In the United States, a staggering $870 billion in 2019-20 was invested in public K-12 education, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Over the past 15 years, total student debt in the U.S. has nearly tripled, soaring from over $619 billion in Q1 2008 to an astonishing $1.77 trillion in Q1 2023, as reported by the Federal Reserve.

The question arises: when and how do families and societies truly comprehend the learning outcomes of these substantial educational investments? Typically, this understanding takes shape at least 3 to 10 years after graduation, often through exiting job market performance evaluations.

For the past three centuries, primary, secondary, and tertiary education have primarily centered around students completing coursework, earning grades, and obtaining diplomas. These scores and certificates are predominantly based on two-dimensional textual learning.

But is this education sustainable for the advancement of the U.S. and human society at large?

How can the U.S. and all other nations transform learning outcomes into valuable assets rather than mere grades and certificates as children grow?

How can we ensure that education is no longer merely an expense or an investment, as it has been for the past 300 years, but a contemporary source of value creation?

The “first principles” of education align with pedagogical best practices, recognizing that every child is a natural learner. Hence, it is essential to facilitate each student in achieving more effective, efficient, authentic, and comprehensive personalized learning, resorting to direct instruction only when necessary.

In our rapidly evolving world, individual well-being has rightfully taken precedence. It’s no longer just about academic achievements; it now encompasses emotions, cognition, feelings, and social development. Holistic education is pivotal in nurturing well-rounded individuals who excel not only academically but also emotionally and socially. This form of education acknowledges the importance of family values and an individual’s role in societal progress.

The Khan Academy functions as an online repository for two-dimensional direct instruction. However, it should also serve as an example of a platform that needs to be integrated into authentic learning to become meaningful for a diverse range of individual learners.

STEM has been the make-up to the change of the current school education curriculum, the twenty-first century skills, including critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, and effective communication, which have been widely discussed in the past decade, are just band aids on the current traditional education system rather than a comprehensive solution.

Authentic learning with performance assessment is the innovative solution for school education.

Our mission is to transform learning outcomes into valuable assets that benefit children, families, teachers, schools, and communities. It’s worth noting that as of the August of 2023, Illinois is the only U.S. state to have passed a law related to this mission, albeit with a focus limited to social media.

This innovation entails embracing authentic learning combined with performance assessment, acknowledging and supporting the milestones of both teachers and students. It also departs from the conventional education model, which primarily involves passive information absorption, standardized testing, and rigid structures. Authentic learning immerses students in real-world scenarios where they actively engage in problem-solving, skill development, knowledge acquisition, and the creation of valuable insights and solutions.

Crucially, this shift demands a transformation in how we perceive learning outcomes. Learning outcomes are no longer restricted to being private, primarily assessed through two-dimensional textual formats within the school environment; they have now evolved into valuable intellectual assets. In an era where data and knowledge are of paramount importance, this shift carries profound implications for individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole. Learners are no longer just passive recipients of knowledge but active creators of intellectual property, fostering a new culture of innovation and knowledge creation.

This transformation extends beyond the mere ownership of data; it places human capital development at the individual and family level at the forefront, nurturing not only knowledge but also creativity, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and family values. It prioritizes the well-being of individuals, emphasizing physical, mental, and emotional health, along with family values and holistic development. The result is the creation of resilient, empathetic individuals equipped to thrive in the ever-evolving artificial intelligence digital landscape.

In the not-so-distant past, physical assets like land and oil were the primary drivers of wealth and progress. However, the 21st century has witnessed a monumental shift, with the most prized and vital resources now being the minds, intellect, and digital assets of our global populace.

This shift in asset focus is indicative of the changing times. In the past, tangible resources like land and natural reserves were the primary indicators of wealth. However, in the 21st century, the most prized assets are no longer physical; they are the collective intellectual capital of our global community. The minds, intellect, and digital assets of individuals have become the driving force behind progress and prosperity.

Picture the journey of a young student hailing from a remote village in Africa. Traditional, quality education was once a distant aspiration for her. However, with the advent of infrastructure and digital interfaces for global education, supercharged by AI, she now has the means to access world-class, authentic learning, complete with performance assessment tools and abundant resources. Her studies encompass a wide spectrum, from delving into the intricacies of local soil, water, plants, and insects to the intricacies of animals and engineering machines. Not only does she master her native language, but she also explores global languages, delves into the realms of mathematics, science, art, music, and the cutting-edge domains of technology and engineering, all contextualized within the framework of her local surroundings.

This empowerment equips her with the ability to offer unique insights and innovative, homegrown solutions on a global stage, all while creating valuable assets that enrich her family and facilitate her participation in international trade. Her education becomes the conduit for chasing her dreams and making a substantial, positive impact on society. She stands as an exemplar, demonstrating the potential of someone who is either a key contributor to her team’s creations or a value-added user of innovative solutions like automated greenhouse management, agricultural drone development, local water purification systems, insect-bots for agriculture, aquatic drones for ecosystem monitoring, digital soil testing labs, farm machinery maintenance apps, automated local food processing, eco-friendly waste management systems, sustainable energy innovations, hybrid vehicles for farming, and digital water monitoring networks.

