Fixing Education in America: What's Stopping Us?

a16z Podcast

a16z

Science, Innovation, Business, Entrepreneurship, Culture, Disruption, Software Eating The World, Technology

4.4 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2024

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Over half of Americans live in childcare deserts, while 90% of brain development happens before the age of five. All the while, education and childcare remain among the most resistant sectors to technological change. Billions of dollars have been spent, but outcomes continue to lag. Why? In this episode, we dive into the systemic issues—misaligned incentives, political resistance, and the lack of a shared vision around the purchase of an education. We also explore how technology and entrepreneurial innovation may be shifting the tide. You’ll hear from Anurupa Ganguly (Prisms), Chris Bennett (Wonderschool), Anna Edwards (Whiteboard Advisors), and a16z General Partner Jeff Jordan discuss the criticality of early childhood education, how public-private partnerships are required for scale, and how we can engage risk-averse decision-makers. Listen to learn how the next generation can reclaim the American dream.

Transcript

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0:00.0	51% of Americans live in child care deserts.
0:04.0	It's a tragedy to deny a child access to high quality early childhood education.
0:09.0	A human's brain, 90% of it develops in the first five years of their life.
0:13.0	There are a few sectors in the economy that have proven to be very, very resistant to technological change.
0:19.0	Education is high on that list. We tried to solve the achievement
0:22.7	problem in the U.S. before we solve the engagement problem. School districts and state leaders
0:28.2	operate in a highly political environment where taking risks is not rewarded. It's really no one's
0:36.5	job to fix it, and so it's not really getting fixed.
0:40.3	I've never seen this kind of apathy.
0:42.3	I think it's going to be catastrophic for the United States if we don't find a way to end it.
0:46.3	What we're seeing is that the best way to make inroads is partnerships with the private sector and the public sector to be able to fill in those gaps.
0:53.3	We can get outcomes, we can get them fast. We can all take advantage of the American trade.
0:59.7	There's been a lot of talk about the government recently. But wherever you sit along the aisle,
1:04.6	one thing that almost everyone can agree on is the desire to set up the next generation for
1:09.9	success, often through high quality
1:11.8	education or child care.
1:14.4	But despite increased funding toward these sectors, we're not really getting the results
1:18.6	that we're paying for.
1:20.3	We have now spent hundreds of billions of dollars and those funds are gone and now what.
1:26.0	But this is something that we need to figure out because, as one of our guests says,
1:30.1	we are graduating generations of children who have no idea what they can do with their education.
1:37.7	So in today's episode, we'll explore the history of education and where technology fits into that equation.
	...

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