As summer comes to a close in the U.S. and most children return to school, it’s been a busy few weeks. As a result, this general update is a packed one.
For a growing number of returning students, school looks different from the conventional model most of us attended growing up.
I joined Mickey Revenaugh—author of the new book “School’s Out: Why Families Are Choosing Unconventional Education” and a past “Future of Education” guest—to talk about the rise of unconventional education. You may remember Mickey because my daughter helped interview her! Here’s Mickey interviewing me this time:
I joined two of my former students (and also past guests on the Future of Education!), William Wiltshire and Jaysan Shah, to author a piece for the World Economic Forum titled “Unbundling school: How a new financing mechanism is building modular education for the future.”
The theme? Rising parent discontent with conventional school models is leading to greater demand for autonomy and customization. Educational entrepreneurs are responding in kind to address the current anxieties and concerns of families. And some U.S. states are implementing education savings accounts—which are also helping some families unbundle and customize their children’s schooling in unprecedented ways.
Challenges for Colleges
As my longtime readers know, colleges are not immune to the challenges facing conventional K–12 schools.
Former Bates College faculty member Tyler Austin Harper’s piece in The Atlantic titled “Why I Quit the Tenure Track: The insufferable hypocrisy of elite academia” has sparked considerable “conversation.”
Joshua Macht, president of MassLive Media, and a Bates graduate, dug into the broader issues the piece raises and quoted me in his piece, “Behind the Scenes: For Bates College, the real test begins after the headlines fade.”
Macht observes that even if colleges confront the internal failures Harper raised, they still face more fundamental challenges: affordability is deteriorating, public confidence is weakening, AI is changing how people learn and work, and many families are questioning whether a four-year degree is still the obvious path it once was.
The instinct of many colleges is to respond by defending what they already do—critical thinking, exposure to ideas, research, scholarship. Those things matter. But defending the existing model is not the same as demonstrating that the model is meeting the needs of this moment.
Universities need to look both outward and inward.
Outward, to understand what individuals, employers, communities, and society actually need. Those answers will not be found solely within the university.
And inward, to ask how institutions must reorganize, innovate, and create real value in response.
We need universities for their research capabilities. We need them to prepare people who can strengthen our economy, communities, and democracy. And we need them to do so in ways that are affordable for students and taxpayers—and sustainable for the institutions themselves.
Right now, the balance across those dimensions is off. But the need for higher education has not disappeared. If anything, the potential contribution of these institutions is enormous.
The question is whether they will use this moment primarily to defend what they have been—or to rethink what they need to become.
I also joined Rod Danan on The Unpulled Lever podcast for an episode titled “College Closures, Skills-Based Hiring & Elements of Suck.” Check out our conversation, which pushes back against some conventional thinking.
How to Fix Africa’s Learning Crisis
I’m proud to serve as a founding board member of Imagine Worldwide, an organization I’ve written about several times (one example here). I was thrilled to see its co-CEO Rapelang Rabana grace the main stage of TED to raise this question:
When does technology actually change what is possible in education, rather than simply digitizing what already exists?
That question is especially important amid the growing skepticism around edtech in the U.S. and other “WEIRD” countries (watch her talk to understand the acronym!).
As I wrote recently, Imagine Worldwide is a powerful counterexample to the idea that technology itself is either the problem or the solution. The technology works because of the learning model around it.
In many African classrooms, one teacher may be responsible for more than 100 students. It’s extraordinarily difficult in that environment to give every child instruction at the right level, opportunities for deliberate practice, and immediate feedback.
Imagine’s model uses solar-powered tablets and a self-paced digital curriculum to make those experiences possible. Students progress as they demonstrate mastery, and the technology is deliberately constrained to a specific purpose rather than layered onto the existing classroom and left to compete with countless other demands for students’ attention.
Crucially, this isn’t about importing a technology or school model designed somewhere else. As Rapelang explains in her talk, it’s about designing solutions for the realities of African classrooms and public education systems—and working with governments so those solutions can reach millions of children sustainably.
Check out her whole talk here.
Christensen Institute Inaugural Summit
The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, which I cofounded nearly two decades ago, is hosting its first-ever Christensen Institute Innovation Summit in Boston on September 24, 2026.
The one-day Summit will bring leaders together from across industries to explore Clayton Christensen’s theories, engage in impactful conversations, and build meaningful relationships with fellow practitioners.
And be sure to register while tickets are still available!
The Avengers
Finally, be sure to check out the new book from Jeanne Allen, the founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform and co-creator of the Yass Prize: “The Education Avengers: How and Why a New Class of Heroes Is Fighting America’s Biggest Battle.”
The just-released book provides human portraits of 12 parents, educators, and innovators who are defying the odds—and the system—to give America’s children a real future.
If you like this newsletter, my books, and podcasts and want to support me, there are a few ways you can:
Buy or gift a copy of Job Moves for the job seeker in your life or the manager seeking to retain employees. Or buy or gift a copy of From Reopen to Reinvent for a parent or educator seeking something better for K–12 students.
Leave a short review about Job Moves on Amazon or Goodreads—it helps!
Ask me to speak to your school, company, organization, or conference (either in person or virtual).
As always, thank you for reading, writing, and listening.