49. Disruption and the Democratization of K-12 Education: A Conversation with Thomas Arnett

The Disruptive Voice

This week on The Disruptive Voice, we are delighted to bring you a conversation, recorded in early March, with Thomas Arnett. Thomas is a Senior Research Fellow - Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute, where he researches disruption in K-12 education, considers the role of educational technology in blended learning teaching models, and contributes to thought leadership on legislation and policies related to digital learning, teacher preparation, and teacher development. Previously, Thomas served as Board President at the Morgan Hill Unified School District, worked as an Education Pioneers Fellow with Achievement First, and was a middle school math teacher at Teach For America in Kansas City, Missouri.

Given the national experiment in online education that has begun in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with schools across the country transitioning to online learning, this conversation has become even more timely. In this episode, Thomas shares insights on the limits of disruption within the K-12 ecosystem, discusses the Jobs that teachers hire educational technology to do, and reflects on his time as a teacher in Kansas City, among other things. He is hosted by Christopher Diak, Program Assistant at The Forum for Growth & Innovation and a candidate for the M.Div. at Harvard Divinity School.