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Dr. David Yeager is the Raymond Dickson Centennial Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University. His groundbreaking research focuses on the processes that shape adolescent development, examining how social cognitive factors interact with structural and physiological elements to influence youth trajectories. Dr. Yeager is also dedicated to uncovering ways to positively impact these psychological processes to enhance developmental and educational outcomes for young people. As co-Principal Investigator of the National Study of Learning Mindsets, the Texas Mindset Initiative, and the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute, Dr. Yeager is at the forefront of efforts to translate cutting-edge psychological research into practical strategies for educators and policymakers.

He is the author of 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, a book that distills the latest insights on how to inspire and empower the next generation.

David is also the lead instructor in a new class on MasterClass: The Power of Mindset. In this class, David and Carol Dweck draw on the science of mindset to show how members can develop new skills, overcome stress and setbacks, and use a mentor mindset to optimize performance and change lives at work, at home, on the sports field, and in the classroom. The class is available now exclusively on MasterClass.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How the adolescent brain drives motivation and potential.
2. The Mentor Mindset: balancing high standards and support.
3. Why belonging, purpose, and respect fuel adolescent success.
4. The power of short interventions on resilience and achievement.
5. EdTech's role in youth motivation and AI's potential pitfalls.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:51] Dr. Yeager’s path from teaching to research leadership.
[00:04:34] What the Mentor Mindset is and why it works.
[00:08:46] How short interventions create long-term impact.
[00:14:08] Understanding the adolescent brain and motivation.
[00:17:35] The traits of great mentors: tough but supportive.
[00:25:59] The power of role models and near-peer influences.
[00:35:50] Addressing fear and fostering aspiration in youth.
[00:41:40] AI’s role in motivating and supporting students.
[00:45:26] A call for ethical AI in education technology.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

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Mark Angel is the CEO and Co-founder of Amira Learning, the company bringing the science of reading and AI together. Amira is the first intelligent reading assistan for teachers and is now working with two million students in all 50 states and 14 countries.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Amira Learning uses AI to revolutionize reading education.
2. The importance of efficacy studies in edtech product adoption.
3. Strategic partnerships for scaling AI-driven tools in education.
4. Tackling privacy and equity concerns with emerging AI tools.
5. A vision of AI’s role in solving the global literacy crisis.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:15] The origin story of Amira, blending AI innovation with edtech experience.
[00:03:46] How the reading coach adapts to diverse learners, including ELLs and dyslexic students.
[00:07:40] The role of efficacy studies in building trust and demonstrating impact.
[00:09:53] Advice for districts navigating the surge of AI tools in classrooms.
[00:14:53] Optimistic vision of AI addressing the literacy crisis.
[00:18:43] Importance of scale and data in driving AI-based educational solutions.
[00:20:49] Key advice for entrepreneurs: focus on metrics and team culture.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

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2024 was an incredible year for EdTech, filled with transformative shifts and groundbreaking innovations!

In this special year-end episode, Alex and Ben dive into the defining trends of the year—from the ESSER funding cliff reshaping K-12 strategies to the rise of AI-powered learning tools. They also look ahead to 2025, making bold predictions about the future of education technology, including the potential of gaming, assessment overhauls, and micro-company innovation.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming in January, where Alex and Ben will share predictions from thought leaders across the EdTech space to kick off the new year!

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:00:43] 🎄 Kicking off the year-end special with reflections on a transformative 2024.
[00:01:38] 📉 ESSER funding cliff and its implications for K-12 EdTech investments.
[00:02:17] 🚀 The Cambrian explosion of AI and its impact on innovation and startups.
[00:04:02] 🤖 AI in K-12 education: challenges, successes, and lessons from the field.
[00:06:24] 🗺️ Big Tech’s growing influence on education and learning models.
[00:08:03] 🎉 Reflecting on EdTech Insiders' major milestones and community highlights.
[00:11:46] 🎮 Predictions for AI-driven gaming and real-time multimodal learning tools.
[00:13:21] 📊 The coming assessment revolution and its transformative potential.
[00:18:55] 🎓 Higher education’s pivot toward career-focused, practical learning models.
[00:23:20] 💼 Workforce learning shifts: upskilling for productivity in a competitive market.
[00:27:02] 🤔 AI agents and their transformative potential in education and beyond.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

