KED Talk

Provide students with access to a quality education through high-dosage tutoring, envisioning an America where every child has the support of a tutor to enable them to realize their full human potential. Meet the GO Tutor Corps, where lives are changed, and communities are served. Hear in this KED Talk episode how Michael Duffy, President of the GO Foundation, and Elie Bilmes, Chief Program Officer of GO Tutor Corps, share their vision and experiences. Together with Christian Wetell, Kunskapsskolan’s Director of Education and the regular KED Talk co-host.

Social Emotional Learning, or SEL, is not only a cornerstone of human capital but also a driver of inclusive wealth and societal well-being. And thus stands for enormous transformative potential. Join us in this KED Talk as we delve into the profound link between SEL and the concept of inclusive wealth. And hear how personal education can stimulate essential skills to create peaceful and sustainable societies. In a conversation with Dr. Nandini Chatterjee Singh, Senior National Program Officer at UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Education for Peace. The organization that not only recently published the Inclusive Wealth Report 2024 but also stated - a few years back in a worldwide study - that personalized education should be regarded as a human right. Together with Christian Wetell, Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

You could say they are two sides of the same coin. Complementary visions that overlap in the way they look at the education of young people. ‘See the Good’, developed by Dr. Kaisa Vuorinen from the University of Helsinki. And Kunskapsskolan Education, the personalized education approach developed in Sweden. Both focus on personal strengths and socio-emotional skills, with the ambition to create a positive educational impact. Both have the ambition to change the educational thinking. And both find resonance with educators around the world. Hear in this KED Talk how ‘See the Good’ and Kunskapsskolan see the road forward and what they can learn from each other. With Dr. Kaisa Vuorinen herself and Christian Wetell, Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

Kunskapsskolan education can be found all over the world. With ties across borders and contact between educators and students alike. KED Talk wants to build on that network, by creating a number of country portraits. In earlier episodes we travelled to India, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, the UK and the US. But in this KED Talk we return to where is has all started: Sweden. 
Not solely to revisit the roots, but more to investigate what lessons learned we can pick up on. And what our most experienced Kunskapsskolan colleagues envisage for the future. We do this with Stina Jonsson, Kunskapsskolans director of upper secondary education and Marcus Brunberg, Kunskapsskolans head of establishing new schools. Together with Christian Wetell Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

What if schools wanted to support students to develop a sense of purpose, grow holistically, make a positive change in their community, explore their identity, curiosities, and passions and set goals and make choices about their learning? Well, you create a new school offering students personalized education based on the Kunskapsskolan model. And that is exactly what Katie Hahn and DJ Hartigan have done in New Jersey in the United States. 
In this KED Talk we meet the both of them, as part of the Kunskapsskolan journey along the countries where the KED program is offered to students. In previous episodes we visited India, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, and the UK. And now we travel across the Atlantic to the eastern seaboard of the US and hear what it takes to not only start a new school, but also offering a completely different educational approach in a challenging environment. Hear about the entrepreneurial spirit of Katie and DJ and the things they had to overcome. Together with Christian Wetell Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

Kunskapsskolan education can be found all over the world. With ties across borders and contact between educators and students alike. KED Talk wants to build on that network, by creating a number of country portraits. In earlier episodes we travelled to India, Saudi Arabia, and The Netherlands. In this KED Talk we visit the UK. Or more specific: we visit Shevington High School in Wigan. Where Headteacher Julian Grant and his team ensures that all pupils have a personalized journey to success. Taking a positive approach to identify and nurture the ability and talent in every learner and to ensure, through an array of experiences and opportunities, that everyone has the chance to shine. Listen to what is done in Shevington High School to prepare young people to become the citizens of the future. Together with Christian Wetell Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

In an earlier KED Talk episode, we zoomed in on 10 years of remarkable Kunskapsskolan development in India. After that, our KED Talk journey across the world brought us to Saudi Arabia. For the third episode in this series, we travel to The Netherlands. A small country on the map near the North Sea, where over the last eight years a very enthusiastic Kunskapsskolan community has emerged. Listen to how the Dutch have embraced personalized education. How they battle for equal opportunities and later determination. And hear what the impact of the KED program has been on the personal development of both students and staff in a predominantly knowledge driven Dutch educational landscape.

 We discuss this with two colleagues who have been involved from the first day onwards: Kunskapsskolan Netherlands educational director Willemien Noordhof and school administrator, Duco Adema, also chairman of the Dutch Kunskapsskolan Community. Completed, as always, by Christian Wetell, Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

Kunskapsskolan education can be found all over the world. With ties across borders and contact between educators and students alike. KED Talk wants to build on that network, by creating a number of country portraits. 
Before the summer break we had a close look into Kunskapsskolan India. In this episode, we shift our focus to Kunskapsskolan Saudi Arabia. To Nün Academy in Jeddah, to be exact. A school with over 900 students aiming to prepare its students – through bilingual education – for working in a global setting at the highest international standards.
How does that work? Why do parents say: ‘there is something different about this place’. And why is it stressed that Nüns’ international education does not come at the cost of the student’s heritage. We talk about this and many other things with Nirmeen Alireza, Academy Director of Nün Academy. And of course, with Christian Wetell Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes.

‘How do we make sure that every human being gets access to good education’? ‘How do we give all humans a better start in life’? Fundamental questions that have driven Peje Emilsson - the educational visionary behind and founding father of Kunskapsskolan education – throughout his life. Being a successful serial entrepreneur at the same time seeking answers to the things that really matter. 
In this KED Talk we talk to Peje Emilsson himself. About the Kunskapsskolan initiative that has over the years changed the lives of many. About what brought him to the world of education. About the challenges that had to be overcome. And about his recent contribution to the truly first global study about education, organized by the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development on behalf of UNESCO and conducted by 260 education experts from 45 countries.

Kunskapsskolan India celebrates its tenth birthday. Having empowered many thousands of students with the knowledge and skills to meet the complex demands of a modern society in four schools in Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Lucknow.  With the KED model being vastly different from the traditional educational approach in India. 
In this KED Talk two educators who were part and parcel of the last ten years - Sunitha Nambiar, CEO and program director of Kunskapsskolan in India and Sabreena Talwar, Head of School at Kunskapsskolan Gurgaon - share their experience in this remarkable journey. Together with Christian Wetell, Director of Education at Kunskapsskolan globally and co-host of all KED Talk episodes. Furthermore, we talk to Kunskapsskolan students in India and hear the impressions of Swedish students recently visiting the country.