Why American Public Education Reverts to the Mean And What We Can Do About It with Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart

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Tom Vander Ark is an advocate for innovations in learning. As CEO of Getting Smart, he advises schools, districts, networks, foundations, and learning organizations on the path forward. Tom is the author of Getting Smart, Smart Cities That Work for Everyone, Smart Parents, Better Together, The Power of Place, and Difference Making at the Heart of Learning. He has published thousands of articles and papers through GettingSmart.com and LinkedIn.

Previously he launched one of the first edtech venture funds, was president of the X-Prize Foundation, served as the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Tom served as a public school superintendent in Washington State and has extensive private sector experience. He serves on the board of Digital Learning Institute, Latinx Education Collaborative, Mastery Transcript Consortium, and Getting Smart Collective and advises schools, impact organizations and edtech startups.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why education systems struggle to sustain innovation
2. How nonprofit governance supports lasting change
3. The transformative potential of platform networks
4. Why AI shifts learning from preparation to contribution
5. What keeps Tom optimistic about EdTech’s future

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:04:50] From retail exec to education reformer—Tom’s origin story
[00:07:03] Why governance challenges cause schools to revert to the mean
[00:10:11] The rise of platform networks and their power to scale learning
[00:14:48] AI and the shift from intelligence to agency in learning
[00:16:15] High school as a launchpad for real-world contribution
[00:21:01] “We’re automating bad pedagogy”—Tom on today’s AI tools
[00:25:16] Bright spots: Watershed, Open School, and SparkNC
[00:27:54] Tom’s advice to EdTech founders: “This is the most important work in the world”

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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.

Chapters

1. Why American Public Education Reverts to the Mean And What We Can Do About It with Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart (00:00:00)

2. From retail exec to education reformer—Tom’s origin story (00:05:21)

3. Why governance challenges cause schools to revert to the mean (00:07:34)

4. The rise of platform networks and their power to scale learning (00:10:42)

5. AI and the shift from intelligence to agency in learning (00:15:19)

6. High school as a launchpad for real-world contribution (00:16:46)

7. “We’re automating bad pedagogy”—Tom on today’s AI tools (00:21:55)

8.  Bright spots: Watershed, Open School, and SparkNC (00:26:10)

9. Tom’s advice to EdTech founders: “This is the most important work in the world” (00:28:48)