As CEO of Discovery Education, Brian oversees the creation and implementation of the company’s award-winning, state-of-the-art digital solutions serving approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students in more than 100 countries.
Prior to his current role, Brian was Discovery Education’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In those capacities, Brian led the organization’s global accounting and finance teams and oversaw Discovery Education’s IT, Operations, and Corporate Strategy functions with a focus on M&A activities.
Brian joined Discovery Education from Red Ventures, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based technology-enabled portfolio of digital companies. At Red Ventures, Brian created the Corporate Development, Investments, and Investor Relations units from scratch and led numerous strategic finance projects. Brian also led Red Ventures’ M&A transactions.
Prior to his tenure at Red Ventures, Brian held leadership roles in the financial planning & analysis and accounting functions at Time Warner Cable, and in the assurance practice at Ernst & Young.
A native of Wisconsin, Brian earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wake Forest University, and along with his wife, daughter, and son, he makes his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1. Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
Discovery Education has long been a global leader in educational technology. For almost 25 years, our award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships have helped educators connect classroom instruction to the real world and accelerate student learning.
Philosophically, we believe that edtech should do four specific things:
- Save teachers time and effort;
- Help scale what we know is best practice;
- Ignite curiosity and engage students; and,
- Drive the development of the skills and knowledge that will support success beyond graduation.
Over the years, we’ve built an innovative suite of digital services – our flagship service, Discovery Education Experience, as well as our series of Techbooks,Mystery Writing and Mystery Science, DreamBox Math, DreamBox Reading, Doodle Learning, and Pivot – that support that philosophy. Today, Discovery Education is serving more than 4.5 million educators and 45 million students around the globe through unique partnerships with schools, school systems, states, ministries of education, and others, and I think we are only getting started.
2. What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
You know, Discovery Education recently released a report titled The Education Insights Report by Discovery Education which asked about 1500 K-12 students, parents of K-12 students, and K-12 teachers and superintendents their thoughts on teaching and learning in America today.
The good news is that parents, students, and educators hold a generally positive outlook about the current state of education. Nine out of 10 of the teachers surveyed described themselves as passionate about teaching, and 96% of teachers say they are making meaningful connections with students. In addition, the survey showed that approximately 90% of students are motivated to learn new things, work hard in school, and care about good grades.
But the study also showed an area of opportunity for addressing what I think is the most pressing issue facing educators today—student engagement. The good news is that there is broad agreement on the importance of curiosity in learning, with more than 90% of stakeholders surveyed agreeing that curiosity is central to student learning.
However, 82% of students and 75% of teachers believe there are not enough opportunities to be curious in today’s classrooms. This is an area where I think edtech companies can be a powerful force for change, as high quality edtech resources have the ability to greatly enhance instruction by offering students a more engaging and personalized learning experience.
When you introduce high-quality digital services featuring content that relates directly to students’ interests or the real-world applications of classroom lessons, instruction becomes much more relevant and engaging. For example, instead of just teaching students about STEM, our content can show how STEM concepts are used by aerospace professionals at Boeing, one of our corporate partners. Or instead of a lecture about on how to use statistics, our services empower teachers to take students on a Virtual Field Trip to see how basketball professionals in the NBA use math and statistics in their everyday work.
Likewise, adaptive edtech resources empower educators to more easily differentiate and personalize student learning. Resources, such as Discovery Education’s DreamBox Math and Reading services can adjust the content delivered to students to help them advance at their own pace. The Education Insights Report I mentioned earlier found that ¾ of students say learning at their own pace would increase their likelihood to engage with lessons, feel empowered in school, and feel more prepared for the future. In addition, approximately 93% of teachers believe adaptive learning would help students learn more effectively. Clearly, there is an appetite for more adaptive technologies in the classroom, and the edtech world should do its part by accelerating the development of these types of resources.
I think that edtech’s ability to make instruction more relevant and interesting, as well as its ability to help students learn at their own pace makes improving student engagement one of the most fixable issues in education today.
3. What is the challenge educators face today that will persist?
I believe that the biggest challenge educators face right now, and will continue to face into the future, is the opportunity gap.
As a child, I was blessed to grow up in a house that, from an early age, offered a tremendous number of opportunities to learn outside of school. My house was full of books. I was taken to zoos and museums. I was able to visit historical sites in my area, and in general, I was encouraged to be curious and further investigate topics of interest to me. Unfortunately, not every student has the same opportunities outside the classroom as I had.
The learning opportunities I had at home-built vocabulary, background knowledge, personal communication skills, and other key attributes that drive academic and personal success. It is clear to the edtech community that digital content provides learners with unparalleled access to diverse vocabularies. By engaging with a variety of digital media, students encounter new words and phrases in different contexts, allowing them to internalize and apply this language effectively across settings. This organic acquisition of vocabulary is often more impactful than traditional rote learning methods.
