Edtech Insiders

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Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they explore the latest developments in education technology, from AI breakthroughs and policy shakeups to new funding rounds and workforce shifts shaping the future of learning.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:00:00] Silicon Valley debates the rise of “AI Slop” and the impact of vibe coding.
[00:03:36] Columbia student suspended for AI cheating tool raises $5.3M to commercialize it.
[00:04:56] Anthropic’s Drew Bent explains why code literacy now means editing AI-generated code.
[00:08:09] 200 CEOs and Code.org push for mandatory AI classes in high school.
[00:11:13] Federal government’s role in AI education policy under debate.
[00:14:04] Duolingo plans to replace contract workers with AI, triggering backlash.
[00:20:42] Higher ed faces political attacks; Harvard and Columbia push back.
[00:23:32] K-12 faces teacher shortages and $4.5B in proposed federal funding cuts.
[00:35:21] Google’s AI Overviews cut search click-through rates by 34.5%.

Plus, special guests:

[00:36:08] Brian Malkin, Co-Founder & CEO of Rang, on rewards programs to improve K-12 attendance.
[00:50:29] John Marshall, CEO of BrainFreeze, on AI safety and transparency in schools.
[01:12:31] Scott Nadzan, Vice President of Product Marketing and Strategic Communications at Panopto, on AI-generated video and the Elai acquisition.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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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Mike Yates is a Senior Designer at Teach for America's Reinvention Lab, with over a decade of experience at the intersection of technology and learning. A former classroom teacher and founding member of Alpha School, he now leads the Lab’s AI initiatives, creating workshops, coaching educators, and prototyping innovative AI solutions. Mike has built partnerships with organizations like Playlab AI, Google, and Snapchat, and remains dedicated to helping educators navigate the future of learning through practical, human-centered approaches.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why teachers don’t need to “speak Silicon Valley” to embrace AI.
2. How AI hackathons and poetry slams are making AI learning more human and fun.
3. The concept of “AI Dexterity” and why it’s critical for future-ready educators.
4. How rebel educators are building their own AI tools to solve real classroom problems.
5. Why sometimes the best AI training happens on a plane or at a coffee shop!

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:08] Mike Yates’ journey from TFA rejection to leading its AI initiatives
[00:04:45] What teachers really want from AI—and why most solutions miss the mark
[00:07:28] AI at the human level: “You don’t have to speak Tech Bro to get on this train"
[00:14:05] From poetry slams to fashion design—creative ways educators are learning AI
[00:18:30] How rebel teachers are building their own EdTech tools after budget cuts
[00:23:37] Why AI as a trickster and debate partner makes learning more fun
[00:26:59] A sneak peek at the Reinvention Lab’s new initiative: Arcade AI

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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 host Alex Sarlin alongside special guest co-hosts Ben Wallerstein and Anna Kimsey Edwards, Co-Founders of Whiteboard Advisors, as they break down:

[00:03:00] Trump’s AI Executive Order launches cross-agency education task force
[00:05:00] 27 states already advancing AI education policy
[00:07:00] Workforce EO targets 1M AI-related apprenticeships
[00:10:00] Accreditation EO pushes competition and student outcomes
[00:14:00] “Beyond Degrees” report urges non-degree pathways
[00:21:00] Edtech funding hits record low in Q1 and Q2, says HolonIQ
[00:23:00] ESSER cliff and political uncertainty stall school spending
[00:28:00] Falling enrollment squeezes K-12 budgets nationwide
[00:30:00] Duolingo adds 150 AI-generated cross-language courses
[00:30:45] Google Audio Overview now available in 50 languages
[00:31:00] Panorama acquires AI writing tool Class Companion, Kollegio raises seed round for AI college advising
[00:32:30] Anthropic forecasts AI-only employees within a year
[00:36:00] Israel announces national rollout of AI tutors in schools

Plus, special guests:

[00:36:45] Anna Iarotska, CEO & Co-founder of Robo Wunderkind, unveils the first K–5 AI Literacy Curriculum
[00:50:55] Julia Dixon, Founder & CEO of ESAI, reflects on her Shark Tank debut and democratizing admissions advising
[01:02:00] Tigran Sloyan, Co-Founder & CEO of CodeSignal, shares how TED Talks are becoming interactive learning journeys

