Inside Elon Musk's Ad Astra School

Summary

Elon Musk's Ad Astra school, founded in 2014, is a non-traditional educational environment designed to foster critical thinking and innovation. With a focus on problem-solving and first principles, the school operates without grades and encourages interdisciplinary learning. Students, aged 7 to 14, work in teams on challenging projects, such as robotics and AI, preparing them to lead in a technologically advanced future. The school's unique approach has attracted high demand, with intense competition for limited spots.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Elon Musk founded Ad Astra school in 2014 to provide an education system more aligned with the future realities his children and SpaceX employees' children would face.
• 🌟 The school's name, Ad Astra, meaning 'to the stars' in Latin, reflects Musk's vision of aiming for great achievements, similar to his other ventures.
• 🏫 Ad Astra operates as an experimental, non-profit school at SpaceX's base in Hawthorne, California, focusing on developing future leaders through problem-solving and reasoning.
• 🤖 The curriculum is unconventional, with students learning about artificial intelligence, ethics, and coding languages such as Scheme, Swift, and Scratch.
• 🧠 Ad Astra emphasizes first principles thinking, encouraging students to question assumptions and approach problems like a newborn with no preconceived notions.
• 🌐 The school has a small, elite student body, with a high staff-to-student ratio, and a competitive admission process involving a reasoning test.
• 💡 Students engage in projects that are at the forefront of technology, such as robotics, nuclear power, and the implications of AI, preparing them for leadership roles in a tech-infused future.
• 💼 Ad Astra incorporates entrepreneurial activities, like a student marketplace called the Baazar, where students can trade using their own currency, the Astra.
• 🌐 The school's international academy team includes experts from various fields like geochemistry, cosmochemistry, planetary science, and astrobiology.
• 💰 Elon Musk financially supports Ad Astra, contributing significantly to its operation, and the school offers customized educational plans that may include field trips and advanced scientific exploration.

Q & A

Who founded Ad Astra school and when was it established?

Ad Astra school was founded by Elon Musk in 2014.

What is the primary purpose of Ad Astra school according to the script?

The school was created to educate Elon Musk's children and children of SpaceX employees, focusing on education more aligned with the realities of what the kids will face in the future.

What does Elon Musk think about the traditional grading system in schools?

Elon Musk believes that having all children go to the same grade at the same time is like an assembly line and is not effective.

How does Ad Astra school approach teaching students?

Ad Astra teaches students to focus on problems, not tools, and encourages team work among children aged seven to 14.

What is the school's philosophy on learning and education?

Ad Astra believes in developing future leaders through multidisciplinary problem-solving and reasoning through first principles, promoting a love of learning, enduring curiosity, and unbound imagination.

What is the student-staff ratio at Ad Astra school?

The school maintains an intense staff-to-student ratio, which is why the IRS documents note it will probably never exceed 50 students.

How does Ad Astra school select its students?

To gain admission, students must pass a reasoning test developed by child psychologists.

What is unique about the curriculum at Ad Astra school?

The curriculum is unconventional, focusing on subjects like artificial intelligence, ethics through hypothetical scenarios, and practical science experiments, including chemistry where students engage in explosive reactions.

What is the role of the Astra currency in the school?

The Astra is a unit of currency used by students to trade with each other, fostering entrepreneurship through activities like the Baazar, where students run their own companies.

How does Elon Musk's philosophy influence the school's approach to foreign languages?

Elon Musk believes that real-time translation software will make the study of foreign languages obsolete, so the school focuses on coding languages instead.

What kind of projects do students at Ad Astra engage in?

Students work on projects like Mars exploration, robotics, and underwater robots, often collaborating with researchers from around the world.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Elon Musk's Visionary Approach to Education

Elon Musk's Ad Astra school, established in 2014, is a non-traditional educational institution designed to prepare children for the future by focusing on problem-solving and critical thinking. The school operates without grades, instead emphasizing teamwork and interdisciplinary learning. It was initially created for Musk's children and SpaceX employees' kids, aiming to develop future leaders through a curriculum that includes robotics, nuclear power, and AI ethics. Ad Astra's admission process is highly competitive, with a reasoning test developed by child psychologists. The school's philosophy is to instill a lifelong love of learning and curiosity, preparing students for leadership roles in a technologically advanced society by 2035.

