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Lisa Gevelber is the founder and leader of Grow with Google, Google's economic opportunity initiative focused on helping people build skills, careers, and businesses. Through Google Career Certificates and AI training programs, she has helped millions of learners develop workforce-ready skills and navigate an increasingly AI-driven economy.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

1. Why AI fluency is becoming an essential workforce skill for every profession.
2. How Grow with Google is helping learners build practical AI skills at scale.
3. The growing role of AI credentials and certificates in higher education.
4. How universities are integrating AI training into student, faculty, and alumni learning.
5. Why lifelong learning and career mobility will be critical in the age of AI.

✨ Episode Highlights
[00:03:10] The founding story of Grow with Google and its mission to expand economic opportunity through skills training.
[00:04:16] Lisa explains the difference between simply using AI and becoming truly AI fluent.
[00:06:20] How Google keeps AI training current through educator partnerships and bite-sized learning.
[00:08:06] The Google AI Professional Certificate and its ACE recommendation for college credit.
[00:10:14] How the University of Virginia is combining AI certificate learning with real-world small business impact.
[00:12:41] The rapid growth of Google's AI for Education Accelerator and the power of peer learning among institutions.
[00:14:24] Why flexible, industry-recognized credentials are becoming essential for career transitions and lifelong learning.
[00:17:08] Lisa shares where educators, students, and professionals can access Grow with Google resources.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

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.

Cooley LLP is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.

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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they discuss the growing backlash against AI and screen time in schools, the launch of a federal education tax credit, promising new evidence for AI-powered remediation, workforce disruption from AI, and the future of higher education with Noah Pickus of Duke University.

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:03:40] AFT shifts its position on AI and screen time in schools
[00:07:25] i-Ready faces growing parent backlash despite strong adoption and efficacy data
[00:13:36] New federal Education Freedom Tax Credit could accelerate school choice and supplemental learning
[00:17:46] Education savings accounts create new opportunities for edtech business models
[00:20:09] New research highlights AI's potential to help students catch up academically
[00:23:16] Guided practice emerges as a promising framework for AI-powered learning
[00:24:56] Survey finds 99% of executives expect AI-driven workforce reductions within two years
[00:31:29] Anthropic's rapid growth reshapes the competitive landscape for generative AI

Plus, special guests:
[00:35:39] Noah Pickus, Head of Global Strategy and Partnerships and Senior Advisor to the Provost at Duke University, on the Future Universities Alliance and reimagining higher education globally

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn here.

🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

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.

Cooley LLP is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.

Send us Fan Mail

Sam Olivieri is the CEO of and has spent more than two decades expanding educational opportunity through leadership roles at GreatSchools, Entangled Solutions, and Guild Education. Daniel Halper is Co-Founder of Step Up Tutoring and leads Step Up AI Labs, where he develops AI-powered tools that help novice tutors deliver high-impact instruction at scale.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why Step Up Tutoring believes relationships and not AI alone drive student success
2. How AI can coach and support tutors instead of replacing them
3. The opportunity to transform federal work-study into a national tutoring corps
4. How Step Up uses AI to align tutoring with district curricula like Eureka Math
5. What it takes to scale high-impact tutoring affordably across the country

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:03:15] Sam Olivieri explains why tutoring remains one of education’s most evidence-based interventions.
[00:07:00] Daniel Halper shares how Step Up Tutoring launched during COVID as a grassroots volunteer movement.
[00:09:48] Daniel discusses why AI should support tutors rather than replace human relationships in learning.
[00:11:36] Sam outlines how federal work-study funding could help build a national tutoring corps.
[00:14:41] Daniel breaks down how Step Up’s AI tools support tutors before, during, and after sessions.
[00:18:52] Sam explains how AI evolved from tutor feedback into curriculum alignment and student mastery assessment.
[00:21:20] Step Up Tutoring shares its vision of providing every child in need with an effective human tutor supported by AI.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn here.

🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

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.

Cooley LLP is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.