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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

Betsy Corcoran and Dr. Jeremy Roschelle co-host the Future Fluent podcast, where they explore how learning is changing in the age of AI. Betsy is the cofounder of EdSurge and now leads Lede Labs, advising education leaders. Jeremy is a leading learning scientist and Executive Director of Learning Science Research at Digital Promise. Together, they bring decades of journalism and research experience to their shared mission: redefining literacy and learning in a world transformed by AI.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. What “future fluency” means in the age of AI
2. Why social connection is central to learning with AI
3. How AI can empower generalist educators and students
4. The importance of co-designing tools with teachers
5. What deep knowledge—not just critical thinking—requires today

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:04:00] Launching Future Fluent: a podcast to ask better questions about AI and learning
[00:07:00] Literacy redefined: engaging with the world through many channels
[00:09:00] Mike Yates' AI poetry experiment builds confidence in creativity
[00:13:00] Using AI to support comprehension for young readers
[00:19:00] Post-COVID lesson: data proves teachers’ impact
[00:25:00] AI can’t replace deep knowledge or human insight
[00:30:00] Playlab AI helps generalist teachers act like specialists
[00:33:00] Colorado students use AI to create a voter guide chatbot
[00:36:00] Re-centering AI on human flourishing, not machine potential
[00:42:00] Real co-design starts with real educator problems

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
  • Apple Podcasts
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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

In this special episode, we go behind the scenes of the Edtech Insiders GenAI K-12 Education Market Map, a first-of-its-kind framework connecting real classroom needs to AI-powered tools. Co-created by Alex Sarlin, Laurence Holt, Jacob Klein, and the Edtech Insiders team, this evolving resource helps educators, entrepreneurs, and researchers make sense of a fast-changing landscape. 

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: 

1. Why the GenAI Education Map focuses on pedagogy and learning needs over tools
2. How to identify "white space" opportunities for AI in education
3. What makes AI feedback and teacher coaching some of the most promising use cases today
4. How to move beyond the 5% of students typically served by EdTech
5. Why "team teaching with AI" might be the next big frontier

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:36] Holt & Klein introduce the origin story of the Generative AI Use Case Map
[00:03:29] Starting with teaching and learning needs, not tech capabilities
[00:06:03] Why learning science and research-backed practices still aren't reaching scale
[00:11:11] How and why the GenAI Map was built as a living, evolving framework
[00:15:20] Imagining “team teaching” between human educators and AI assistants
[00:20:16] The 5–10% problem: Why most EdTech tools miss the broader population
[00:23:18] Personalization, motivation, and redefining what success in school can look like
[00:30:05] From tool overload to comprehensive suites: the shifting EdTech landscape
[00:34:12] AI-enabled feedback loops that support both teachers and learners
[00:39:00] What’s ready for scale now—and what still needs real breakthroughs
[00:44:55] Risks and red flags: from dopamine loops to student dependence on AI
[00:48:35] Will GenAI in education be incremental or transformative?

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsors:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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

Levi Belnap is the CEO of Merlyn Mind, where he has been instrumental in driving the company's vision and growth since joining in 2019. Before assuming his current role, Levi served as Chief Strategy Officer for nearly four years and later as Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to Merlyn Mind, Levi built an impressive career in business development and entrepreneurship. He worked for Defy Ventures, served as Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Wyzant, and co-founded FindIt, where he served as CEO. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a BA in Political Science and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He currently resides in Houston, Texas, where he continues to lead Merlyn Mind in transforming educational technology.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How voice AI is helping teachers regain control of the classroom
2. Why AI should be invisible, not overwhelming, for educators
3. Real classroom impacts: higher engagement, fewer disruptions
4. How multi-language support is changing access to tech
5. The future of AI in education: enabling, not replacing, teachers

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:20] Levi Belnap’s journey to leading Merlyn Mind
[00:02:36] What Merlyn Mind’s voice AI actually does in classrooms
[00:04:19] Evolving AI strategy: Before and after ChatGPT
[00:07:29] How teacher needs drive real edtech innovation
[00:09:23] A day in the life of a "Merlyn-enabled" teacher
[00:17:16] Voice AI’s impact on student focus and behavior
[00:25:46] New Spanish-language capabilities at Merlyn Mind
[00:36:59] Why embedding AI in real workflows is the future of edtech

