How to Accelerate Learning & Improve Education | Joe Liemandt

Alpha School stands out for its revolutionary approach, combining rapid academics with immersive real-world skill-building to foster a generation of high-achieving, intrinsically motivated, and well-rounded students.

School: Two-hour Academics, Afternoons For Life Skills

Alpha School structures its day with just two hours of academic learning, delivered via AI-driven lessons. This intense focus enables students to learn at five to ten times the normal rate, with AI customizing each lesson so that students work on content that’s neither too hard nor too easy for them. Students spend an average of 121 minutes daily on academics, often achieving 2x the learning of traditional peers who spend up to six hours in class plus homework. If students complete the AI’s target in two hours and achieve the outlined learning threshold, they’re free to pursue other activities, such as playing basketball.

The remainder of the school day centers on hands-on workshops and life skill development. Builder afternoons are dedicated to entrepreneurship, grit, teamwork, physical challenges, creative projects, and community contribution. Kindergartners scale rock climbing walls for grit, second graders run a 5K, and eighth graders complete group-based Tough Mudder events. Students operate food trucks, organize music festivals, learn to change tires, build drones, run businesses, or even launch podcasts like the fourth grader’s “Quantumplations” on quantum mechanics.

This unique blend of high academic rigor and practical skills appeals even to homeschoolers seeking both strong academics and real-life experience. Alpha’s approach prioritizes the holistic growth of each child, with five key “stacks” from kindergarten onward: leadership and teamwork, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, socialization, relationship building, storytelling and public speaking, and grit and hard work.

Alpha’s three commitments are central: students will love school more than vacation, learn at twice the traditional rate in just two hours, and cultivate leadership, financial literacy, and problem-solving skills.

Model Achieves Top 1% Academic Performance Across all Student Abilities

Alpha’s innovative approach delivers exceptional results. Students’ academic achievement places them in the top 1% nationally, with an average SAT score of 1530 upon graduation—nearly perfect. Even freshman honors students average 1400, surpassing almost every other senior class in the country. These outcomes dispel the notion that more class time and homework correlate with better learning; Alpha’s model demonstrates that focused, high-velocity learning with fewer hours yields superior results.

Alpha measures its success primarily by growth rate and learning velocity, rather than only by absolute achievement. The “2x in two hours” benchmark is personalized by percentile, so even among top performers, students are learning twice as much as their high-achieving peers elsewhere, in a fraction of the time. This framework focuses on the rate at which students improve, regardless of their starting point—a radical shift from the traditional focus on achievement alone.

Students are not selected simply for high achievement; the school’s approach works across the entire spectrum of starting abilities, emphasizing acceleration and development rather than selection bias. The goal is to place kids in an environment where they’re measured by their growth—academic or in life skills—and challenged at the right level for them.

Intrinsic Motivation Sustains Effort Thro ...

Andrew Huberman and Joe Liemandt discuss how foundational learning science principles—personalized instruction, fluency, and evidence-based teaching methods—can transform education, achieve mastery, and accelerate learning for every student.

Personalized Instruction Tailored To Each Student's Knowledge Level Replaces the One-size-Fits-All Model

Joe Liemandt contrasts traditional classroom instruction, where one teacher delivers the same lesson to every student regardless of their abilities, to more effective individualized approaches. He likens this to a football team receiving the same coaching for every position, even though each player needs different instruction. Liemandt asserts that while universal access to education is widespread, universal learning is unattained because individualized teaching is historically not scalable or cost-effective. Parents value small class sizes because smaller ratios move closer to individualized, one-on-one instruction, which is the proven best method for learning.

AI Tutoring Systems Diagnose Students’ Knowledge to Deliver Targeted, Level-Appropriate Lessons

With the advent of AI tutoring, Liemandt says that cost-effective, finely tailored lessons for each student are now possible. AI tutors can continually assess student knowledge, identify gaps, and deliver just-right instruction at the student’s actual level. This closed data loop enables measurement of engagement, mastery, and retention in ways traditional classrooms cannot, resulting in educational improvements that are five to ten times faster. AI tutors keep students in the learning loop until they reach mastery, only allowing them to progress when ready.

Eighth Graders With Third-Grade Reading Skills Progress With Third-Grade Lessons

Liemandt highlights the importance of meeting learners where they are. Many eighth graders have actual skill levels as low as the third grade, often due to missed or poorly taught fundamentals, especially after recent learning disruptions. Traditional systems require teachers to deliver eighth-grade material regardless of students’ preparation, rendering lessons inaccessible to those with knowledge gaps. AI-driven individualized lessons make material "doable," allowing students to catch up quickly—often in 20-30 hours per grade level with sufficient motivation. This approach changes the experience from impossible to achievable, with students gaining confidence and rapidly filling in the missing foundations without stigma.

