With 50 million public school students in America, technology holds much potential to transform schools, says John Jong-Hyun Kim. So why isn't it happening?
John Jong-Hyun Kim
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
John J-H Kim is a Senior Lecturer in the General Management unit of the Harvard Business School. Mr. Kim created and teaches the second-year course Transforming Education through Social Entrepreneurship, which explores how social entrepreneurs are adapting the disciplines of management as well as technology-driven tools such as personliazation algorithms, online education platforms, and AI and machine learning tools to deliver pattern-breaking change in education that can be scaled and sustained.
Mr. Kim also serves as the Co-Chair of the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP), a joint project of HBS and Harvard Graduate School of Education. PELP was founded in 2004 to work with some of the largest urban districts in the U.S. to improve the management and leadership competencies and practices of public education leaders. Additionally, Mr. Kim created and Chairs ABC: Accelerating Board Capacity for School District Board members. He also teaches in several executive education programs including Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations (PMNO) and Governing for Non-Profit Excellence (GNE).
Mr. Kim is the founder and CEO of The District Management Group (DMGroup), an organization that helps school districts achieve higher performance by improving their management practices. He is the founding editor of The District Management Journal, a publication which provides actionable insights related to leading and managing public school districts. Previously, Mr. Kim founded and led several firms in the education sector including a school management company that served more than 20,000 students in ten states. Additionally, he served as an Executive Vice President of Rakuten, Inc (JASDAQ: 4755), a global Internet services company, and was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Mr. Kim currently serves on several non-profit and corporate boards including the National Governing Board of BELLXcel, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged youths.
Mr. Kim received an A.B. with Honors from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
- Featured Work
- Cases and Teaching Materials
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- Kim, John J-H, and Malini Sen. "PraDigi Open Learning: Transforming Rural India." Harvard Business School Case 321-022, October 2020. View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Haibo Zhao, and Shu Lin. "Entrepreneurship and Innovation Trends in China K-12." Harvard Business School Background Note 320-022, October 2019. (Revised October 2019.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Shu Lin. "Liulishuo: AI English Teacher." Harvard Business School Case 319-090, January 2019. (Revised October 2019.) View Details
- Childress, Stacey M., Stig Leschly, and John J-H Kim. "Note on Student Outcomes in U.S. Public Education." Harvard Business School Background Note 307-068, October 2006. (Revised January 2019.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Aldo Sesia. "Summit Public Schools (A)." Harvard Business School Case 318-067, March 2018. View Details
- Kim, John J-H. "Ivy Academy: Blended Learning in Downingtown Area School District." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 318-038, July 2017. View Details
- Kim, John J-H. "Match Next: Next Generation Middle School?" Harvard Business School Teaching Note 318-039, July 2017. View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Aldo Sesia. "Connections Education: Shifting the Paradigm?" Harvard Business School Case 317-051, March 2017. (Revised March 2018.) View Details
- Kim, John Jong-Hyun, and Rachna Tahilyani. "BYJU'S The Learning App." Harvard Business School Case 317-048, March 2017. (Revised November 2018.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Sarah McAra. "Uncommon Schools (B): Seeking Excellence at Scale through Standardized Practice." Harvard Business Publishing Supplement, 2017. (Case No. PEL-080.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Sarah McAra. "Uncommon Schools (A): A Network of Networks." Harvard Business Publishing Case, 2017. (Case No. PEL-079.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Lauren Barley, and Allison M. Ciechanover. "Code.org." Harvard Business School Case 317-008, July 2016. (Revised November 2018.) View Details
- Kim, John Jong-Hyun, Michael Chu, and Rachna Tahilyani. "IMAX: Scaling Personalized Learning in India." Harvard Business School Case 316-108, February 2016. (Revised December 2016.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Daniel Goldberg. "Ivy Academy: Blended Learning in Downingtown Area School District." Harvard Business School Case 316-144, January 2016. (Revised November 2018.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Daniel Goldberg. "Match Next: Next Generation Middle School?" Harvard Business School Case 316-138, January 2016. (Revised November 2018.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Amram Migdal. "Rumie: Bringing Digital Education to the Underserved." Harvard Business School Case 316-140, January 2016. (Revised January 2017.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Susan Moore Johnson, Christine An, and Geoff Marietta. "Career Pathways, Performance Pay, and Peer-review Promotion in Baltimore City Public Schools." Harvard Business Publishing Teaching Note, 2015. (Case No. PEL-071.) View Details
