OpenEd

We asked Michael to distill his TEDx Talk into a guest blog: opened.co/blog/digital-l…

Michael Vilardo, @TrySubject CEO, paid $70K/year for a Zoom MBA during COVID. He says he learned more from binge-watching The Last Dance. Here's why:

@HippyMomPhD We've watched this with families for years. The kids who had real responsibility at home are the ones who don't freeze when something is actually hard at 12.

Children don’t want pretend chores. They want REAL ones. These tasks quietly build confidence: I can bake muffins. I can sweep. I can contribute. For a three-year-old, sweeping the floor is play. Lean into it♥️

@flowidealism The kids who score well on the wrong metrics are the hardest to redirect. Their parents think the system is working.

Parents obsess over grades. Ask a simpler question instead: Is your child taking initiative? Solving problems without permission? Acting like a responsible moral agent? Two children with identical grades can have opposite trajectories. One waits for the next assignment. One designs projects. One will thrive as an adult. One will be paralyzed. Teachers measures scores on Friday’s test. Real life measures whether you showed up, did work nobody assigned, and made something valuable happen. Every parent should ask weekly: Is my child becoming more capable and empowered, or more dependent? That answer is what matters.

@stuartbuck1 Decades of think pieces couldn't do what one couples argument at a basketball game just did.

Amazing: that viral couple were arguing about the Ben Sasse podcast and the future of liberal arts education. si.com/nba/pacers/vir…

@rebelEducator Every family we've talked to who pulled their kids out says the same thing. More time outside. Less sitting. The kid came back.

“We don’t really know how to help them” … yes we do Recess, free time, outdoor time, SUNSHINE, movement, real-world projects, meaningful challenges, tests of competence, purpose, minimal screens

@justinskycak Families do this with school. "We'll figure it out next year" until next year is graduation.

The longer you delay building the life you actually want, the more likely you are to normalize a weaker substitute. Drift hardens into identity faster than people realize.

@justinskycak And yet the feedback loops for most schools are 1 year.

Tight feedback loops with visible progress beat motivational speeches every time.

@flowidealism Schools have an answer to that question too. "Because it's on the test." The kids learn to stop asking.

If your child comes home asking "Why am I learning this?" don't let that question die. That's curiosity. That's hunger. That's the beginning of agency. Don't move past it because the teacher is uncomfortable with the question.

@kamal_razzak @binghott @iamshackelford @DenneyDara @sourfraser @MatthewGattozzi @pkennedy93 @thedennis @harrydelmege_ @heyitsalexP strat

I interviewed all of the best creative strategists in the world. @binghott. @iamshackelford. @DenneyDara. @sourfraser. @MatthewGattozzi. @pkennedy93 @thedennis. @harrydelmege_. @heyitsalexP. (thank you so much guys, you're all the best) If you read this document you will be able to become, train, & hire the best advertiser/creative strategist in the world. I promise you that. Hiring and training creative strategists is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make if you get it wrong. So I asked the best in the world: what separates the ones who actually produce winners from everyone else. I wrote it all up in one doc. I put a lot of time into this and there literally 0 AI, just 14 pages of straight sauce. reply "STRAT" and I'll send it over.

131 podcast episodes. 11 states. 1,400 families. We didn't set out to build a movement. Parents did.

@markoilico Ahoy mate🙌

If you're now designing or redesigning a website, this will help you a lot. I recently curated the best hero sections, footers, social proof and other website parts because I got tired of having 15+ tabs open (even with Mobbin). Giving it away 100% free. Comment on this post, and I'll send a Figma link to your inbox!

Most math tools teach to the test. Families kept nominating @_MathAcademy_ because it teaches to the kid. 2026 Eddy Award Winner - Resource of the Year. @justinskycak @exojason shared, "This recognition reinforces our commitment to helping every student achieve their fullest mathematical potential."

Nearly 100 campuses. Zero traditional classrooms. @MattBeaudreau founded Apogee Strong and helped families across the country launch schools that look nothing like school. This year, he’s joining our 2026 Eddy Awards judging panel. opened.co/eddy-awards

Things that look like laziness but are actually cognitive overload: - "I don't get it" (gap too wide) - Staring at the page (working memory limit) - "I can't do it" (too many new concepts) @_MathAcademy_ @justinskycak says smaller doses are the key

Meet @MichaelBHorn, one of our 2026 Eddy Awards judges. He has spent two decades studying what happens when education works for the student, not the system. Michael is joining our judging panel to help pick this year's winners. opened.co/eddy-awards

"What curriculum do you actually use?" The Eddy Awards - Open Education Resource of the Year honors the curriculum, tool, app, or platform giving families real power over how they educate. Nominations close March 1st! Tell us your favorite resource: nominations.opened.co

Behind every parent who figured out open education, there was a podcast episode, a blog post, a YouTube video that turned curriculum overwhelm into a plan. The Eddy Awards: Communicator of the Year recognizes the creators whose work helps families. Nominate them at: nominations.opened.co

We asked @_MathAcademy_ Director of Analytics @justinskycak and founder @exojason how to scale a more personalized and practice-based approach to math. opened.co/blog/math-acad…

Acceptable: A teacher doing math on a whiteboard for 55 minutes while 30 kids watch. Unacceptable: A coach shooting hoops for 55 minutes while 30 kids watch.