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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell with guest Jacob Kantor as they explore a transformative Week-in-Edtech, from Google’s AI-powered classroom revolution to major political shifts affecting schools nationwide.

Episode Highlights:

[00:03:17] Google launches 50 AI tools for educators through Classroom and Gemini
[00:05:47] Startup funding threatened as Google expands free AI features
[00:13:41] Google solidifies K-12 dominance, pushing out AI competitors
[00:24:51] OpenAI and Microsoft fund new AI training hub for 400,000 teachers
[00:33:22] Survey finds 60% of teachers using AI, saving nearly 6 hours per week
[00:36:22] Federal government freezes $6B in school funding, including EL programs
[00:38:17] ICE raids linked to 30% rise in school absences among Latino students
[00:43:32] Families turning to private edtech as school trust declines
[00:46:49] ISTE highlights include Amplify, Brisk, Quizziz rebrand, Meta’s school mode
[00:50:34] Edtech Insiders WhatsApp group emerges as top source for breaking news

Plus, special guests:

[00:51:36] Matt Dalio, Founder of Endless Studios on teaching real-world skills through student-designed video games
[00:53:56] Anne Trumbore, author of The Teacher in the Machine, on AI, learning platforms, and the future of teaching

😎 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/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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Matt Miller is the CEO and Co-Founder of OKO Labs, an innovative EdTech company developing human-centric, pro-social AI to power collaborative learning in K-12 classrooms. With a background as CTO and VP of Labs at Amplify Education and VP of Product at Flatiron School, Matt brings deep technical expertise and a passion for leveraging technology to solve real-world educational challenges. Holding BS and MS degrees in Computer Science and Intelligent Systems from Columbia University, Matt co-founded OKO in 2020 to address the critical need for scalable, engaging, and equitable small-group learning solutions, starting with a focus on math intervention. He leads OKO's mission to foster not only academic growth but also essential skills like teamwork and communication, driven by a commitment to evidence-based practices and rigorous R&D.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why small group learning is a critical—and underserved—area in K-12 education
2. How OKO uses AI to foster real-time collaboration and discourse among students
3. The benefits of integrating AI to support, not replace, educators
4. How rigorous research and efficacy studies shaped OKO’s product design
5. Insights into OKO’s 30x classroom growth and founder-led sales strategy

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:07] Origin of OKO: Solving the challenge of small group instruction
[00:05:17] Using AI bots to facilitate collaborative student learning
[00:10:18] What a typical AI-powered OKO math session looks like
[00:14:47] Research partnership with WestEd shows strong early results
[00:19:42] Making efficacy a sales advantage in founder-led growth
[00:25:59] Combining grant funding and equity to scale responsibly
[00:31:37] Defining a new edtech category: small group AI instruction
[00:36:22] Future plans for subject expansion and deeper SEL integration
[00:40:14] Vision for AI-enabled, pro-social, human-centered classrooms

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

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

🎉 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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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell for a thought-provoking summer edition of Week in Edtech, featuring headline debates on AI in education, a rare look into PBS KIDS’ funding crisis, and grassroots innovation in ocean learning from Ecuador.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:16] MIT study raises alarms about AI's impact on student thinking
[00:07:42] AI cheating scandal hits national debate championships
[00:12:33] Teachers vent frustration as AI disrupts classroom dynamics
[00:14:45] Educators face a crossroads: ban AI or embrace it as a teaching tool

Plus, special guests:

[00:19:09] Sarah DeWitt, SVP & General Manager of PBS KIDS, on funding cuts, educational media, and AI experiments in public broadcasting
[00:41:38] José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez, Co-founder of Academia del Oceano, on democratizing ocean education through hybrid EdTech in Latin America

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

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

🎉 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.