Pathways to Success: Fireside Chat with Outschool CEO, Amir Nathoo

January 29, 2025 • Community Events Recordings

Date: January 28, 2025
Host: Tegan (Professional Learning)
Guest: Amir Nathoo (CEO & Co-founder of Outschool)

📌 We’d love to hear from you! Share your feedback on this session and what you’d like to see in future Pathways to Success events by filling out this quick survey.

Introducing Pathways to Success

Tegan kicked off the session by introducing Pathways to Success, the evolution of Stay Ahead of the Game. The new structure emphasizes educator success, business growth, and continuous iteration. Key updates include:

  • Biannual Fireside Chats with Amir (January & July)
  • Monthly Live Q&As with a flipped classroom approach
    • Educators will have access to pre-event resources (articles, videos, and visuals in the Educator Library) to prepare meaningful questions.
  • New Time for Live Sessions â€“ Now at 3 PM ET to better accommodate global educators.
  • On-Demand Recordings â€“ No registration needed; all sessions will be uploaded to the Video Library for later viewing.

Amir’s Perspective on Outschool’s Mission & Evolution

Amir joined the chat after a brief tech delay and introduced himself, sharing his journey as CEO, co-founder, and an Outschool parent. He reflected on Outschool’s 10-year evolution and its mission to inspire kids to love learning by offering an ecosystem of choice rather than a one-size-fits-all model.

He discussed:

  • The Changing Landscape of Education â€“ Declining confidence in traditional schooling, rising parental anxiety, and growing demand for alternative education.
  • Trends in Education & Technology â€“ The rapid adoption of AI and ed-tech innovations, requiring Outschool to move fast and iterate frequently.
  • The Need for Personalization â€“ Families increasingly seek flexible, customized learning experiences, reinforcing Outschool’s role in empowering educators to create innovative, high-quality classes.

Outschool’s Focus for 2025: Improving the Educator & Family Experience

Looking ahead, Amir outlined key product initiatives for 2025, aimed at reducing friction and improving retention:

Simplifying the Outschool Experience

  • Parents often struggle with decision fatigue when choosing classes.
  • Outschool is working on streamlining the platform to make it easier for families to find and stay engaged with the right classes.
  • Educators will also benefit from improved teacher tools to reduce administrative burden.

Memberships: A New Model for Engagement

  • Memberships will introduce a subscription-based model where families can pre-set the number of learning hours per week.
  • This model reduces transactional friction, encourages long-term commitment, and supports a habit-driven approach to learning.
  • The marketplace fee was introduced alongside memberships, incentivizing adoption while ensuring financial sustainability for the platform and educators.

Leveraging AI for Smarter Support

  • AI-powered concierge services will help families find, schedule, and manage classes effortlessly.
  • AI tools are already assisting Outschool’s Support Team, improving response times and customer satisfaction.
  • Future AI-driven educator tools will help streamline business operations, making class management and iteration easier.

Addressing Educator Questions

Educators submitted over 100 questions, which were categorized into key themes:

The Use of Class Recordings for Marketing

  • The recent Terms of Service update clarified an existing policy—not a new one.
  • Class recordings have been used for marketing purposes for years with educator and family consent.
  • Any use of recordings is intentional and respectful, ensuring compliance with copyright, inclusivity, and quality standards.

Educator Support & Business Growth

  • Outschool will continue seeking partnerships with third-party tools (e.g., PowToon, Magic School AI, Logitech) to enhance marketing and instructional quality.
  • Some premium tools may have an additional fee, but Outschool is committed to negotiating educator discounts and making business resources more accessible.

Product & Policy Communication

  • Outschool aims to keep educators well-informed about product updates and policy changes.
  • While advance notice is provided when possible, Outschool must also adapt quickly to market shifts.
  • Educators should direct families to Outschool Support for platform-related questions rather than fielding them independently.

Ending on an Empowering Note

To close the session, Amir reflected on how Outschool continues to empower educators:

  • Providing tools and flexibility to help educators build sustainable businesses.
  • Offering powerful data insights to help educators understand market trends.
  • Streamlining class discovery & scheduling to help educators reach more learners.

Amir ended on a personal note:
“When my son asks me for a Minecraft-German-Pokemon crossover class at a specific time with his friend, Hugo, I want that class to exist. And that can only happen if we empower educators to be creative and sustainable in their businesses.”

Tegan wrapped up by reinforcing success and iteration as the key themes for 2025:
“What worked before might not work now. We need to keep iterating, keep innovating, and have fun while doing it!”


Key Takeaways

✅ Pathways to Success replaces Stay Ahead of the Game with a focus on business growth & iteration.
✅ Memberships & product simplification will help families commit to ongoing learning, boosting retention.
✅ AI-powered tools & third-party partnerships will support educators in marketing, teaching, and business management.
✅ Educator feedback is essential—Outschool will continue adapting based on community needs.

📌 Next Steps:
🔹 Keep an eye out for pre-event articles in the Educator Library for future sessions.
🔹 Explore upcoming membership opportunities and stay informed on platform updates.
🔹 Continue iterating on class offerings to align with market trends.

Here’s to a successful and innovative 2025! ðŸš€

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