Investing for Systems Change in Education By Judy Goldstein

I’m a firm believer in the transformational power of education, so I get excited every time I hear about a new educational practice, technology, or experiential learning program that enables young people to plan a path towards success. But as someone who has spent my entire career in the education industry, I know that coming up with a great idea is just the first step. The next step, and in many ways the harder one, is scaling that idea beyond a small group of students to benefit society as a whole.??

That’s why I was thrilled to be invited to participate on a SOCAP 2024 panel with Matt Greenfield , co-managing partner, Rethink Education , and Sandeep Aneja , Founder and Managing Partner, Kaizenvest , about investing in systems change. Moderated by Monika Bauerlein , CEO, Center for Investigative Reporting , we discussed potential investments, lessons learned from previous ones, and how to measure success in the educational space. Here are some highlights from our conversation.??

Generative AI: A Catalyst for Change – But with Caveats

Generative AI was top of mind for all of us, and we recognized its potential to personalize education and foster engagement. AI tools are already being used in classrooms to enable one-on-one learning experiences, allowing each student to progress at their own pace.?

However, as Matt Greenfield pointed out, we need to be cautious about the creation of a two-tiered system where wealthier students get access to human teachers while underserved students are left to rely solely on AI. As Matt put it, “I worry that we’ll end up with a system where the less affluent get taught by machines and the more affluent continue to get taught by humans.”

Sandeep pointed out some of the positive implications of AI, both at present and in the future. He highlighted the ability of AI to enable administrators to look into what data they can capture from students’ very early years all the way up through postsecondary, and leveraging that data to create learning tracks and personalization, lower the cost of learning, and enable teachers to streamline time-consuming administrative tasks.?

But while his firm, Kaizenvest, has found some success with emerging edtech products in the Asian and African countries in which his company invests, the one-size-fits-all approach to education still prevails throughout the world.?

“We’ve been chasing the utopian dream of a level of personalization that creates a class of one for every student for years,” he added.

Breaking the Degree Mold: The Promise of AI-Powered Credentials

As we continued our discussion on AI, I wanted to zero in on an idea that’s at the core of ASA’s mission: that degrees are no longer the only pathway to meaningful work. But with over a million non-degree credentials from 60,000 providers, students are facing a confusing array of options.

“AI is a game changer in helping us curate lists of high-quality credentials for young people,” I shared, noting that ASA is developing resources to guide students toward the best-fit options, including our collaboration with Jobs for the Future (JFF) on the forthcoming ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF . The growth of credentials opens new doors, particularly for students who may not pursue a traditional degree path.?

Imagine a platform that uses AI to match employer skill requirements on a high school work-based learning opportunity with skills entered on a learner profile, and vice versa. This would help millions of young people find, evaluate, and apply for work-based learning experiences—solving the challenge that, according to ASA research , only 34% of high school learners are aware of any opportunities for students their age—and just 2% of students had actually completed an internship during high school.

Technology Investments Alone Aren’t Enough; Early Exploration and Hands-On Learning are Critical

In addition to emerging technology, we discussed the importance of practical exploration and work-based learning experiences—and the need for students to begin engaging in them sooner.?

If you focus middle-schoolers on learning about themselves to create self-identity and understand what they're passionate about, then in high school you can start to create an awareness of what the world needs and what it is willing to pay for. That way, by the time kids graduate from high school, they know who they are, what they love to do, and what the world wants and will pay for, so they can select a postsecondary education pathway that's right for them. (This stems from the Japanese framework known as Ikigai .)

I also shared how I’ve seen the power of hands-on, experiential learning through organizations like the CAPS Network , an ASA grantee, where high schoolers get a firsthand look at various careers. By immersing students in real-world tasks, we’re not just preparing them academically but also helping them understand and connect with potential career paths in a tangible way.

Whether they’re diagnosing “patients” in a simulated medical lab or solving engineering challenges, students gain critical insights that guide them in choosing the right postsecondary path. It’s crucial that we extend our investment focus beyond just technology and continue to prioritize real-world learning for students.

Education Investments Require Different Metrics

Once an investment in education is made, how do you measure its success??

In the business world, calculating your return on investment is pretty straightforward. You look at costs, revenue, profits, etc. But these metrics aren’t the same as learning outcomes.??

What’s more, there isn’t universal consensus among educators about what the right learning outcomes are.? In fact, Matt believes that the education system has been pursuing the wrong outcomes for a long time, especially when it comes to career readiness.?

Most schools track grades, test scores, acceptance rates, completion rates, job placement rates, and average salary. But, Matt explained, “there’s a set of more intangible questions [that are often not considered], like ‘how does this job fit with the values and aspirations of the learner?’”?

This is especially true when you consider the number of years it takes for a student to complete their K-12 educational journey. You can't expect a middle schooler to be judged on workforce development outcomes when it’s five or more years away. And traditional measures of learning outcomes like standardized tests can perpetuate the equity gap.??

So not only do we need to change the way that we teach learners so they graduate from high school knowing what they love to do, where they want to go next, and the skills and knowledge that are needed to get there, we need to change the metrics that determine how successful our investments are.???

The Best Solutions are Co-Created

Whichever metrics you decide to use to calculate your ROI, the success of your investment depends on students. So, it’s critical to include the student voice in your solution.??

Matt, who co-founded a company that serves 3 million students and has over $100 million in revenue, attributes a large part of the company’s success to involving users in the product development process. He recalls inviting children on the autism spectrum to visit their offices and filming them as they went through the lessons. The company used these UX observations and insights to enhance the product and its features.??

ASA is also a big proponent of co-creation with the demographics that we support. We provide free career exploration experiences for kids in middle and high school on our digital platforms. Today, 15 million learners engage in on our platforms and that’s partly because we asked thousands of kids to tell us what colors they like, how to name something, and what experiences they want.?

The Future of our Young People Requires a Multi-Faceted Approach

The education space is complex, and systemic change can be a challenge. But by focusing investments on solutions that empower and enable both teachers and students, developing broader and more equitable metrics of success, and engaging users in the creation process, we can make a difference.??

This conversation at SoCap 2024 reminded me of the power of collaboration and the role each of us plays in shaping the future of education. By investing in innovative approaches to learning, we can create a more equitable system that prepares all students for fulfilling lives and careers after high school.?

These changes won’t happen overnight, but with continued focus on systems change, the possibilities are boundless.