“Sora,” by Rebecca Kaden and Hannah Murdoch, on the Union Square Ventures blog

“Our investment in Sora is predicated on three hypotheses:

1. For most students in America, the option on the table for high school is a default, not a choice. For some this works, but for others it serves to convince them that they are not made for school when the truth is that traditional modes of learning weren’t made for them.

2. It is possible to build a significant alternative — a network-driven high school that is highly scalable while maintaining superior quality of experience for the students.

3. In learning, joy creates results.

“Sora puts high school students in the drivers’ seats of their own development with a remote-first, network-based model. Through a combination of small social pods, self-directed projects, and student-run organizations, high schoolers shape their academic and extracurricular experience, as well as the governance of the school. Instead of tests and assessments, high schoolers prove what they know by what they can do – code a video game, wire a miniature greenhouse, or produce a paid ad spot for a company. Students are encouraged to lean into subjects that speak to them and build a project portfolio in the disciplines where they’re most excited. […] Periodically, industry professionals drop-in to lead group work in multi-week sprints, such as presenting climate change mitigation plans to faculty at UNC or reflecting on ethical dilemmas in written history.

“Staff ensure project work is completed on time, with rigor and academic breadth. Over time, Sora students hit all of the traditional curriculum milestones essential for high school graduation, in a more tactile, self-directed manner and without exams as a benchmark of their mastery or creativity. Even in these early days, Sora is wrapping up the final stages of accreditation and is part of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, meaning students graduate with a transcript easily understood by colleges if they choose to pursue that path.

“Outside of academics, students actively shape the social infrastructure of the school. They aren’t participants in the program, they are builders of all parts of it. Students create and lead all clubs and organizations at Sora. Roadmap Club is a hallmark of the experience – a weekly forum run on Zoom where students give direct feedback on school policies, suggest changes, and play a role in building the institution’s future.”

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Sora. Prisma. There are probably others, too.

Remote-first, networked, student-centered, project-based, mastery-based learning.

Also way cheaper than independent schools offering the same types of learning experiences.

Whether Sora et al. succeed remains to be seen, but they are the very definition of a a “disruptive innovation” according to Clayton Christensen’s original model. Keep an eye on them.

…speaking of disruptive innovations…

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“Google just changed the higher education game. Colleges and universities should be paying attention.” By Adam Weinberg, President of Denison University, on LinkedIn (originally published in Business Insider)

“There's an echo here to the great unbundling that took place in the cable television industry. Customers didn't want to be presented with a ‘take it or leave it’ slate of channels; they wanted to choose the channels that made sense for them. Similarly, higher education can no longer offer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach for credentials and degrees”

“Maybe a student doesn't want to get an MBA, but they would really like to have a micro credential in marketing analytics. Or maybe an undergraduate doesn't want a four-year degree in computer science and just wants a certificate in Python or SQL.

“Now that Google has kicked down the door, we can expect other major brands in other sectors to begin offering higher education credentials, taking their lead from Google.”

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Weinberg says it all with his conclusion: “Traditional colleges and universities shouldn't be nervous, per se, but they should be paying very close attention. There are two ways to see Google's move: as a threat or as an opportunity.”

…which pairs with…

***

“Two Years and a Week,” by Jeff Selingo, in the NEXT newsletter

“In interviews and events with parents, one theme continues to emerge for me about higher ed, especially in these times: frustration that college is the gatekeeper to a better life.

“Why it matters: Whether someone goes to college and graduates has long been correlated with family income. What’s different now, however, is that I’m hearing a growing frustration from parents in more affluent zip codes. […]

“What’s happening: As the pathway to a college degree seems to be narrowing for too many families, parents want more choices for their kids. Many on our virtual town hall last week asked about community colleges as a place to start; less-expensive in-state options among four-year colleges; and alternative credentials, like Google’s certificate program.”

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Change happens slowly, and then suddenly. Years of tuition inflation have resulted in years of tuition discounting, which in turn drive up tuition even more. Many schools were already at the tipping point pre-COVID-19.

A bundled, expensive educational experience isn’t limited to higher ed; independent schools face the same scenario. See the first entry, above.

The question is: will you let the upstarts disrupt you, or will you disrupt yourself?

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Want to see Expeditionaries students pitch their social impact projects, live, to a CEO panel? RSVP for our Zoom CEO Panel, which will take place on Monday, October 12, 2020, 2-3 pm ET.

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