AI, Empowerment, and the End of Average: Mike Yates Rewrites the Learning Playbook

How do we build the future of learning with—and not against—the forces of innovation transforming society?

In this visionary episode of Voices for Excellence, Dr. Michael Conner sits down with Mike Yates—education disruptor, creative strategist, and a national leader shaping the future of teaching through AI and learner-centered design. From leading AI innovation at Teach For America's Reinvention Lab to helping launch Alpha, one of the most talked-about school models in the country, Mike brings a rare combination of tech fluency, classroom insight, and a relentless push for equity-driven excellence.

Grounding the conversation in what students truly need—schools they love, learning that matters, and life-readiness that empowers—Mike shares raw truths and bold strategies for unlocking student potential through agency, design, and affirmation. He also offers a candid look into his personal why: a student who once hated school but now champions joyful, rigorous, and radically different models of learning.

Together, Dr. Conner and Mike explore how AI must be used not as a substitute for teachers, but as a tool to unleash their genius—and how reengineering teacher preparation, redefining mastery, and resisting fossilized systems are no longer optional if we want all students to thrive.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

1. Bold Reimagination: How Alpha Schools deliver world-class outcomes in just two hours a day—and the deeper design thinking behind their success
2. AI for Equity: Teach For America’s radical redefinition of teacher training to prepare future-ready educators with powerful AI tools
3. Unlearning as Leadership: How dismantling traditional pedagogies opens space for excellence, authenticity, and cultural alignment in classrooms
4. Design Over Directives: Why the designers of tomorrow—not just instructors—will define the future of learning
5. Power of the Pivot: Why students need real-world, high-stakes learning models—and how systems can start small but think big
6. Tech as Amplifier: How generative and agentic AI can elevate human connection, not replace it—if leveraged with empathy and precision

Mike’s work reminds us: the systems we build today decide who gets to lead tomorrow. This episode is a must-listen for education leaders ready to rise to the moment and build a future where every learner thrives. Through frameworks, lived experience, and actionable design strategies, this conversation advances Dr. Conner’s mission to architect equitable, innovative, and high-performing ecosystems for all.

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