Implementing Bloom’s Two Sigma: Mastery Through Individualized Instruction Boosts Students to Top 2% Performance

Liemandt cites the Bloom’s Two Sigma problem, noting that tutoring students to mastery lifts performance into the top 2% of outcomes. Individualized, mastery-based instruction is essential; standard tutoring without a mastery focus does not yield the same extraordinary results. Mastery is non-negotiable—students must achieve at least 95% accuracy for skills to persist, notably more impactful in early, foundational learning than in advanced topics. The combination of personalized attention and rigorous mastery propels learners far ahead of the traditional curve.

Knowledge Builds Hierarchically Like Athletic Skill Development

Liemandt underscores that academic knowledge, much like athletic skill, develops hierarchically. Each skill builds on mastery of earlier, more basic skills. Trying to teach complex material to learners without the necessary foundations inevitably leads to failure—just as no athlete can excel without mastering basics first.

Times Tables Fluency Boosts Algebra Success By Freeing Working Memory

He explains that not memorizing times tables impairs algebra learning. If a student must calculate basic multiplication while solving multi-step problems, working memory becomes overloaded and problem-solving capacity is bottlenecked. Mastery of times tables—and foundational math facts—removes this cognitive burden, directly boosting higher math performance.

Improving Math SAT: Increase From 710 to 790 Through Multiplication Memorization for Faster Computation

Liemandt recounts a case of a student plateauing at a 710 Math SAT score, repeatedly making "careless" errors. After the student memorized her multiplication tables, her working memory was freed, careless errors disappeared, and her score increased to 790. This dramatic improvement underscores how weak foundational skills, rather than lack of intelligence or effort, limit performance on complex tasks.

Chemistry Relies On Algebra, Which Relies On Fractions, Which Rely On Multiplication Facts—Weak Foundations Compound Into Higher Subject Weakness

Chemistry performance, Liemandt notes, can be predicted by algebra fluency, which in turn depends on fluency with fractions and multiplication. Weakness in basic underlying skills inevitably compounds, undermining performance across advanced disciplines.

Instructional Techniques: Worked Examples, Spaced Repetition, and Mastery Boost Learning Speed Over Discovery-Based Approaches

Liemandt argues that evidence-based instructional techniques accelerate learning far more effectively than leaving students to "discover" solutions on their own.

Solved Problems Without Scaffolding Enhance Learning By Reducing Cognitive Load

Worked examples—providing fully solved problems at the outset—dramatically reduce cognitive load, enabling learners to see stepwise reasoning. As learners progress, scaffolding is removed until they can solve complex problems independently. Incremental exposure to increasingly independent problem-solving is much faster and more robust than traditional "trial and error" or discovery-based learning, especially in upper grades or with multi-step problems.

Effective Spacing Moves K ...

Joe Liemandt argues that motivation is the central factor in educational success, far outweighing other elements such as teaching technique. By prioritizing student motivation, normalizing struggle, leveraging well-designed incentives, and connecting learning to students’ interests, schools can unlock persistence and achievement at every level.

Motivation Drives 90% Of Learning Success; Environment and Experience Equal Technique

Liemandt asserts that motivation accounts for 90% of effective learning. Without motivation, even the most skilled student will not reach mastery. He describes the role of educators and school designers as breaking through a learner’s internal blocks and showing them their challenges are surmountable. When students believe material is relevant and achievable, they sustain engagement—even in subjects they initially dislike.

Designing a school that students love is essential. When students are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated—by afternoon sports, music, or other compelling activities—they are willing to put in hard work to achieve morning academic goals. For instance, in Alpha’s sports academy serving students years behind academically, students often learn material at double the typical rate because their progress in academics is tied to time spent on activities they love.

Persistent effort follows when students find academic goals worthwhile and attainable. Motivation—whether through sports, money, or other incentives—fuels their willingness to “grind” through mastery. Liemandt emphasizes adapting the school day and external motivators to ensure all students persist and overcome their blocks.

Normalizing Struggle Fosters Psychological Safety For Learning

Liemandt and Andrew Huberman highlight that learning requires confronting mistakes and setbacks—what Liemandt describes as “failing” or “being behind.” Importantly, reframing these states as temporary and tractable removes shame and offers psychological safety. Instead of branding students as failures, Alpha’s model quantifies learning gaps as manageable hours: “You’re 22 hours behind” makes catching up seem possible.

This normalized struggle allows students to seek help and fill knowledge gaps in privacy, without embarrassment from peers. Struggle becomes seen as a natural, necessary part of learning rather than a sign of incompetence. The central work of teachers—referred to at Alpha as “guides”—is to identify and remove blocks, convincing students of their capability and keeping the focus on growth rate, not static achievement.

