Parents Put the “Ack” in Hacking Education

Fred Wilson is a venture capitalist and the mastermind behind Union Square Ventures. Ever since I heard about his brilliant Hacking Education gathering in New York a few days ago, I haven’t been able to wipe the grin off my face.

Picture this: a room full of creative entrepreneurs, educators and assorted thinkers sitting around a big table for six hours and talking about how to change education. Disruptive innovation. E-learning. Online games and collaboration. Thinking about school and what it means, what it looks like. You’ve got my personal hero, Sir Ken Robinson, giving the welcome address, and the rest of the time it’s just open for discussion.

Now add a live Twitter stream on a big screen, which allows those present to add their thoughts without having to demand floor time (can you picture this in a classroom for kids who aren’t likely to raise their hands but have something very significant to ask or add?) There’s a steady flow of Tweets from those in the room AND from those who are following these Tweets on Twitter. (I’ve really gotten into Twitter lately. Follow me and I promise to follow you, too!)

I wish I could have been there, but frankly, I’m thrilled just knowing that it happened, I truly believe that we are reaching a critical mass in terms of new thinking about education, and we’re about to hit the tipping point when the Old School approach to education is considered not only outdated but actually detrimental for most students. Hello, Bold School!

And yet, as delighted as I am about the shift and the discussions among the edurati, there’s something missing.

It’s the parents. Because when it comes to hacking education, the biggest barriers won’t be technology or teachers or government. The biggest obstacle to overcome will be the parents–or, more precisely, their fears about the future for their kids if they choose to do things differently.

I get it. I’m a parent of four recently-launched daughters (ages 18, 19, 21 and 22, including three college grads, one senior and one completing her master’s in May) and I know how hard it is to let go of the standard approach to education. Even when I know in my head that this bold new option is better than that old one, I want some proof. It’s hard to feel convinced unless you can look around and see stunning examples of success among those who’ve taken a different path.

What I think many ed gurus don’t recognize is how scary it is for parents to risk feeling like, well, bad parents. You can show us the best tech tools on the planet, introduce us to the brightest tutors just a click away and yet we still worry, “What if my student can’t get into a decent college because I decided to get all innovative and encouraged her to do homeschooling or skip the SAT or get a GED or study online? What THEN?” Even if we know that tuition is outrageous and that our kids could learn more easily and quickly online or by simply reading books on their own, we still feel like we have to nudge our kids toward a college degree or else we’ve FAILED them.

And so we do what everyone else is doing: we hang that scarcity banner across our kid’s shoulders and say, “There are not enough spots in those colleges you like, and there’s not enough money available, so you’d better get your butt in gear, mister/missy, and study for those tests or you’ll never get in and get aid.”

Ack.

I feel this pain. I wrote my book for parents and I acknowledge their concerns while also giving them a loving kick in the rear. Nothing will change unless parents can release their own fear and ego (I refer to this one-two punch as “fego”) and it is absolutely critical that we appeal to the hearts and not just the minds of the moms and dads fretting about the future.

Too often, academics and entrepreneurs come up with fabulous ideas that they think will revolutionize education without considering those who REALLY drive the education carpool in the US–the parents. They’re the ones paying for immersion preschools and international high schools and SAT tutors and AP tests and college applications and on and on.

Well, let me just tell you that parents are sick and tired of footing the bill for an increasingly long list of must-have extras. They don’t want to be marketed to unless what you are selling is helping them SAVE MONEY AND/OR TIME while giving their kids a better education. They don’t want add-ons. They want alternatives. And most of all, they need to be convinced that what you’re offering will really WORK for their kids and not just line the pockets of those investors and inventors.

They’re right there. They are sitting on the edge. All you have to do now is show them that the alternatives are not only more accessible but absolutely advantageous.

Oh, and one more thing: they are waiting for you to go first.

Education hackers, disruptive innovators, and edurati: Go public about how you are walking away from the traditional track with your own kids. Until they see that happening–and see the RESULTS–parents won’t be able to budge, even though it’s what they want more than anything.

Tagged as: AP, Bold School, college admissions, college tuition, disruptive innovation, e-learning, edurati, Fred Wilson, GED, Hacking Education, immersion preschool, international high school, Maya Frost, Old School, online collaboration, online games, online learning, parenting, parents, SAT, Sir Ken Robinson, The New Global Student, Twitter, Union Square Ventures, venture capitalist