Mike Yates is an education innovator and national voice on the future of teaching and learning. He helps lead AI strategy and educator development through Teach For America’s Reinvention Lab, building practical pathways that prepare teachers for what classrooms and students actually need next.
A founding team member behind Alpha Schools, Mike has helped shape learner-centred models that compress traditional academics into focused blocks and reclaim the rest of the day for high-engagement, real-world skill building. His work sits at the intersection of AI, instructional design, and student agency, with a clear through-line: use technology to amplify human potential, not replace it.
He’s known for bringing bold ideas down to ground level, turning innovation into something educators can try, test, and improve in the real world.