Incentives Like Money, Sports, and Meaningful Projects Break Limiting Beliefs

Liemandt advocates for creative incentives to break the “this isn’t who I am” mental block that stymies academic effort. For example, Alpha offers direct cash rewards—sometimes as high as $1,000—for reaching top 1% performance, or $100 for perfect test scores at a student’s current academic level. These incentives, though controversial, serve as short-term extrinsic motivators to get students over disbelief in their abilities.

Once students see themselves succeeding and experience tangible results—such as earning money or seeing rapid improvement—their self-perception shifts, building intrinsic motivation that sustains further effort. Projects and activities often reinforce this shift: students who are passionate about sports, music, or building projects see gains in academics as directly linked to goals they care about.

Liemandt tells the story of his own daughter who, not seeing herself as a “top” science student, was offered $1,000 for top achievement; upon succeeding, her identity and confidence transformed. Temporary incentives create a series of successes that foster intrinsic desire to continue, long after the external rewards are gone.

High Standards and Support Enable Productive Student Struggle

Liemandt references Dr. David Yaeger’s high standards/high support model, which underpins Alpha’s guide training. Effective student growth occurs only when both are present: high standards push students toward excellence, while high support ensures they feel safe to fail and try again. Low support with high expectations, or vice versa, fails to develop true capability.

Schools and teachers must model themselves after great coaches—adults who set the ...

Innovators in education are challenging the dominant system that prioritizes consumption and passive learning, advocating for a model where students develop practical life skills by building, creating, and doing. The goal is to unlock the full potential of each child, preparing them for real-world success and personal fulfillment.

Traditional Education Favors Consumption and Testing Over Creation and Skills, Leaving Students Unprepared for Adult Life

Schools today were designed to produce workers for the industrial era: students sit in rows, follow rules, memorize information, and prepare for tests. This consumption-oriented approach trains them to obey instructions but leaves them with little experience as problem-solvers or creators. As a result, even high-achieving graduates often struggle in the adult world—not due to a lack of information, but a lack of experience applying skills and solving real problems.

The repetitive, screen-focused routines promoted by traditional schooling can trap students in [restricted term] loops, such as endless TikTok scrolling and video gaming. These patterns foster isolation, undermine mental health, and stifle independent growth. Parents and even educators are products of this same system, making it difficult to break the cycle or envision a different path. While some vocational programs have added hands-on opportunities like robotics and advanced manufacturing, wider adoption of "build philosophy" is needed, especially during the transitional middle school years.

Entrepreneurship Imparts Essential Skills Through Real Consequences and Challenge

True skill-building comes from doing. At forward-thinking schools such as Alpha, entrepreneurship is central to the curriculum. Students engage in real-world business ventures—running vending machines, managing Airbnbs, operating food trucks, and launching e-commerce or entertainment projects. Through these activities, youth learn marketing, operations, customer service, finance, and the impact of market feedback.

Students may be tasked with earning $25,000 in sponsorships or building businesses that generate $50,000 in a week. The high school "Founder School" promises each graduate will have earned $1 million in profit—or receive their tuition back. Students marketing a Martin Scorsese film, or presenting at events like South by Southwest, get firsthand lessons in advertising, negotiation, and value creation. These experiences teach grit and resilience with real consequences and are far more formative than classroom simulations.

Cross-Domain Hands-On Creation Enhances Executive Function, Problem-Solving, and Self-Efficacy

Builder-focused education spans every domain. Students run afternoon workshops launching food trucks, creating music videos, building robots or band performances, tackling chemistry “special effects” challenges, and learning to play instruments or produce events. They learn by doing—assembling teams for music festivals, solving problems, and overcoming real-world obstacles.

For instance, a student who produced a Broadway musical sourced music from TikTok and filled a 1,000-person venue while learning about music rights and contract negotiations. These immersive projects provide tangible proof of their capability, sparking new identities as achievers and creators, not just students.

Labs and hands-on experiments turn academic abstractness into memorable experience. In biology, middle schoolers dissect frogs or brains, staining cells to see their inner workings firsthand—much more engaging than watching a video. In chemistry, special-effects labs involve lighting hands on fire with safe chemicals or creating breakaway glass, teaching multi-step processes requiring focus, precision, and resilience. In computer science, hackathons let students build social apps or media trailers, tying creative interests to technical learning. Engagement skyrockets when real products, performances, or businesses are at stake.

Physical building is just as crucial. Students climb rock walls, run 5Ks, and complete Tough Mudders as part of the curriculum. These tasks build grit and resilience and provide a concrete sense of achievement. “Dream Launcher” programs break students out of their consumption loops by helping them articulate ambitions, map skills, and learn that passion must be ...