This narrative encapsulates the transformative potential that innovative, digitally empowered education holds for aspiring students worldwide.

Furthermore, the notion of democracy, which has historically been applied at the national or local community level, is poised to extend to the family level across the world. This democratization of decision-making and governance at the family level could be a transformative force, shaping the way societies function and interact.

The cultivation of leadership skills and the exploration of life’s meaning will naturally evolve through the establishment of meaningful learning relationships. As authentic learning, combined with performance assessment, reshapes learning outcomes into valuable assets, this transformation will benefit not only individual children but also their families, teachers, schools, and society as a whole.

No property ownership, no democracy. No democracy, no property ownership. Human society shall not sustain as it did in the past when young people did not have assets before 18 years old.

This innovative approach to education is more than an adjustment; it’s a holistic transformation that aligns education with the artificial intelligence digital age, preparing individuals for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Failure to secure learning outcomes as valuable assets within 5-10 years, backed by legal protection, may cause the United States to lose its competitive edge.

In summary, this paradigm shift is a pivotal moment in education. It calls for recognizing learning outcomes as valuable assets, the harnessing of human capital to navigate the AI and internet landscape, meanwhile, to unleash the learning power of each student and the teaching power of each educator, empowered by AI, and open the door to a brighter future. It empowers diverse youth, enabling them to acquire knowledge and insights beyond their years, ushering in a modern “Age of Exploration and Innovation” that reshapes human civilization.

A seemingly simple mathematical question regarding the number of relationships among five people, which, without direction, amounts to 1024, but with direction, expands to 59049, is truly inspiring. How does this question inspire us to contemplate the future of education, the internet, and human society? Actually, in ways that It’s remarkable.

In the realm of education, we find ourselves on the verge of a profound transformation, reshaping the landscape of learning relationships. Teachers, often seen as the architects of these connections, play a pivotal role in shaping the future assets of families and societies.

Picture a typical American classroom with a teacher guiding 18 students. Within this seemingly ordinary setting lies astonishing potential: the number of conceivable social relationships reaches an astronomical 2 to the power of 171. As students engage in group activities or one-on-one interactions, the opportunities for directed and meaningful learning relationships multiplies exponentially, amounting to 3 to the power of 171.

In China, a typical class is comprised of 50 students and one teacher. Without specific directions, the potential number of relationships soars to 2 to the power of 1275. If there’s direction and value assigned to these relationships, this number escalates to an incredible 3 to the power of 1275.

Here is the challenge: Can a teacher effectively manage this vast network of learning relationships within the constraints of time and space? This challenge highlights the ongoing reliance on traditional classroom lectures that have persisted in educational institutions worldwide for over three centuries.

The significance of this multitude of learning relationships lies in the abundant opportunities it offers to broaden the horizons and perspectives of learning. This prompts a reevaluation of the traditional teaching model, opening doors to more personalized and efficient learning experiences. This dynamic also raises a fundamental question: Can a child effectively navigate and comprehend learning and interactions at this unprecedented scale? This query underscores the urgent need for innovative educational approaches that harness the potential of technology to redefine the future of learning.

In this redefinition of education, teachers emerge as the linchpin, entrusted with guiding students through this intricate web of learning relationships. They serve as the professional generators of society’s future assets, shaping the knowledge, skills, and character of the next generation. As we embark on this transformative journey, it is crucial to recognize the pivotal role of teachers in crafting a dynamic and efficient education ecosystem that maximizes the potential of every learner.

Now, let’s shift our focus back to that purely mathematical question, one that transcends the classroom and delves into societal evolution. Over the past three decades, the internet has indelibly shaped our society. It was constructed upon the foundations of social relationships and operated within an attention or advertising-driven model, often lacking a clear direction or intrinsic value for users. This model of the internet aligns with the current education model: it provides information without specific direction, forming social communities but often lacks inherent value.

Throughout the history of human civilization, the extent of democracy has been constrained by the effectiveness of communication within learning relationships, encompassing the values of families, villages, communities, societies, nations, and the global community. The degree to which future learning relationships evolve in terms of their direction and values, through school education, will shape the level of democracy within human civilization for individuals, families, villages, communities, societies, nations, and the global community as a whole.

Looking ahead to the future of the internet’s evolution, we are on the brink of a transformative shift. The next wave of the internet is poised to nurture purposeful, directional learning relationships, with a strong emphasis on cultivating diverse and dynamic learning communities, rather than functioning solely as a conduit for information dissemination. This paradigm shift heralds a significant and far-reaching business opportunity.

Contemporary social networks, whether it’s X.com, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedIn, or others, find themselves at a pivotal crossroads. They must embrace and adapt to this novel and expansive opportunity, or risk fading into irrelevance. Furthermore, this evolution has the potential to pave the way for a deeper understanding of human society for each and every individual.

This evolution has the capacity not only to reshape the field of education but also to have a profound impact on society at large, ushering in a new era—a new era characterized by connectivity, knowledge sharing, and meaningful interactions, ultimately bringing prosperity and abundance to the entirety of human society.