I talk a lot about the future of education but remembering its history is just as important. If that rings true to you, check out the first edition of a new timeline game I launched on my Substack. Order the six landmark events correctly to win…the pride of knowing you know your American education history. buff.ly/n2TH0r2

How well do you know your education history? Put your knowledge to the test with the new weekly quiz game. Since May, I have been publishing five-question multiple choice quizzes and six-event timeline challenges about education history, research, and ideas. I’ll also be sharing them with you here, too. Why?

As we wrap up 2025 today, here’s a clip of a conversation @jselingo and I had about the trends we see developing in 2026 and beyond in an end-of-year episode of @futureupodcast .

What will it take to build a better education-to-career pipeline? In the most recent episode of @futureupodcast , @jselingo and I sat down with former Governor of Massachusetts and current president of @EducationatWork @janemswift to surface those solutions—from policies to practices. Plus, Jane dished on the disfunction in Washington. You won’t want to miss her biting insights. Check out the full episode below! futureupodcast.com/episodes/…

Do Ivy League schools really matter? @jselingo , my @futureupodcast co-host, and I weigh in:

At @futureupodcast, we recently highlighted the Swiss Apprenticeship model as one worth learning from—and today we profile a state that’s putting those learnings into action: Indiana. On this episode, @jselingo and I sat down with @CFiddianG , CEO of the @RMFFIndy to learn more about the Hoosier state’s efforts to build a Swiss-style apprenticeship system. Check out the full episode in the comments below!

💰 College budgeting isn’t just about spreadsheets — it’s about strategy. In our latest episode of @futureupodcast , @jselingo and I sat down with @rstaisloff , founder of @rpk_GROUP , to break down how college finances really work — and what needs to change for more colleges to achieve long-term sustainability. Here are 3 key takeaways: 1️⃣ Many institutions are flying blind. Without strong business intelligence and cost-per-unit clarity, many colleges can’t answer basic questions like: “What does it cost to produce an English major?” That’s a problem. 2️⃣ Discounting is masking deeper revenue issues. With tuition discount rates rising — often past 60% — colleges are collecting less per student while costs continue to grow. Rick reminds us: net revenue matters more than gross enrollment. 3️⃣ Sustainability requires courage. From trimming under-enrolled programs to reallocating resources based on ROI, Rick emphasizes that real change depends on shifting culture — toward transparency, accountability, and student-centered outcomes. 🎧 Listen at the link below in if you're a board member, administrator, or just curious about what’s happening under the hood of higher ed finance. youtube.com/channel/UCabmQdo… What does financial health look like for a mission-driven institution in 2025? Let us know in the comments💬

The U.S. has a lot to learn when it comes to systematizing apprenticeship. Thankfully, there are successful international models, like Switzerland’s, that we can study. And there’s perhaps no one better to help us extract those lessons than @katiecaves , the Director at Switzerland’s @CEMETS_ETH , who joined @jselingo and I on the @futureupodcast. Here are some of my takeaways from the conversation: 1️⃣ Permeability Is Key - One of the reasons so many Swiss students participate in apprenticeships is because there are paths moving back and forth between more vocational and academic tracks. 2️⃣ The Power of Prestige - Apprenticeships have stronger status in Switzerland than they do in the US. That’s partly because of structural differences. For example, the Swiss have vocational terminal degrees on par with Ph.D’s. 3️⃣International Replication - It’s never as simple as just copying what some other country is doing given we operate in different contexts—but there are a standard set of factors (e.g. unified employer voice) that are consistent across successful systems. Check out the full episode and let us know what you think the US needs to change to do apprenticeship better. futureupodcast.com/episodes/…

Mergers aren’t easy. They demand careful analysis, require big decisions, and involve tricky stakeholder management. But they are becoming increasingly necessary in #HigherEd as dropping enrollments make going it alone less viable for more and more institutions. So, @Jeff_Jacoby Selingo and I sat down with Katherine Fell and Jane Wood, presidents of The @ufindlay and @BlufftonU, two colleges in Ohio that are in the process of merging. We were also joined by @ricardoazziz of @ConsultingSPH, a consultant and expert who also helped guide them through portions of the merger. Kathy and Jane discussed how to find the right partner, navigate federal approval processes, and manage the emotional elements of a merger—and proactively nonetheless. 🎧You can listen to the full episode at the link below. 💬And share your thoughts in the comments—would you be able to have the foresight that Jane and her board did to approach another college years before they needed to for a merger? How would you manage such a process with the various stakeholders on your campus—knowing that a merger evokes all sorts of emotions?

Why do today what you can put off to tomorrow?🤔 That seems to have been the MO for higher ed over the last decade—a period in which the status quo has persisted in the face of plummeting enrollments. But on our most recent episode of @futureupodcast , my @jselingo and I predict that this is the year when the sector will finally begin to reckon with the inevitable.📊 🎙️Here are a couple of the changes we see coming down the pike: 1. Deeper partnerships — To survive, more schools need to partner more deeply with each other. But colleges are more used to competing than collaborating, so these partnerships will require autonomous teams and intentional culture building. 2. Differentiation — Colleges need to stop trying to be all things to all people and focus on the unique value they can provide to help students make the progress that they desire. Jeff calls this the end of Comprehensive U. Share YOUR predictions for higher ed in the year to come and check out the full episode while you’re there.

👍 Everyone has been letting us know over social, email, and in the customer reviews how they're finding and benefiting from our just-released book Job Moves. 😊 Publishing a book has been so gratifying to hear finally that our research, resources, and storytelling have helped so many people already. 👐 If you've been curious, I hope you check it out. And if you have gotten your hands on a copy, make sure you use the free resources we have on our website to help put it into action: jobmoves.com/resources 🏃‍♀️ It's time to make a move!