Join me today on WIRED's "Back to School in the Age of AI" livestream
On microschools, privatization, and the fencing off of the elite.
Last week, I published a piece in WIRED’s “Back to School” issue about the growing interest in “microschools” among the tech elite. (Check out the entire issue and to tune into today’s livestream Q&A at 1pm ET / 10am PT!)
In short: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other tech founders and executives are pulling their kids out of traditional schools in favor of tiny, bespoke microschools where they get to manage both the curriculum and the value systems being taught.
I got to do some really interesting interviews for the piece, including with a young woman who went to Elon Musk’s microschool alongside some of his kids.
Among other things, the piece shows how microschools fits into a bigger push to privatize education, which is making headway at both the federal and state level. I also noted how popular these schools are growing among the same crowds pushing for charter cities and other “exit” efforts, which aim to sever the elite from society at large.
This weekend I was with some friends with kids, and we got to talking about the subject. I could tell one them was nervous to tell me that he had considered the idea of microschooling for his daughter. In an age when schools’ usage of AI and excessive screen time risks turning kids’ brains to goo, he argued, there might be a perfectly valid reason to partner up with local parents to create educational alternatives. (FWIW: Please never feel uncomfortable sharing your opinion with me! I rarely see anything in black-and-white.)
That said, I shared some things I learned from my reporting with him:
Education is, to some extent, a zero-sum game. Many microschool advocates are pushing for school choice/voucher legislation that would allow parents to pull tax dollars out of public education systems to use for education alternatives, meaning education inequality in the U.S. could get even worse.
Now even private schools aren’t private enough? I actually went to private school, on a scholarship. I had my issues with it, but at the very least, the children of billionaires I went to school with had some exposure to other social classes. I doubt they’re getting much of that in their backyards.
About that screen time.... A lot of the microschool networks gaining popularity are actually leaning really heavily on AI and screens.
This is a complicated issue, and one that deserves lots of attention and debate! Hope you’ll take a minute to read my piece and tune into today’s livestream at 1pm ET to get into it all. (I’m also really excited to hear from Charley Locke about Australia’s new social media ban for teens…)
Curiosities 💫
When I was at NatalCon in March, several people told me they thought Taylor Swift held the key to reviving the American birth rate. They’re this much closer to getting their wish.
Meta’s former President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg went off on Silicon Valley. I’d love to hear his thoughts on Meta’s choice to hire the reactionary du jour, Robby Starbuck.
The Hegsethian bloodbath continues with the departure of DIU chief Doug Beck. I would read the hell out of a DoD tell-all at the end of all this, preferably written by David Jeans.
Speaking of AI in education: What?
‘Til next week!