public school districts report needing upgrades or replacements for multiple building systems, such as HVAC, roofing, and structural elements. In a few states (like Idaho), the situation is compounded by laws…

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Will the New Education R&D Bill Spark the Innovation Schools Desperately Need?
April 25, 2025

In a rare show of bipartisan cooperation, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have introduced the New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act, aimed at revolutionizing how the U.S. invests in education innovation. The bill proposes a new National Center for Advanced Development in Education—akin to DARPA but for schools—within the Institute for…

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Educators Must Combine 1:1 Tutoring with the Science of Reading to Close the Reading Gap
April 23, 2025

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education system faced a seismic shift. Learning loss, especially in foundational literacy, was a national crisis. In 2024, only 31% of fourth graders in the U.S. were reading proficiently, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Meanwhile, tutoring exploded as a top strategy to recover…

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ESA Success Requires Strategy, Infrastructure, and Support Beyond Legislation
April 21, 2025

As education savings accounts (ESAs) gain traction across the United States, the conversation is shifting from policy debates to the complexities of implementation. Fueled by post-pandemic dissatisfaction with traditional school models and a desire for more customizable educational options, ESAs are being adopted in a growing number of states, often under “universal” frameworks. But…

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TGR Foundation Scales Career-Connected Learning With Measurable Impact
April 16, 2025

As schools increasingly prioritize not just academic success but also real-world readiness, the call for career-connected learning has never been louder. With over 10% of future job growth projected in STEM fields, education systems are reimagining how to expose students, especially from under-resourced communities, to meaningful career pathways early on. So, how can schools…

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Fixing College and Career Guidance for Parents, Students, and Schools
April 14, 2025

As college costs rise and the pressure to pick a successful career path intensifies, families are struggling to navigate an increasingly complex system with inadequate career guidance and support. Nationally, the average student-to-counselor ratio is 376:1—far from the recommended 250:1, leaving many students and parents adrift at a critical decision-making moment. Meanwhile, a study…

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Helping Employers Move Beyond Degrees in Favour of Skills-First Hiring
April 11, 2025

As employers grapple with persistent talent shortages, the traditional requirement of a four-year degree is being challenged. In fact, a study by the Harvard Business School shows that more employers now demand four-year degrees for jobs that historically didn’t require them, despite minimal evidence of improved performance. As a result, they narrow the talent…

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