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With the holiday break just around the corner, join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell for a timely look at the latest developments in education technology. From exciting AI advancements to shifts in curriculum policy, this episode captures the key trends shaping the future of learning.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:16] 🧠 OpenAI's New AI Tool "Sora" Makes Waves in Video Generation
[00:06:01] 🎥 The Era of Multimodal AI: Google, Meta, and Microsoft Compete on Video and Agents
[00:08:05] 🔍 Who’s Winning the AI Wars? Exploring AI Specialization
[00:18:14] 🏫 Texas Education Agency’s New Curriculum Policies – What It Means for EdTech
[00:25:55] 📉 Declining Public School Enrollment: Implications for K-12 and EdTech
[00:27:05] 🌍 Global EdTech Trends: European VCs Raise Big Funds Amidst U.S. Challenges
[00:28:27] 🚀 $175M Investment in AI for Higher Education by Element451
[00:32:13] 💼 Workforce Upskilling Revolution: SaaS Startups Receive Major Investments
[00:33:40] 📊 EdTech Year-End Reports Show Optimism in AI-Driven Upskilling

Plus, special guests:

[00:35:33] 🎙️ Alex Linley, Co-CEO of Cappfinity, discusses the future of skills-based hiring and education.
[00:54:34] 🎙️ Henrik Appert, CEO of Magma Math, shares insights on their award-winning math platform and recent $40M funding round.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Send us a text

As CEO and Co-Founder of Learnosity, Gavin Cooney still talks about the company he helped build over a decade ago with an infectious zeal. It’s easy to see why: what began as a project in a garden shed (a cliché maybe, but 100% true!) has matured into an internationally renowned tech company with a 200-strong crew of problem-solvers. Since Gav believes that all social ills can be remedied through education, his modus operandi is pretty simple: give education the standard of technology it deserves.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Learnosity empowers EdTech platforms with AI-driven assessment tools.
2. The transformative role of AI in reducing teacher workloads and enhancing feedback.
3. What makes Learnosity’s essay-scoring tool uniquely efficient and cost-effective.
4. The importance of specialized EdTech solutions versus general AI tools.
5. Gavin’s vision for the future of AI and assessment in education.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:23] Gavin Cooney shares Learnosity’s global impact: 40M users and 19B questions delivered annually.
[00:03:38] How AI-driven essay scoring saves teachers hours of grading time each week.
[00:06:48] Learnosity’s cutting-edge AI achieves unmatched scoring accuracy at just one cent per essay.
[00:10:25] Why Learnosity focuses on enhancing teacher feedback rather than replacing educators.
[00:13:54] The balance between general AI tools and Learnosity’s specialized capabilities.
[00:18:10] Learnosity’s strategic pivot to invest heavily in AI development and innovation.
[00:24:02] Gav’s optimistic outlook on AI as the “100-year wave” reshaping education.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

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Trish Sparks leads Clever as CEO. Previously she was VP of Customer Success and Sales. Trish came to Clever with a wealth of executive leadership experience at companies such as LinkedIn, where she scaled a global customer success organization, and at DemandBase, where she was Chief Customer Officer. As a North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholar, she started her career as a middle school teacher in Wake County Public Schools. Trish holds BS degrees in Business and Education as well as an MBA from Meredith College. After living in the Bay Area for 20 years, Trish now resides in Chapel Hill, NC.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Clever has grown to serve 28 million students and teachers across the U.S.
2. The role of digital identity platforms in securing and simplifying education technology.
3. Insights from Clever’s “Classroom of the Future” report on AI adoption in education.
4. How AI and automation are reducing teacher workloads and improving teaching conditions.
5. Clever’s innovative cybersecurity solutions tailored for K-12 schools.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:47] Trish’s journey from teaching to leading Clever and her passion for EdTech.
[00:04:54] The critical role of identity platforms in protecting student data and facilitating digital learning.
[00:08:04] Key findings from Clever’s “Classroom of the Future” report
[00:09:41] The rapid adoption of AI in EdTech and its evolving role in education
[00:11:12] Cybersecurity challenges in K-12 schools and Clever’s solutions to mitigate risks.
[00:14:44] Exciting EdTech trends, from addressing teacher shortages to advancing student data protection.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Send us a text

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell in this Thanksgiving edition of "Week in Edtech" as they explore the latest developments in education technology, from groundbreaking AI innovations to edtech controversies and funding milestones.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:16] 🧠 Edtech Insiders publishes AI tool market map with 300+ tools across 60 use cases
[00:05:39] 🌐 Google AI Summit recap featuring LearnLM and Gemini’s memory feature
[00:14:57] 🎥 OpenAI’s leaked Sora video generator sparks ethical debates
[00:18:08] 📚 TikTok’s study tools trend raises concerns about gamified learning
[00:27:38] 💰 Amazon invests $4 billion in Anthropic to deepen AI ties
[00:32:10] ⚖️ AllHere founder charged with fraud impacts trust in edtech startups
[00:40:53] 🏫 MIT, UT, and others announce free tuition for low-income families

