Do we even need a new version of school? (Next Gen Schools Episode 1)

If a visitor from 1910 walked into a modern classroom today, they’d recognize almost everything: the desks in rows, the bells, the age-based grouping, and the fragmented subject blocks.

In the first episode of the Next Gen Schools podcast, host A.J. Juliani and guest Ira David Socol (author of Designed to Fail) pose a provocative question: Do we even need a new version of school?

The answer is a resounding yes—but not for the reasons you might think.

The Myth of the "Natural" Classroom

We often treat the structure of school as an inevitable fact of nature. We measure the efficacy of new ideas against the "baseline" of a lecture or a 45-minute period. But as Ira David Socol points out, these structures weren't based on research or the science of learning. They were built on political and economic agendas of the early 20th century.

For example, the original design of grades 1 through 8 was intended to filter out 80% of students so only 20% would move on to high school. When we wonder why some students struggle to "fit" the system, we have to realize: the system was literally designed for them to fail.

Subverting the System from Within

Change doesn't always require tearing down the building. Ira shares stories from his work in Virginia, where they implemented "radical" but simple shifts:

• Multi-age Learning Spaces: Grouping up to 180 kids with 8 teachers to allow students to find the mentor and level that fits them best.

• Human-Centered Design: Placing kitchens at the center of schools to foster social and practical learning.

• Breaking the Bell Schedule: Allowing high schoolers to work on core subjects integrated together (like Algebra and Physics) without constant task-switching.

The Power of Trust

Perhaps the most shocking revelation from the episode is how much behavior improves when we treat students like humans. Ira explains that by simply allowing students to choose how and where they sat in a classroom, disciplinary referrals dropped by 50%.

"I've been both a cop and an educator," Ira says. "Enforcing laws is not what I want to spend my day doing in schools."

Preparing for the Year 2100

As we move deeper into the age of AI and automation, the "1910 model" of education becomes increasingly dangerous. The kindergartners entering school today will live to see the turn of the next century (they’ll be 80 in 2100). We can no longer afford to fight against the tools of their era—like computers and AI—but must instead teach them to use those tools well.

Schools were never neutral. They were built by people for specific purposes. This means we have the permission (and the responsibility) to rebuild them for a new generation.

Show Notes: Next Gen Schools #1

Episode Title: Do We Even Need a New Version of School? Host: A.J. Juliani Guest: Ira David Socol, Author of Designed to Fail

Episode Summary: In this debut episode, A.J. Juliani sits down with Ira David Socol to challenge the very foundation of the modern education system. They discuss why 99% of schools today would still be recognizable to someone from 1910 and how the "baseline normal" of education was built on political and economic agendas rather than the science of learning. Ira shares his personal journey from a struggling student to a police officer and eventually a radical educator, offering a roadmap for "subverting the system from within."

Key Timestamps:

• [00:00] - The "Time Capsule" of School: Why classroom structures haven't changed in 100 years.

• [01:32] - Ira’s Background: From being a "failed" student to a police officer and educator.

• [02:40] - The Alternative Experience: How a "school without walls" changed Ira's perspective on what’s possible.

• [03:28] - Designed to Fail: Why the traditional model was built on economic motives, not learning theory.

• [05:20] - The 80/20 Rule: How grades 1–8 were originally designed to eliminate 80% of students.

• [06:51] - Radical Experiments: Multi-age K-5 classrooms, kitchens in schools, and 9th-grade physics.

• [08:47] - Policy vs. Humanity: How reducing rules and allowing student agency cut disciplinary referrals by 50%.

• [10:31] - Preparing for 2100: The role of AI and technology in a world dominated by change.