Alpha School and its founder Joe Liemandt envision a revolutionary educational model that challenges the traditional link between family income and student achievement, while developing pathways to make high-quality, personalized education affordable and accessible for all students globally.

Family Income, Not Student Ability, Primarily Determines Educational Outcomes (Structural, Not Inevitable)

In Alpha School, Family Income Doesn't Predict Success or Learning Speed; Low-income Students Match Peers With Proper Lessons and Motivation; Perception That Students "CanNot" Learn Reflects Failure to Adapt To Their Needs

Joe Liemandt highlights that, in the traditional American education system, family income overwhelmingly predicts student performance—test scores, academic progress, and more—not IQ. While IQ and conscientiousness matter, the reality is that current systems mostly serve students who naturally excel at mastering time-based, not mastery-based, curriculums. Alpha School disrupts this paradigm by proving that income becomes irrelevant if lessons are properly leveled and students are intrinsically motivated. According to Liemandt, if a seventh grader needs fourth-grade material, providing that level enables learning regardless of background. In school environments designed for affordability—some working at $19,500 to $24,000 per student, with over a thousand low-income students covered by vouchers—Alpha observes kids from families earning under $65,000 per year learning at the same (or better) pace as private school peers. The key is early, accurate academic placement and motivation, debunking the notion that some children “cannot” learn and reframing such beliefs as a failure of the system to meet individual needs.

Strategic Design for High-Income Families, Then Expand With Lower-Cost Models For Product Viability

Serving all Income Levels at Launch Yields Mediocrity; Proving the Model Expensively Creates Evidence for Cheaper Deployment; Tesla's Roadsters, Model S, and Model 3: A Pathway to Affordable Vehicles; Alpha School Model Shows Cost-Effective Educational Science for Public School Implementation

Liemandt acknowledges starting Alpha as an expensive private school—much like Tesla began with high-end vehicles to fund affordable models—to prove the efficacy of its learning science and create demand. Attempting to serve every income level immediately would yield mediocrity, lacking resources to validate breakthrough results. Instead, Alpha first targeted families willing to pay a premium (over $40,000 annually), rapidly expanding as success was documented. Now, Alpha’s systems are being deployed in public schools with budgets closer to $20,000 per student, using afternoon workshops and adaptive instruction. This staged approach follows the innovation cost-curve, building proof via real data (including partnerships with MIT for randomized control trials), then expanding access with models tailored for broader, less affluent markets.

Sports Academy Model Offers Quality Education Sustainably On Public School Budgets

Sports Drive Motivation, Eliminating the Need For Design to Counter Disengagement, Allowing Capital to Focus On Academics and Workshops; 20-30:1 Coach-Student Ratio Lowers Costs, Maintains Effectiveness; Sports Facilities Cost Less Than Specialized Academic Facilities, Fit Within $20,000 Annual Per-student Budget

Alpha’s Sports Academy exemplifies this model’s adaptability and cost-effectiveness. Catered to students who love athletics, the program leverages the motivational impact of sports to reduce disengagement, freeing resources for academics and life-skills workshops. Sports fields are less capital-intensive than advanced academic centers, and coaches efficiently manage teams of 20-30 students, making it feasible to deliver these programs for under $20,000 per student. The program’s tremendous popularity is highlighted by over 120,000 Texas families expressing interest when state vouchers became available. A thousand low-income students received the largest award in the state, participating in Alpha’s leading academic programs, equating their learning progress to that of high-end private school students.

This Year's School Partnerships Will Test Core Learning Science in Non-private Settings

MIT Trials to Evaluate Academic Outcomes and Identify Effective Strategies; Testing Scalability of Three-Hour Daily App Instruction and Afternoon Workshops; Focus On High-Poverty Areas and Students With Learning Disabilities Through Voucher Systems

Liemandt’s team is scaling efforts through rigorous partnerships, such as with MIT’s Blueprint Labs, conducting randomized control trials to gather independent data and demonstrate comparative effectiveness on a large scale. This year, the model is being piloted in public schools, focusing on high-poverty regions and students with learning disabilities. The deployment involves three hours of tailored app-driven instruction each morning, followed by afternoon workshops, all within a sustainable budget. Voucher programs in Texas, for instance, have enabled children with learning disabilities or family incomes under $65,000 to access these innovations, targeting educational equity and system-wide change.

Free Platform to Democratize Personalized Learning For 500 Million Gamers Globally

Game Developers Versed In Learning Science Are Creating a Home Experience For Teaching Third-To-twelfth Grade Curriculum After School; Freemium Model Removes Barriers, Making Product Addictive for Students Over Commercial Games; Accelerating 90% of Non-alpha School Students

Alpha aims to democratize its impact beyond schools by developing a world-class educational video game, built by top industry developers. The platform, grounded in proven learning science, is set to accelerate the abilities of 90% of stud ...