05:00

🌟 Unconventional Curriculum and Activities at Ad Astra

Ad Astra's curriculum is unconventional, with a focus on practical applications of science and technology. Students engage in projects like building with A-frame, coding in various languages, and participating in ethical discussions. The school also operates a marketplace where students can trade using their own currency, the Astra, fostering entrepreneurship. Field trips and collaborations with global researchers expose students to real-world scientific exploration. Despite the absence of traditional subjects like sports and foreign languages, the school's unique approach has attracted high interest, with a significant number of applicants competing for limited spots. The school's tuition is substantial, but Musk's financial support ensures that the institution can cater to a diverse range of students.

Keywords

💡Ad Astra

Ad Astra is a private school founded by Elon Musk in 2014, meaning 'to the stars' in Latin. The school is designed to educate Musk's children and those of SpaceX employees with a focus on problem-solving and critical thinking rather than traditional academic methods. It is integral to the video's theme as it exemplifies Musk's innovative approach to education, aiming to prepare students for the challenges of the future.

💡Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a prominent entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, among other ventures. In the context of the video, he is the founder of Ad Astra School, reflecting his vision for a new educational paradigm that emphasizes practical skills and real-world problem-solving over rote learning. Musk's dissatisfaction with traditional education systems is a driving force behind the creation of Ad Astra.

💡Problem-solving

Problem-solving is a core educational focus at Ad Astra, as highlighted in the video. Students are encouraged to approach issues from first principles, questioning assumptions and devising innovative solutions. This concept is exemplified by the school's curriculum, which includes tackling complex topics like robotics and artificial intelligence, preparing students to be future leaders in technology and innovation.

💡First principles

First principles thinking is a philosophical approach where one breaks down complex problems into fundamental truths and then rebuilds them from scratch. The video mentions Ad Astra's use of this method to teach students how to question and innovate, which is a departure from traditional education's reliance on memorization and standardized testing.

💡Educational innovation

Educational innovation refers to the process of introducing new ideas and methods into educational practices. The video discusses how Ad Astra represents a significant departure from conventional schooling, with its non-traditional curriculum and emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, team projects, and real-world applications.

💡SpaceX

SpaceX is a private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded by Elon Musk. The video connects SpaceX to Ad Astra by noting that the school was created to educate Musk's children and those of SpaceX employees, suggesting a close relationship between the company's mission and the school's educational philosophy.

💡Curriculum

The curriculum at Ad Astra is described as unconventional, focusing on subjects like artificial intelligence, ethics, and applied science. The video emphasizes the school's unique approach to teaching, which includes project-based learning and the use of hypothetical scenarios to explore complex issues, such as environmental ethics.

💡Coding languages

Coding languages are integral to Ad Astra's curriculum, as students are taught various programming languages like Scheme, Swift, and Scratch. This focus on coding reflects the school's commitment to preparing students for careers in technology and innovation, a theme underscored by the video's discussion of the school's forward-thinking educational methods.

💡Ethics

Ethics education at Ad Astra is highlighted in the video through the use of hypothetical scenarios that challenge students to consider complex moral dilemmas. This approach to teaching ethics aims to develop students' critical thinking skills and prepare them to make responsible decisions in their future careers.

💡Innovation

Innovation is a recurring theme in the video, linked to Elon Musk's broader vision for education and his dissatisfaction with traditional systems. The school's innovative approach includes project-based learning, interdisciplinary studies, and the development of entrepreneurial skills, all of which are designed to foster creativity and prepare students for leadership roles in a rapidly changing world.

💡Future leaders

The video positions Ad Astra as a school dedicated to developing future leaders, particularly in the fields of technology and space exploration. This is evident in the school's focus on problem-solving, ethics, and cutting-edge scientific exploration, all of which are intended to equip students with the skills necessary to lead and innovate in the 21st century.

Highlights

Elon Musk founded Ad Astra School in 2014 to provide an innovative education model for his children and SpaceX employees' kids.

Ad Astra, meaning 'to the stars' in Latin, aims to prepare students for future challenges by focusing on problem-solving and critical thinking.

The school operates without traditional grades, emphasizing teamwork and project-based learning for students aged seven to fourteen.

Elon Musk criticized the traditional education system for its focus on tools and formulas rather than fostering interest and skills.

Ad Astra's admission process involves a reasoning test developed by child psychologists to assess students' critical thinking abilities.

