Summary
Overview
Education innovator Alon Samoa presents a compelling case for redesigning America's education system through community-based design. Drawing on examples from Brooklyn, Washington D.C., and rural North Dakota, Samoa demonstrates how schools can transform from boring, factory-model institutions into engaging learning environments where students develop real-world skills, discover their purpose, and thrive. The talk advocates for a continuous, community-driven approach to educational evolution that centers student experience and prepares young people for an AI-shaped future.
The Brooklyn STEAM Center: Education Reimagined
Samoa opens with a vivid example of what education can look like when redesigned around real-world learning. At the Brooklyn STEAM Center, students aren't confined to traditional classrooms—they're creating marketing campaigns, wiring houses, and learning cybersecurity from professionals. This public high school demonstrates how listening to community needs and integrating career-connected, project-based learning can create an educational experience that's both rigorous and deeply relevant to students' futures.
- Brooklyn STEAM Center students work on real-world projects like digital marketing campaigns, construction, and cybersecurity with industry professionals
- The school design process began with listening to students, families, educators, and local employers rather than implementing a predetermined program
- The model integrates career-connected learning, project-based learning, and purpose development based on decades of research
- Students focus on solving real problems and building things that matter rather than memorizing content for tests
" Not about regurgitating content, but about solving real problems. Not, what do I need to know for the test? But, what can I build that matters? "
" Of course school should be like this. But if it's so obvious, why am I on this stage telling you about it? And what does it cost us when most students never get to learn this way? "
The Engagement Crisis: When 'Fine' Isn't Fine
Samoa presents alarming data from a survey of 70,000 U.S. students that reveals a devastating engagement crisis in American education. The statistics paint a troubling picture: less than half of students love school, two-thirds find it boring, and engagement plummets as students age. What starts with three-quarters of third graders loving school drops to barely a quarter by high school. This section reframes the mundane parental experience of hearing 'fine' as evidence of potential quietly fading away.
- Survey of 70,000 students found less than half love school and two-thirds find it boring
- Less than 4% of students get to explore and be in charge of their own learning
- Nearly three-quarters of third graders say they love school, but by high school barely a quarter do
- The typical one-word answer 'fine' to 'how was school today' represents potential quietly fading
" Fine isn't fine. It's the sound of potential quietly fading. "
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