Scaling Laws

AI in the Classroom with MacKenzie Price, Alpha School co-founder, and Rebecca Winthrop, leader of the Brookings Global Task Force on AI in Education

Aug 26, 2025
MacKenzie Price, co-founder of Alpha School, advocates for personalized learning with AI, discussing innovative classroom practices. Rebecca Winthrop of the Brookings Institution shares global efforts and challenges in integrating AI into education. They dive into the balance of data privacy and educational benefits, exploring technology's impact on student engagement, particularly in under-resourced areas. With nuanced perspectives on generative AI, they call for collaborative approaches to enhance learning while mitigating risks.
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ANECDOTE

Origin Story: Bored Child, New School

  • MacKenzie Price founded Alpha School after her daughter called school "so boring" and she realized the model was broken.
  • She built a new school focused on mastery learning, motivation, and personalized tutoring instead of time-based classroom instruction.
INSIGHT

Mastery Beats Time-Based Schooling

  • Mastery-based one-to-one tutoring yields learning gains far beyond teacher-led classrooms according to decades of learning science.
  • Alpha School uses this evidence as the foundation for compressing core academics into much shorter, more effective sessions.
ADVICE

Flip The School Day

  • Design school days so students finish core academics early and use afternoons for life skills, projects, and mentorship.
  • Shift teachers' roles from lecturing to mentoring and motivation specialists to boost engagement and depth.
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