The school's curriculum includes multidisciplinary problem-solving and teaching through first principles, encouraging students to question assumptions.

Ad Astra promotes a love of learning, curiosity, and imagination, with a staff-to-student ratio that ensures individual attention.

The school's educational philosophy is to instill a lifelong thirst for knowledge through participation in humanities and explorations.

Ad Astra functions like a venture capital incubator, with students working in teams on complex topics such as robotics and nuclear power.

The school's international academy team includes experts from various fields like geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and planetary science.

Ad Astra's curriculum is unconventional, with students learning coding languages and engaging in applied science projects.

Ethics are taught through hypothetical scenarios, encouraging students to consider complex moral dilemmas.

The school encourages entrepreneurship through a unit of currency called Astra and a marketplace event called Baazar.

Elon Musk financially supports Ad Astra, contributing significantly to its operations and allowing for customized educational plans.

Students at Ad Astra participate in field trips and intelligent exercises related to space and life sciences.

The school's tuition is approximately $30,000 a year, with some students receiving financial aid.

Ad Astra's educational model focuses on critical thinking and inventive reasoning to prepare students for future leadership roles.

Transcripts

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Technology has played a consistent and vital role in the human education system

by pushing education capacities higher and higher.

Talking about technology and innovation,

Elon Musk is considered to be the torchbearer globally in the 21st century.

The Ad Astra school,

meaning to the stars in Latin launched by Elon Musk in 2014 is now no secret

from the world.

The school was created by him to educate his children and children of SpaceX

employees,

more in line with the realities of what the kids will face in their future.

Elon announced Ad Astra in an interview with a Beijing television station in

2015, he stated quote,

there aren't any grades making all children go to the same grade at the same

time is like an assembly line. And instead children,

age seven to 14 work together in teams,

and while they are taught to the problem, not to the tool,

it makes the relevance,

the tool apparent for them wondering how the school is different from the

regular schools we went to.

But first you need to like and subscribe to our channels so that you can keep

appreciating our effort and don't miss out on great tech content coming out

every single week.

Elon has ran an experimental non-profit driven school Ad Astra at a SpaceX

organizations base camp at Hawthorne, California.

Musk began the school after pulling all of his children out of Los Angeles,

private schools and employed one of his child's teachers as the principal,

that man being Josh Dhan, who is also the co-founder of at Ad Astra School. Elon

was not satisfied with the regular education system that was focusing more on

tools and formulas rather than developing interest and skills.

To present his analogy, he meant to focus on finding the students' interests,

whether it's music, paintingm robots, buildings, or plans,

he wanted to match their aptitude level to that.

He is known to always make his way of doing things when he is not happy with the

way that world is doing the things, whether it's creating sustainable rockets,

electric cars, e-payments, or creating a school.

When a school means to the stars, Ad Astra is aim to achieve great things.

The meaning perfectly aligns with what Elon Musk does and builds.

This school had no official website until 2017. Nonetheless,

it's the one school, every elite LA parent wants their kid to get into.

This school has almost 50 students between seven and 14 years old.

The IRS documents note,

it will probably never exceed 50 students because of the intense staff to

student ratio.

In 2017, 400 families competed for 12 openings.

To gain admissions would be students must pass a reasoning test developed by

child psychologists.

Ad Astra believes in developing future leaders through multidisciplinary

problem-solving and reasoning through first principles. In layman's terms,

first principles are fundamentally the act of effectively questioning each

assumption you think you know about a given issue or a situation.

And afterwards making new information and arrangements without any preparation,

practically like an infant.

This simply means- how could you rethink something which is already done in

order to make it better?

Think of Nikolai Tesla didn't approach the first principles.

Then the world would have never seen the electricity revolution and the other

300 patents worldwide of his inventions.

The school's Spartan LinkedIn page says noting the organization has between 11

and 50 employees.

Ad Astra believes in promoting a love of learning enduring curiosity and unbound

imagination.

Ad Astra is a laboratory school that embraces advancements in the fields of

science technology and education. The page adds,

Ad Astra is dedicated to pushing each student to the frontier of his or her

human potential. Considering by 2035,

our world will be full of technologically infused surroundings,

consisting of AI robots, hybrid cars, smart cities, and weekly space missions.

Probably one of the kids born after 2010 is going to be in charge of the

positions of leadership and power for such technological advancements around the

world. AD Astro school can prepare such future leaders.