- Education Technology
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- Kim, John J-H, and Christine S. An. "School of One: Reimagining How Students Learn (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 314-115, March 2014. View Details
- Kim, John J-H. "Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovations in Education." Harvard Business School Course Overview Note 315-051, November 2014. View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Roniesha Copeland, and Christine S. An. "Technology Innovations in K-12 Education." Harvard Business School Technical Note 314-123, March 2014. (Revised August 2015.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Christine S. An. "Zeal: Launching Personalized and Social Learning." Harvard Business School Case 315-052, January 2015. (Revised April 2015.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Christine S. An. "Curriculum Associates: Turning the Page from Tradition to Innovation." Harvard Business School Case 315-053, January 2015. (Revised January 2017.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Kyla Wilkes, and Christine S. An. "AltSchool: School Reimagined." Harvard Business School Case 315-054, February 2015. (Revised June 2016.) View Details
- Education Reform
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- Kim, John J-H, Susan Moore Johnson, Christine An, and Geoff Marietta. "Career Pathways, Performance Pay, and Peer-review Promotion in Baltimore City Public Schools." Harvard Business Publishing Teaching Note, 2015. (Case No. PEL-071.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Geoff Marietta, and Annie Wheeler. "Note on Charter Schools." Harvard Business School Background Note 313-104, February 2013. (Revised August 2019.) View Details
- Johnson, Susan Moore, John J-H Kim, Geoff Marietta, S. Elisabeth Faller, and James Noonan. "Career Pathways, Performance Pay, and Peer-review Promotion in Baltimore City Public Schools." Harvard Business Publishing Case, 2013. (Case No. PEL-071.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Alejandra Meraz Velasco, and Christine An. "Ensina!" Harvard Business School Case 413-121, June 2013. (Revised June 2016.) View Details
- Kim, John J-H, and Christine S. An. "DaVita HealthCare Partners and the Denver Public Schools: Creating Connections." Harvard Business School Case 315-047, December 2014. View Details
- Kim, John J-H, Christine An, and Geoff Marietta. "Between Compliance and Support: The Role of the Commonwealth in District Takeovers." Harvard Business Publishing Case, 2015. (Case No. PEL-073.) View Details
- Teaching
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With prosperity and life outcomes closely linked to educational attainment levels, there recently has been a surge of social entrepreneurs starting and building businesses that can change the life trajectory of students, especially those from low-income communities, while building successful enterprises. They are applying disruptive models and technology innovations supported by a growing number of impact investors and partners to reimagine how more than $6 Trillion are spent in education globally. The course focuses on how social entrepreneurs are adapting the disciplines of entrepreneurship as well as management tools and techniques to deliver “pattern-breaking” change that can be scaled and sustained. This course will help students in preparing to be a founder/leader, investor, or board member. This course will also enable students to become effective non-profit leaders/members equipped with an understanding of what works in education, different parts of the sector (e.g., K-12, Higher Ed, education non-profits, etc.), various markets (e.g., US, China, India, etc.), and the interplay of business and government.Keywords: EducationThe class will serve as the central clearing house for all independent projects relating to enterprises that are creating social value, with projects ranging from nonprofits to purpose driven for-profit businesses. This course provides students an opportunity to use the discipline of entrepreneurial management, innovative design thinking as well as business tools and techniques to address social innovation topics that attempt to improve the quality of life of low-income and poor individuals and households anywhere in the world (including USA). The course will also accept projects that attempt to solve a strategic problem for a client organization in the social sector.Keywords: Social EnterpriseNonprofit organizations require strong, innovative leadership. In this unique HBS Social Enterprise Initiative program, participants gain an in-depth look at four core nonprofit governance competencies: board leadership, strategic stewardship, performance measurement, and financial oversight.
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