Plus Special Guest:
[00:46:02] 🎙️ Brett Waikart, Co-founder & CEO of Skillfully, discusses skills-based hiring and future of work.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

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Laura K. Ipsen is president and chief executive officer of Ellucian, the leading technology solutions provider for more than 2,900 higher education institutions in more than 50 countries. She has more than 25 years of experience as a technology executive in Silicon Valley, driving transformation in the public and private sectors and spurring adoption of comprehensive solutions in high-growth industries at Oracle Corporation, Microsoft and Cisco Systems. Earlier in her career, Ipsen also held leadership roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Acer America, and Hitachi Data Systems.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How AI is transforming higher education, from predictive analytics to enrollment success.
2. Insights from Ellucian’s latest AI survey, highlighting adoption challenges and opportunities.
3. The evolving value of a four-year degree in a tech-driven job market.
4. How technology can alleviate FAFSA challenges and improve financial aid accessibility.
5. The potential of a holistic, data-driven approach to student engagement and success.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:45] Laura Ipsen on Ellucian’s AI survey and industry readiness for AI adoption.
[00:12:30] Demonstrating the ROI of degrees through skill alignment and data insights.
[00:18:50] The importance of SaaS and data integration for institutional efficiency.
[00:25:40] Addressing FAFSA challenges with technology-driven financial aid solutions.
[00:32:15] Using AI to predict and address student needs and improve retention.
[00:40:10] How the Journey platform connects education to lifelong career success.
[00:48:20] Revolutionizing higher ed productivity through AI-driven administration.

Resources Mentioned:

• Ellucian AI Survey
• Student Voice Report
• EdUp Experience Podcast
• Paul LeBlanc’s Work on AI in Higher Ed

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Send us a text

Matt Given is an experienced education technology leader and the CEO of Seesaw, a groundbreaking learning experience platform designed for PreK-5 students. With over 20 years of experience in education and edtech leadership, Matt has held executive roles at Kaplan, Catapult Learning, and EdisonLearning. Known for his expertise in universal design for learning and his ability to bridge the gap between home and classroom, Matt is a driving force behind Seesaw's mission to create accessible and engaging learning tools.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Seesaw connects teachers, students, parents, and administrators through its unique “learning loop.”
2. The evolution of Seesaw from a communication tool to a robust learning experience platform.
3. How AI enhances teacher workflows on Seesaw while keeping the focus on human-centered learning.
4. The role of inclusive design and feedback from over 100,000 teacher ambassadors in shaping Seesaw’s products.
5. The future of edtech tools in streamlining resources and fostering human connections in classrooms.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:00:22] Streamlining teacher workflows and improving classroom outcomes with Seesaw.
[00:03:13] Reflections on 25 years in edtech and the evolution of digital learning tools.
[00:07:16] Universal design for pre-readers and special populations.
[00:11:38] Seesaw’s COVID-19 transformation and post-pandemic innovations.
[00:16:45] Digital portfolios tracking student progress over time.
[00:29:20] Teacher ambassadors shaping product development with real-world feedback.
[00:36:14] Cautiously integrating AI for fluency assessments and translation.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Send us a text

Arman Jaffer is the founder and CEO of Brisk Teaching. Brisk is an AI tool that helps educators personalize their instruction and save hours of time on administrative tasks.

Emily Bennett currently serves as a Principal investor at Owl Ventures. 

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Brisk Teaching’s AI tools streamline teacher workflows and enhance instructional efficiency.
2. The vision for AI in edtech, focusing on student-centered, adaptive learning through tools like Brisk Boost.
3. Key insights into Owl Ventures’ investment strategy in AI-focused edtech solutions.
4. The critical factors for edtech startups navigating the current funding landscape.
5. The future of student-facing AI in education and its impact on teaching and learning.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:00:22] How AI enhances insights into student thinking for improved instruction.
[00:01:49] Brisk Teaching's AI tools streamline teacher workflows with automation.
[00:05:09] Owl Ventures' perspective on investing in high-impact AI edtech.
[00:07:20] Brisk’s integration into teachers’ daily workflows across platforms.
[00:13:03] The shift toward student-focused AI for personalized learning.
[00:20:35] Use case for Brisk Boost’s interactive student tutoring aligned with learning objectives.
[00:30:26] Practical advice for edtech entrepreneurs on navigating the funding landscape.

✨ EdTech Insiders+ Members' Exclusive:

Don’t miss the overtime episode with Arman & Emily, where they go beyond the main conversation to discuss:

• Advice for founders on building impactful edtech products
• Sustainable business models for AI in education
• Essentials for creating responsible, student-focused AI

Subscribe to EdTech Insiders+ to access this exclusive content, get first dibs on event announcements, tickets and more!

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.