Alpha School's AI promise under scrutiny: half of students missed the 2x math goal
hoofnagle · x · 2026-10-25
Per the NYT, Alpha School—promising to teach kids twice as much in half the time via an 'AI tutor'—is expanding from private into public education with Trump administration backing. Internal Alpha data reviewed by the Times shows about half of 400 K-8 students missed the promise of learning math twice as fast, and a fifth missed the reading goal. The network runs 50 campuses with 1,500 students, backed by billionaire Joe Liemandt, and aims to reach one billion students worldwide. Supporters counter that even the real results—nearly half doubling math gains, 80% hitting reading targets—would make most schools envious.
Related event: NYT Investigation Undercuts Alpha School's AI 'Twice the Learning' Claims(2 posts)→
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