Entering 2025, underlying the calm surface of the U.S. labor market were currents of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and stagnation. Companies were taking longer to fill open roles, and a growing numbers of employees were disengaged but staying in their roles out of concern it would be difficult to find something better.
That’s all changed in the past few months. As DOGE has laid off thousands of federal employees, and companies and employees alike are trying to anticipate the impact of rollicking financial markets thanks to constant changes in tariffs, regardless of your view on these actions, the stormy currents of the labor market are rising to the surface.
In the face of these challenges, many job seekers are turning to new AI-powered apps meant to help them find jobs. But ironically, these tools are likely to exacerbate the present challenges and make it harder, not easier, to find jobs.
That’s what Bob Moesta and I argue in a new piece for Time Magazine titled “AI-Powered Tools May Make it Even Harder to Find a Job.” Check out our argument here—and if you’ve been using AI apps to apply to jobs, let us know what your experience has been in the comments or by replying.
Rethinking School
In Education Next, Rick Hess, Julie Squire and I offer five insights from our new edited book on rethinking education.
The book covers a lot of ground and has contributions from some amazing folks.
In the first chapter, “Rethinking the Promise of AI in Education,” Sal Khan, Kristen DiCerbo, and Rachel Boroditsky of Khan Academy teamed up to offer their lessons from building and implementing Khanmigo in schools. One takeaway? According to Kristen, Khan Academy’s chief learning officer:
“Artificial intelligence has the potential to provide learners with support and feedback in ways that are impossible for individual teachers in our current system.”
In the chapter “Mastery Learning,” Scott Ellis, founder and CEO of Mastery Track, said:
“The biggest things I hope readers take away are a clear understanding of why it is important to measure learning rather than teaching, and specific recommendations for how to implement mastery learning successfully.”
And in her chapter titled “Rethinking Personalization: A System Feature of the Future of Schooling,” Beth Rabbit, CEO of The Learning Accelerator, said she hopes people leave with the following:
“Personalization isn’t a niche model or buzzword—it’s a system design principle we must deliberately build for if we want schools to serve every learner well. Thankfully, as I share in my chapter, we already know a lot about how to do this. The question is whether we’ll use our knowledge to rethink how we design for individual needs at scale .”
Amen.
Higher Ed 101: College Budgets Explained
At a time when a lot of colleges and universities are sweating what will happen to their budgets, Jeff Selingo and I brought Rick Staisloff, founder of rpk GROUP, on to Future U. for a 101 crash course in how college budgets really work. From centralized vs. decentralized models to the challenges of tuition discounting, Rick breaks down the major drivers of revenue and expense in higher ed. He also highlights why better business intelligence, clearer accountability, and a shift toward ROI thinking are essential for financial sustainability. Whether you're a board member or just curious, this episode offers practical insight into what’s working—and what’s not—in college budgeting.
Check out the episode here.
Three big takeaways?
Many institutions are flying blind. Without strong business intelligence and cost-per-unit clarity, many colleges can’t answer basic questions like: “What does it cost to produce an English major?” That’s a problem.
Discounting is masking deeper revenue issues. With tuition discount rates rising — often past 60% — colleges are collecting less per student while costs continue to grow. Rick reminds us: net revenue matters more than gross enrollment.
Sustainability requires courage. From trimming under-enrolled programs to reallocating resources based on ROI, Rick emphasizes that real change depends on shifting culture — toward transparency, accountability, and student-centered outcomes.
Thanks as always for reading, writing, and listening.