This school functions like a venture capital incubator in which students work in

teams to drill into some of the most daunting topics of our time,

including robotics, nuclear power,

and the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.

Education philosophy of ad Astra quotes,

ultimately the most important indicator of a student's future academic success

is his or her desire to learn,

and we believe that we can install a life-changing thirst for knowledge in a

fiscally efficient manner by helping students participate in the far reaches of

humanities, explorations.

It further says, a project like Mars exploration is truly a human wide pursuit.

A program like this will inspire children on a curiosity driven quest for

knowledge that can light a spark of inspiration, that'll burn for a lifetime.

The Ad Astra has an international academy team comprising of a geo from Harvard

university to multiple experts in geochemistry, cosmo chemistry,

planetary science, astronomy, astrobiologists scientists,

science instructor industrial engineer,

a filmmaker and image and sound expert.

To support the momentum the school provides an exclusive Ad Astra academy

educational program and relevant math questions and science books offering

enthusiastic students fitting assets.

They share incredible online instruments with neighborhood teachers so that they

can proceed with conversations on the subject of scientific exploration.

The curriculum at Ad Astra is unconventional for sure.

Students learn about artificial intelligence and how to give what essentially is

a Ted talk, according to Josh Dhaan.

Ethics are also explored through hypothetical scenarios. For example,

deciding who's to blame for a factory that has polluted a nearby lake.

Peter Diamandis, executive of the X prize foundation, when visited Ad Astra,

shared the ethos of the school.

Peter's special access to Ad Astra is likely because of the fact that Elon Musk

sits on the leading body of trustees of X prize.

He gave an example of the kind of moral and ethics preached to the students at

the Ad Astra.

Imagine a small town on a lake in which the majority of the town is employed by

a single factory,

but that factory has been polluting the lake and killing all of the wildlife.

What do you do?

It's posed shutting down the factory would mean that everyone loses their job.

On the other hand,

keeping the factory open means the lake is destroyed and the lake dies.

This kind of regular routine conversation slash gameplay allows the children to

see a world in a crucially important fashion.

According to an interview done by Peter Diamandis of Josh Dhaan in 2017,

Josh states sports and music are not on the curriculum,

although there is dodgeball at lunch.

Foreign languages are also absent due to Elon Musk's philosophy that real-time

translation software will soon make the subject obsolete. Instead,

the children learn various coding languages, including scheme, swift,

and scratch and experiment with more applied science than your average science

school lab. When talking about the school's chemistry class, Dhaan says,

"we blow s*** up".

The students also get to construct things in a module called A-frame from

weather balloons to battle bots, to encourage entrepreneurship at Ad Astra,

they also have their own unit of currency called the Astra,

which children are able to trade with each other.

One of the things they do three times a year is there's a marketplace called the

Baazar and at the Baazar, the kids have their own companies essentially,

Dhaan said.

He gives an example of a student who builds websites for his classmates,

including one who makes gourmet cookies.

Musk foots the bill for ad Astra.

And according to the IRS must gave the school $475,000 in

2014 and 2015.

This kind of extraordinary generosity allows taking any kid that sort of fits.

Customized educational plans include field trips and intelligent exercises on

nature space and life sciences.

Eventually understudies joined driving researchers from around the world on the

cutting edge of investigation.

They pick focuses like Mars for imaging by a NASA space apparatus or

working with remote green ocean wayfairs to work robots,

a large number of meters underneath the waves.

Ad Astra grew nine students in 2014 to 50,

seven years later with a mix of children of SpaceX employees,

as well as high intellects from the neighborhood.

This unorthodox education doesn't come cheap.

The tuition is about $30,000 a year where some students receive financial aid.

As Elon Musk, once stated about Ad Astra quote,

"When the kids really love going to school, that's a good sign.

I hated going to school. And as a kid who was torture,

they think that occasions are too long and they want to go back to school".

The Ad Astra school has centered around showing youngsters critical thinking and

inventive reasoning. Whenever they have dominated these abilities,

they will truly be valuable in their wherever the future may take them.

Musk has said he simply wants evidence of exceptional ability,

which he hopes can be fostered at a young age.

Now let us know in the comment section below,

if you'd want your kid to go to Ad Astra. And if you enjoyed the video,

don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe button for more.

Thanks for watching. And we'll see you next time.