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
  • Apple Podcasts
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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 as they explore the latest developments in education technology, from ASU+GSV insights to AI model releases, international edtech innovations, and federal policy shake-ups.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:45] ASU+GSV recap and post-conference energy
[00:04:48] Strategic AI integration gains traction
[00:05:56] Edtech market braces for consolidation
[00:08:45] Linda McMahon engages at ASU+GSV
[00:10:18] Challenges merging CS and AI in schools
[00:13:16] Harvard pushes back on federal DEI demands signals sector shift
[00:23:21] Yuanfudao launches next-gen AI tutor
[00:28:20] OpenAI releases GPT-4.1 with huge upgrades
[00:30:25] Google and Claude enhance AI tools
[00:33:56] Brisk wins GSV Cup and raises $15M
[00:35:20] Big funding rounds hit across edtech
[00:37:56] Global expansion and tutor startup funding

Plus, special guest:

[00:38:27] Collin Earnst of the Ed-tech Leadership Collective on building edtech leadership

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
  • Apple Podcasts
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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

Vikas Pota is an entrepreneur and investor in education and digital businesses that seek to address some of the sector's intractable challenges and to advance education quality and opportunity. He is the founder of T4 Education, the Global EdTech Prize and the World's Best School Prizes. He is the Executive Chairman of the Education Leaders Forum, where he convenes the CEOs and leaders of many of the world’s biggest and most influential education businesses to advance their growth. Vikas is also the Founder of Inicio Partners, an executive search firm dedicated to helping education institutions, technology companies, and social impact organisations find their best leadership talent. He has previously led the rebrand of a major education business, built a corporate venture capital fund, and run a philanthropic foundation. 

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why storytelling—not policy—is the key to transforming education.
2. How the Global EdTech Prize centers educators in judging impact.
3. The ripple effect of education prizes on national policies.
4. What makes edtech truly scalable and impactful.
5. A thoughtful take on AI’s role in education and society.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:21] Vikas Pota’s vision for global education reform
[00:02:34] Launching the educator-judged Global EdTech Prize
[00:04:36] How prizes drive innovation and influence policy
[00:07:32] Elevating teacher status through the Global Teacher Prize
[00:09:07] “Policy no longer moves the needle”—Obama’s leadership lesson
[00:12:08] Who should apply for the prize—and why it matters
[00:16:33] AI in education: Asking what we should do, not just what we can

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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

Robert Barnett co-founded the Modern Classrooms Project, which has empowered 80,000+ educators in 180+ countries to meet every learner’s needs. Before that he taught math, computer science, English, social studies, and law, from the middle-school to university levels, at public and private schools in the U.S. and Switzerland. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University and Harvard Law School; speaks English, French, and Spanish; and lives in Washington, DC. His book, Meet Every Learner's Needs, comes out in February, and he hopes his two young children will learn in Modern Classrooms someday!

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Modern Classrooms transforms the “operating system” of schools
2. Why teacher-created videos are more powerful than polished content
3. The case for paper-based mastery checks in a tech-driven world
4. Rob’s take on AI tools—and why teacher-facing AI holds promise
5. How to truly personalize learning while keeping it personal

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:27] Rob’s journey from overwhelmed teacher to instructional leader
[00:03:46] What’s wrong with today’s classroom model—and how to fix it
[00:07:54] Inside a Modern Classroom: self-paced, human-centered learning
[00:13:33] Paper beats screens—for fast, meaningful feedback
[00:14:25] The power of personal: making your own instructional videos
[00:17:46] Tech should amplify, not replace, teacher-student relationships
[00:20:26] Why AI needs clearer use cases in classrooms
[00:26:59] Chronic absenteeism demands a new instructional model
[00:34:51] AI avatars: promising or uncanny? Rob weighs in
[00:39:32] Rob’s new book Meet Every Learner’s Needs—a guide for redesigning instruction

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! 

• Follow our Podcast on:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
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• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

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.