Category Archives: Uncategorized

Grade inflation might be the most corrosive form of inflation in America, not because it drives up costs directly (though it contributes to the bloated education bubble), but because it turns assessment into performance theater. The Data Is Damning At Harvard, 79% of grades are now A’s. Pause on that. Either Harvard has miraculously assembled […]

When we look at the data on student engagement, something startling emerges. From 5th grade through high school, we’re witnessing what can only be described as a mass exodus of minds. The numbers tell a devastating story: Think about that for a moment.  We’re losing two-thirds of our students’ minds along the way. The consequences […]

Here’s a thought that might change how you view the American education system: Most of what passes for educational progress is actually a sophisticated form of distraction. The ancient Romans had a term for this: “bread and circuses1.” Emperors would keep the populace docile with free food and entertainment. Today, our government schools and those […]

Ambitious young people are underserved.  The Overlooked Titans As we develop The School of Entrepreneuring, we’ve come across many young entrepreneurs in middle and high school who are already formidable entrepreneurs. They’re building, selling, learning, and growing. They are ambitious.  And they’re often overlooked. Until now. Enter the Forge Fellowship for middle and high school […]

Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way.  We’re building a national network of Schools of Entrepreneuring for 5th to 12th graders where they learn by building. At graduation, they’ll get a $200k investment if they choose to build a company. So yes, I’m conflicted here. But for the record, the idea for a […]

This essay first appeared in my newsletter Sign up here if interested in Unf^cking Education. There’s a lie being told to parents about what makes schools great. It’s so pervasive that even smart people believe it.  That lie is that student-teacher ratios are important. This longstanding ratio fixation isn’t just wrong. It’s been actively harmful.  By obsessing […]

Here’s a puzzle: how do you create a trillion-dollar debt bubble that can’t be popped? Answer: make student loans non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.  Now, here’s a trickier one: how do you fix this mess when the solution threatens a multibillion-dollar industry? This isn’t just a theoretical exercise.  It’s the reality we’re living in.  The U.S. student […]

High school students are increasingly founding nonprofits. And it’s not because teenagers have suddenly become more altruistic. It’s because they’ve identified a loophole in the college admissions game. The numbers tell a revealing story.  According to The Harvard Crimson, 70.3% of Harvard’s Class of 2027 participated in community service as a high school extracurricular activity.  […]

Our schools today look strikingly similar to those of 1940 because we’ve never stopped to ask the most important question: What is the actual goal of education? We pour billions of dollars into education every year.  We send our kids through it for over a decade. And yet, ask a parent, teacher or administrator “what’s […]

Once upon a time, there was a massive ladder that stretched so high into the sky that its top was hidden by the clouds. The village elders told every child that climbing this ladder was the only path to happiness. “Take one step at a time,” they said, “and eventually, you’ll reach the top, where […]