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The 74’s education podcast Class Disrupted has opened its eighth season with hosts Diane Tavenner and Michael Horn discussing how artificial intelligence and pandemic-era disruption are sharpening calls to rethink high school. The hosts said the season will explore AI and learning, a new framework for high school change, and lessons from earlier reform efforts.
The 74’s Class Disrupted has opened its eighth season with hosts Diane Tavenner and Michael Horn examining how artificial intelligence and the lasting effects of the pandemic are intensifying calls to rethink high school. The episode sets out the podcast’s plans for the season, including continued coverage of AI in schools and discussion of a new framework for high school change.
In the season opener, Tavenner and Horn look back on launching the podcast during COVID-19 lockdowns. They said the original plan was to make a 10-episode series about changes the pandemic might bring to education. The podcast has since continued for multiple seasons, and the hosts said the pace and nature of change did not unfold as they had expected.
Horn said they had not anticipated AI’s emergence in education in its current form. He argued that the need for broader change in the education system has become more apparent, with high school a particular focus. Tavenner described conversations with young people, educators and parents as pointing to concern that existing high schools are outdated and not serving individuals or society well. Those are the hosts’ assessments, not findings from a new study cited in the episode.
The hosts said the season will continue exploring AI and learning, building on a framework they discussed in the previous season. Tavenner said listener feedback had helped shape their thinking and that they plan to introduce a new lens for considering how high schools might change. Horn also said the show will examine lessons from past school-change efforts. The source describes the planned topics but does not give a release schedule or a full episode list.
AI Adds Pressure to High School Reform
The episode frames AI not as a stand-alone technology story but as a new pressure point for schools already facing questions about how well conventional high school models meet students’ needs. If schools and policymakers act on those concerns, decisions about curriculum, learning models and the purpose of high school may be affected.
For listeners, the announced focus matters because the hosts intend to connect discussion of AI with broader questions about education design and previous reform attempts. The episode itself does not establish that high schools are failing or identify a specific policy solution; it signals the topics the podcast plans to investigate.
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From Pandemic Podcast to Season Eight
Class Disrupted was conceived during the COVID-19 lockdown period as a limited series about education-system changes that the hosts believed the pandemic might bring into view. In the opener, they reflect that their expectations about the pace of change were misplaced or overly hopeful. They describe the pandemic as part of a longer period of disruption, with AI now adding another source of pressure.
The prior season included a framework for thinking about different school models and AI, according to Tavenner. She said feedback from listeners helped shape conversations around that lens. The new season is presented as a continuation of that inquiry, with a revised framework planned and an increased focus on high school transformation.
“We also didn’t see AI coming in the way that it has.”
— Michael Horn, Class Disrupted co-host
Reform Plans Still Take Shape
The opener announces areas of inquiry but does not specify what changes schools should adopt, how the proposed new framework will work, or which reforms the hosts will examine in detail. It also does not provide evidence measuring the scale of dissatisfaction with high schools or the effects of AI on student learning.
It remains unclear when individual episodes will be released and which educators, students or school communities will appear. The source says the season will explore these issues; it does not report a new school policy, research finding or institutional decision.
Season Episodes to Develop the Inquiry
The hosts say upcoming episodes will continue examining the intersection of AI and learning, introduce a new framework for thinking about high school change, and consider lessons from previous reform efforts. The 74’s source directs readers to the Class Disrupted page and podcast platforms for episodes, but provides no timetable for the next installment.
As the season develops, the key test will be how the conversations move from identifying pressure for change to examining specific approaches and evidence. Until those episodes are published, the hosts’ plans remain an outline rather than a detailed set of recommendations.
Key Questions
What is the news about Class Disrupted?
Class Disrupted has begun its eighth season with an episode about AI, pandemic-era disruption and pressure to rethink high school.
Who hosts the podcast?
The season is hosted by education author Michael Horn and Diane Tavenner, identified in the source as a co-host associated with Summit Public Schools.
What topics will the new season cover?
The hosts say they will explore AI and learning, introduce a framework for considering high school change, and examine lessons from earlier school-reform efforts.
Did the episode announce a specific high school reform?
No. It outlines topics for the podcast season, but does not announce a policy, a school-system decision or a specific reform plan.
Where can listeners find the episodes?
The source points listeners to the Class Disrupted page and says the podcast is available through services including Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Spotify.
Source: rss
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