K-12: Entrepreneurial Opening for Cog Designers?
Nearly everyone agrees that the K-12 educational system in the US is in trouble. High dropout rates, poor international rankings, high cost and an industrial age focus on teaching rather than a knowledge age focus on learning all signal the model has run its course. A regulated, political and fragmented market, K-12 has traditionally been closed to the normal forces of creative destruction that remake service/business models that go bad. All that may be changing.
According to the report Acceleration Innovation in Education Week, the pace of innovation in the K-12 market is seeing an unprecedented uptick. Foundations and VCs have poured in a record amount of cash, incubators have sprung up and a small but diverse portfolio of start-ups are in motion. Key areas include hybrid charter models that combine online with face-to-face delivery and all facets of educational technology.
All of this is great news for cognitive designers that want to be entrepreneurs. After all, successful innovation in K-12 requires a good deal of luck or a deep understanding of the cognitive needs of learners.
