🛝 Global Career Prep Failure, Cybersecurity Shifts, Broward Deploys AI Licenses

Welcome to Playground Post, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps education innovators ahead of what's next.

This week's reality check: A major international study confirms most countries, including the U.S., are failing to prepare young people for work. Meanwhile, schools are discovering that better firewalls don’t really work, and one Florida district just deployed more AI licenses than most states combined.

💎 Data Gem

In the U.S., average annual bachelor's tuition is $9,596 at public institutions vs. $34,041 at private ones. Approximately 82% of students receive grants or loans, according to the OECD's Education at a Glance 2025.

New Report Reveals the Struggle to Prepare Young People for Work

The OECD's latest Education at a Glance report covered more than a billion students across 38 nations and delivered a verdict: too many countries send young people into adulthood without the skills or support they need for work.

The report focuses specifically on grades 10-12 and the critical transition into employment or further study. 

While some countries provide clear pathways from classroom to career, many (including the United States) leave teenagers unready for what comes next.

The data confirms what you'd expect: more schooling typically means stronger earnings and more stable employment. 

But credentials alone aren't enough. 

In every country studied, a significant share of young people lack the literacy, numeracy and digital skills that employers actually demand.

The U.S. tells a mixed story across five key areas:

Vocational pathways: Unlike Switzerland, Germany or Austria, the U.S. doesn't have a distinct mainstream vocational track in high school. What exists is usually tucked into career and technical education or electives rather than embedded in a structured system. Students get flexibility but lose an employer-linked route into skilled trades.

Apprenticeships: The U.S. had over 667,000 active apprentices in 2024, with growth beyond construction trades into healthcare, IT and education. But relative to the workforce, the U.S. is far behind Germany or Switzerland, where the majority of teenagers enter paid apprenticeships that blend classroom and workplace learning.

Work-study rates: About 1 in 5 U.S. 18- to 24-year-olds combine work and study, similar to the OECD average. That's far below the Netherlands, where just over half do both. 

Bridge programs: Community colleges and dual-enrollment programs play the bridging role that formal vocational systems provide elsewhere. Nearly 2.5 million high school students take college courses for credit, and early college high schools show significant long-term boosts in degree attainment.

Support services: Barriers like transportation, mental health issues and caregiving responsibilities often block youth from looking for work. Federal youth programs and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act offer assistance, but personal support remains fragmented compared with integrated guidance in many European systems.

High-performing countries show that well-structured vocational options don't limit pursuit of college degrees. Swiss and German apprenticeship graduates often later complete associate or bachelor's degrees.

For education innovators, the report suggests opportunities in work-based learning platforms, career navigation tools, credential transparency systems, and wraparound support services.

Where School Cybersecurity Goes Next

William Stein pulled out his phone, spent five minutes and $5, and cloned his assistant superintendent's voice. 

The fake message canceling school sounded authentic enough to send a district into chaos.

That demonstration at the Metropolitan School District of Mt. Vernon in Indiana captures how AI is reshaping the cybersecurity equation.

School districts are discovering that surviving the next cyberattack isn't enough - they need to build systems that can withstand and adapt to new threats.

This shift reflects how the field is evolving. 

Instead of buying better firewalls or updating incident response plans, leaders are rethinking how schools govern data, develop their people, collaborate with communities and harness AI.

Data governance takes center stage

The real work begins with data governance - knowing what data you have, where it lives, and when it should be destroyed.

"We have to classify the data we have," says Jenn Judkins, technology director for Wayland Public Schools in Massachusetts. "Who are the data stewards? Who decides who gets access? Those conversations cost nothing, but they change everything."

Districts can dramatically reduce risk by purging unnecessary data like old student files and outdated staff lists, and aligning access permissions with job roles.

Building capacity

"We don't have enough trained cyber professionals in K-12, so we need to grow our own," says Berj Akian, CEO of ClassLink and founder of the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education. 

Through Certified Cybersecurity Rubric Evaluator training, more than 500 educators have become peer evaluators who can help other districts.

Next spring, the coalition will launch Cyber Rubric Sidekick, an AI-enabled chatbot that will coach districts through assessments, offer real-time feedback and help prioritize investments.

Some districts are already investing in the next generation. Mt. Vernon MSD opened the Keller Schroeder Cybersecurity Academy this year, a three-year program where high school students work in a simulated data center and graduate with industry certifications.

