By Tim Ryan

Hampton Roads, brace for a jolt of inspiration! The School District of Philadelphia just made waves by adopting Rubin Education’s employability skills platform across all its high schools for the 2025-26 academic year, as announced on their site. Hot on the heels of their April 2025 partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools—the nation’s third-largest district—this move cements Rubin as a titan in EdTech. For our region’s innovators, it’s a neon sign pointing to untapped potential in work-readiness training.

Founded in 2017 by ex-TV reporter Danny Rubin, Rubin Education’s Emerge platform teaches students critical skills like professional email etiquette, resume building, and public speaking through 600+ digital tools. Their rapid expansion, from Miami-Dade’s students to Philly’s high schools, shows the hunger for practical education that prepares kids for real-world success. As we showcased in our Disrupting the Tide documentary watch here, Rubin’s journey is a masterclass in scaling impact, with endorsements from giants like Uber and Southwest Airlines. We spotlighted Rubin’s journey in our Disrupting the Tide series watch here, which captures the grit and ambition of Hampton Roads’ boldest disruptors.

What’s the takeaway for Hampton Roads? Philadelphia and Miami’s bold bets on Rubin signal a booming market for EdTech that bridges classrooms to careers. Our region, buzzing with startups and anchored by educational hubs, is primed to birth the next Rubin. Picture a Norfolk-based innovator crafting tools that ready students for jobs at local powerhouses like Newport News Shipbuilding or tech firms in Virginia Beach’s innovation corridor. Rubin’s playbook—scalable, employer-backed, and integrated with platforms like Canvas—offers a roadmap for our entrepreneurs.

Philadelphia’s stakeholder-driven approach, aligning its academic calendar (starting August 25, 2025) with community needs, mirrors the collaboration we can foster here. By uniting schools, businesses, and startups, Hampton Roads can lead the charge in EdTech innovation. Rubin’s success, from Miami to Philly, proves bold ideas can reshape education. Let’s channel that energy, draw inspiration from Disrupting the Tide, and build solutions that put our region on the map. The future of EdTech starts here—let’s make it happen!

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