Trending In Education

Mike Palmer and virtual co-host Nancy are back from the podcast stage at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas. In this special update, we break down the Sweet 16 of Learning Trends and announce which four have fought their way into the Final Four. This episode explores the collective zeitgeist of the education world, from the challenges of chronic absenteeism to the futuristic potential of vibe coding and agentic intelligence. The conversation begins with a look at the trends submitted by AJ Gutierrez of Equal Opportunity Schools. AJ highlights the pressing issue of chronic absenteeism in K-12 and the need for work pathway alignment. He also makes a strong case for high-impact tutoring and the responsible integration of AI to keep humanity at the center of the classroom. Next, the duo dives into insights from Jasmine Maze and Sunanna Chand of Teach For America's Reinvention Lab. We discuss teacher efficiency not just as an operational goal, but as a relational unlock. This segment covers the rise of vibe coding, the c