Kaya Henderson: Stop underestimating kids

Kaya Henderson: Stop underestimating kids

From aiEDU Studios by aiEDU: The AI Education Project

April 16, 2026 · 56 min · Season 1 · Episode 39

About this episode

Kaya Henderson discusses the importance of meaningful learning experiences in education beyond just academic scores.

What if the biggest problem in education isn't technology — it's that we've reduced school to reading scores and graduation rates and stripped away everything that actually makes learning meaningful? Kaya Henderson took the lowest-performing metropolitan school district in the country and made it the fastest-improving — not by drilling harder, but by bringing back art, music, field trips, and a curriculum built around problem solving. Now she's leading the Aspen Institute's Center for R...

People in this episode

Guest: Kaya Henderson

Topics covered

  • education reform
  • meaningful learning
  • arts in education
  • curriculum development
  • school improvement

Keywords

  • education
  • Kaya Henderson
  • school improvement
  • arts
  • curriculum

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Aspen Institute, aiEDU: The AI Education Project

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