When AI fights AI

Attackers are already using AI to create hyper-personalized phishing emails and voice clones that could fool parents, staff and students. 

But AI-powered defense tools are improving too, spotting unusual behavior and automatically isolating compromised devices.

"Right now, most of what we do is defense," says Tim Tillman, principal cybersecurity adviser for Identity Automation. "But when AI is doing both sides, we may reach parity. That changes the economics of cybercrime."

Emerging technologies like passkeys could fundamentally change authentication. 

Instead of remembering dozens of passwords, users authenticate with biometric data or secure device chips. 

"Zero trust" security models are also becoming standard - verify everything, trust nothing by default.

The Pasadena Independent School District in Texas used the Cybersecurity Rubric to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment in May 2023. The evaluation helped identify focus areas and positioned the district to qualify for cyber insurance and grants. 

Today, cybersecurity is a standing board item and cyber insurance costs are down 40%.

A Look at Broward County's Record-Breaking AI Integration

Broward County Public Schools just deployed the largest K-12 integration of Microsoft Copilot in the world - 20,000 premium licenses across the district.

This is the same district that blocked ChatGPT on all devices two years ago.

The shift happened when leaders realized that as an educational institution, they needed to ensure students and staff could leverage AI rather than hide from it.

Much of the initial hesitancy stemmed from concerns about protecting student data, which led them to choose Microsoft Copilot. 

"We are firmly ensconced in the Microsoft environment right now," says Manuel Castañeda, the district's executive director of analytics and intelligence. "Teachers and staff are free to try other tools, but they have to constantly be worried about exposing data."

Copilot has access to every file and document within the district's network, creating a secure environment where teachers can operate without fear.

The negotiation

Microsoft didn't initially offer schools a discount.

The district got 300 licenses to experiment with the technology, knowing it couldn't expand under those terms due to cost. 

It wasn't until the district's CIO persuaded Microsoft to lower costs that Broward could purchase licenses for districtwide use.

"He told them, 'Do you want to be the leader? You need to put your skin in the game,'" Castañeda explains. "The deal this district negotiated for Copilot - 20,000 premium licenses - was monumental."

Implementation approach

Teachers are already experimenting with ways to embed AI into instruction. One teacher uses Copilot to design lessons that meet state objectives and curriculum standards.

The district also relies on its AI task force, a coalition of school practitioners responsible for creating AI guardrails and policy. 

The group is currently piloting and reviewing Microsoft Copilot Chat, an AI-powered assistant designed for students ages 13-plus.

Advice for other districts

Castañeda encourages IT leaders to present superintendents with clear plans for AI. "You need to have a set of objectives you want to achieve, and you want to have a plan for how AI can help to achieve them."

He also recommends sticking to one foundational AI engine, since not every platform is compatible.

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Now Pitch Playground is a Signal Awards Finalist in three categories, and we need your help to win Listener's Choice before October 9th! 🥳

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New to the show? Think Shark Tank meets education innovation. Each episode features real founders workshopping ideas that could actually change how we learn. Worth a listen (or a binge)!

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Thank you for being part of this journey.

⚡️More Quick Hits

This week in education:

AI users more optimistic — Weekly AI users among teachers show more optimism about problem-solving and engagement, though the field remains split

Supreme Court reshaping education — Court activity is reshaping DEI, speech, curriculum and funding, raising the compliance bar for institutions

Science instruction needs evidence base — With only 29% of 8th graders proficient in science, experts call for evidence-based, scalable instruction and teacher support

NSF slashes STEM research grants — Cuts to federal STEM education research imperil evidence pipelines that districts rely on for instructional decisions

🔎 Worth Checking Out

Monthly roundup of resources you might like:

• NCES District Revenue and Expenditure Data 2022-23 — Fresh national and state-level tables on district finances for FY2023, providing essential baseline data for market sizing and pricing strategies

• UK GenAI Literacy Study 2025 — Survey of 60k+ teens and 2,908 teachers shows 66.5% of students and 58% of teachers using AI, with strong calls for training on critical use

• 2025 PDK Poll Results — 57th annual survey shows strong public support for improving teacher pay, addressing shortages, limiting cell phone use, and majority opposition to eliminating the Education Department

• EdChoice August 2025 Polling — Half of Americans say K-12 is on wrong track, ~25% of parents report school switching, mixed views on eliminating Education Department

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