Furthermore, digital content offers rich multimedia experiences that actively contribute to building background knowledge. Whether it’s an interactive timeline of historical events or a series of animated science videos, these resources can provide learners with a multi-modal approach to understanding complex subjects, thereby strengthening retention and comprehension.
But beyond academics, digital content also plays a pivotal role in developing personal communication skills. Through platforms that encourage collaboration, students learn to articulate their thoughts clearly, listen actively, and engage constructively with peers from diverse backgrounds. This exposure not only improves their communication skills, but also fosters their empathy and emotional intelligence.
Additionally, digital content can be personalized to cater to individual learning preferences and paces, promoting self-directed learning and critical thinking. It encourages learners to become active participants in their education, seeking out information, questioning sources, and drawing informed conclusions. This adaptability is vital in preparing students for the challenges of the modern world, where the ability to adapt and learn continuously is paramount.
In essence, by leveraging digital content effectively, we can help students overcome the opportunity gap and help all learners build the vocabulary, knowledge, and skills necessary to succeed in today’s world. I don’t believe edtech alone can solve this issue, but I believe it can be a strong tool in the fight to overcome this issue.
4. What are the areas of education or training and workforce development that are being overlooked?
One area of education that we at Discovery Education are seeking to enhance
and make more prominent in teaching and learning is career exploration. One of the critical barriers to integrating career exploration resources into instruction is the misconception among educators that students lack interest in career preparation.
Again, The Education Insights Report by Discovery Education reveals a compelling narrative to the contrary. This report found that approximately 70% of students agree that career exploration resources are vital not only for long-term success, but also for enhancing day-to-day learning. It’s a statistic that underscores a significant demand for resources to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application.
For edtech executives, the call to action is clear. Our goal is to meet this student need and bridge the gap between traditional education and the evolving demands of the workforce. This involves creating platforms that allow students to explore different career paths, engage with professionals in various fields, and understand the skills required to succeed. By doing so, we not only prepare students for the future, but also we enrich their educational experience today.
At Discovery Education, we are meeting this challenge with a new service called Career Connect. Career Connect represents a new model in education in which career awareness and exposure start early. With Career Connect, teachers can request virtual classroom visits from industry professionals based on job types, industries, language preferences, and location. In addition, this new digital platform provides companies with a unique workforce development and employee engagement solution that supports their employee engagement strategies.
Career Connect is an example of how, by working alongside educators, students, and industry professionals, edtech can craft resources that resonate. It’s about listening to students’ voices, recognizing their aspirations, and responding with resources that empower and inspire. By prioritizing career exploration, we can ensure that students are not just ready for the world—they are excited and prepared to shape it.
5. What do you foresee will be a challenge in education in three to five years?
I believe one of the biggest challenges facing education today—and in the future—is the shortage of qualified educators.
Many teachers are nearing retirement age, meaning a significant portion of experienced educators will soon leave the classroom. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a notable percentage of teachers are aged 50 and above, indicating a wave of retirements in the near future.
In addition, fewer individuals are choosing teaching as a career. Data from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education highlights a steady decline in teacher preparation program graduates, which directly impacts the pool of qualified new teachers entering the workforce.
These challenges, compounded by the stress and increased workload faced by educators in the post-COVID world, are driving teachers out of the profession and creating the current shortage.
The quickest way to address this issue would be for lawmakers and policymakers at national, state, and local levels to collaborate on a “moon-shot” project reimagining the teaching profession. This project would include creating a robust incentive program offering competitive salaries and benefits to attract more individuals to teaching, developing strong support systems such as mentorship and professional development to help retain current teachers, and enacting loan forgiveness and alternative certification programs. However, I’m not optimistic about such an effort happening soon.
Therefore, it falls to companies like Discovery Education, who serve educators, to provide resources and support that help alleviate the stress and pressure on classroom teachers.
One way Discovery Education is working to ease teachers’ burdens is by creating more pre-packaged, open-and-go resources that provide everything needed to teach specific lessons. These resources are easy to use, align with standards, and spark curiosity and excitement in classrooms, allowing teachers to spend less time planning and more time doing what they love—teaching.
We also support today’s teachers by offering ongoing professional development crucial for effective teaching. Understanding that teachers struggle to find time for workshops or courses, we have created virtual professional development programs offering self-paced courses, webinars, and workshops designed to fit educators’ schedules and address their specific needs.
Finally, Discovery Education supports educators through our Discovery Educator Network (DEN). The oldest professional learning community of its kind, the DEN inspires and supports teachers, empowering them to connect, share resources, and collaborate on innovative teaching methods.
