This week, we open with a note from Timothy Knowles, who emphasizes the importance of defining and developing durable skills with the same intention as academic competencies. Knowles is the president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Carnegie Foundation). 

Last month, Dario Amodei issued a strong—and rather long—warning about the growing influence of artificial intelligence. “Humanity,” Amodei writes, “is about to be handed almost unimaginable power.” That power is already changing how we work, how we participate in civic life, and even how we understand human contribution itself.

At the same time, growing evidence—including Anthropic’s own Economic Index—suggests that AI does not make human reasoning or quantitative thinking obsolete. In fact, it appears to do just the opposite. The ability to write clearly, think carefully, and analyze complex problems is more important than ever.

On this point, employers are clear. Nine in 10 hiring managers say they’re more likely to hire entry-level workers who demonstrate strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. And yet, most hiring managers say high school graduates aren’t ready for work. Many college graduates face similar doubts.

The challenge isn’t awareness of the importance of these skills; there’s never really been a time when American educators haven’t emphasized them. As far back as 1782, Thomas Jefferson wrote about the importance of developing “reason and free inquiry.” Our founder and namesake Andrew Carnegie spoke of the need “to take full possession” of one’s own mind. This isn’t new stuff. 

For generations, there’s been broad agreement that students need both solid disciplinary knowledge and what we now often call durable or transferable human skills. Where things tend to break down is in the details.

We’ve long struggled to answer some basic questions:

In January, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching took an important step toward answering those questions by releasing our initial set of Skills Progressions. Developed in partnership with ETS, these skill definitions are grounded in decades of research and informed by educators, higher education leaders, and workforce partners. This first set is focused on collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. 

I think about this work as mapping a human skills genome. We’re building a shared framework that shows how essential skills relate to one another and grow over time. Like a genome, it clarifies structure and progression. It shows what the pieces are, how they connect, and how they become more complex.

Over time, we believe this kind of framework can open new pathways to academic success and meaningful workforce participation for millions of Americans. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape learning, work, and our understanding of human contribution, clarity will matter more than ever.

As 2026 legislative sessions unfold, special education is emerging as a state priority with governors and legislators. As the federal government continues to emphasize returning power to the states, governors and legislators are looking for new ways to support and deliver high-quality, evidence-based special education programs.

In this year’s State of the State addresses, four governors have explicitly mentioned special education initiatives primarily focusing on funding and infrastructure:

As of February 8, nearly 100 special education-related bills are moving across state legislatures. Proposed legislation is focused on strengthening the quality and coherence of existing special education systems. A few highlights:

As legislative sessions advance, the most consequential special education developments may look like shifts toward state funding stability, additional oversight, and instructional coherence. Governors and lawmakers appear focused on reinforcing infrastructure (e.g., data systems, literacy alignment, and reimbursement structures) and positioning special education as a core lever within broader academic improvement efforts. The challenge will be ensuring that these structural investments translate into meaningful classroom-level support for students with disabilities, rather than added complexity for already stretched systems.

Anthropic, the tech giant behind the Claude AI model, announced this week a new partnership with the nonprofit CodePath to transform collegiate AI education and create new pipelines of AI-native engineers.

CodePath, which provides computer science programs and career support for students at more than 1,000 community colleges, state schools, and HBCUs across the U.S., will integrate Claude and Claude Code into its AI courses. 

The partnership will give students exposure to leading-edge AI tools and allow them to contribute meaningfully to open-source projects. In the words of Howard University professor and computer science department chair Dr. Harry Keeling, "This is the first time my students have had access to the pro-level tools that professionals, practitioners in software engineering, are using in their jobs."

The announcement comes amid growing employer demand for AI skills—a wave of Big Tech partnerships aiming to prepare college students for the AI-enabled future of work.

A recent CodePath survey of more than 200 engineering leaders found that a majority of engineering leaders now expect job candidates to demonstrate fluency with AI tools and frameworks. In an effort to respond to that demand, Google and OpenAI are among the other tech companies that have launched collaborations with institutions to offer and grant college students access to their respective AI models, Gemini and ChatGPT. [The Wall Street Journal, subscription model; Fortune, subscription model]

SXSW EDU returns to Austin March 9-12, and this year, the geography tells the story. With the Austin Convention Center closed for renovation, the event is spreading across downtown in a new, festival-style format that promises to reshape the attendee experience from the ground up.

To get the inside scoop on what's ahead, we sat down with Julia Shatilo, Senior Director of SXSW EDU, to talk about the themes driving this year's program, how to navigate the new multi-venue format, and what first-timers and veterans alike should know before heading to Austin.

🗓️ And yes, the Whiteboard Advisors’ team will be there! Please reach out to us to let us know when you’ll be in town, or come visit us during one of the sessions featuring our own experts and initiatives:

March 9 at 4 p.m. CT — The Business of Education: Trends, Tensions, & What’s Next

March 10 at 11 a.m. CT — Building Belonging: K–12 Success for Latino Students

March 11 at 11 a.m. CT — Follow the Money: Rethinking State & Federal Funding

March 11 at 2 p.m. CT — Solving the Math Problem: Leading Change in K–12 Systems

We’re excited to share that registration is now open for the 2026 Solutions Summit, co-hosted by ISTE+ASCD and Whiteboard Advisors, taking place alongside the ISTELive + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The Solutions Summit will be held on Sunday, June 28, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will bring together education technology leaders, innovators, and experts for a day of learning, collaboration, and connection. Designed specifically for edtech company leaders, this is a space to share best practices, workshop new ideas, and engage with peers who are shaping the future of teaching and learning.

Why attend? The Solutions Summit offers an unparalleled opportunity to:

A recent K-12 Fraud Report from KEV Group spotlights a major financial blind spot in public education: school-level funds that move through cashboxes, spreadsheets, and informal payment apps with limited oversight.

An analysis of 93 verified fraud cases from January 2024 through April 2025 found nearly $50 million in losses—averaging more than $533,000 per case—with more than two-thirds of incidents occurring at the school level. 

The report underscores that nearly 97% of fraud is committed internally, reinforcing the need for stronger controls, real-time visibility, and modern school finance systems that protect both district resources and community trust.

Digital Promise—a global nonprofit that works to expand access to high-quality education—this week opened requests for proposals for two new research and development (R&D) grants aiming to improve digital learning and infrastructure in K-12 education.

Check out W/A Jobs, which features 3,660 career opportunities from 314 organizations across the education industry. A few roles that caught our eye over the past week: