ASK ME ANYTHING #13: "What will it take to transform the current school system into Alpha's model?"

If I were in charge of K-12 education, here’s what I would do...

From Todd: “What will it take to transform our school systems to a similar model where appropriated funds from our taxes will cover the cost?”

We could redesign school tomorrow: no billion-dollar budgets, no elaborate new campuses, just by rethinking how we use time.

Because we already have everything we need. The buildings, the teachers, the coaches, the buses, the theater programs, the football fields. What we don’t have is the schedule or permission to use them differently.

So, if I were in charge of K-12 education, here’s what I would do.

I’d give kids their afternoons back.

Students would complete their two-hour learning block in the morning, and from 12 pm to 4 pm, they would go on to do what they would normally do in school: band, football, robotics, debate, performing arts — you name it. Most schools already have these activities, as well as the resources, but they simply don’t have the schedule structured to support this particular model.

With some reallocation, we could easily implement an AI-personalized learning platform that compresses the amount of time kids need to spend in class. They could be on campus the rest of the day at no charge.

Then, there are teachers.

If you look at how kids spend their afternoons — with coaches, tutors, and theater directors — they are surrounded by mentors who know how to motivate and encourage them to do the things they love. Just like our Alpha guides.

If a student says, “I want to spend my afternoon learning dance,” or “playing baseball,” we can respond by saying: “Great. Give me two hours of productive academic struggle in the morning, and once you hit your goals, you earn the rest of the day doing what you love.”

Suddenly, we’ve solved a huge component of the motivation epidemic.

Again, this means the teacher’s role becomes even more important. And you don’t need fancy resources to do this. At Alpha School, we take kids to F1 races or take field trips to Italy to study olive oil, but you don’t need any of that. You can deliver this same phenomenal experience anywhere.

I often say that we could deliver this model of education in a tent if we needed to, as long as we had the internet. It’s not about the building, but what happens inside it. And I think it’s time we all hold ourselves accountable for delivering better to our kids.

Using personalized, AI-powered learning platforms and reimagining the role of the teacher allows us to raise human intelligence and give kids back what really matters: time.

So, that’s what I would do if I was in charge of K–12 education.

Two hours for academics. Four hours for purpose. And a whole new reason for kids to love school again.