Produced in partnership between Microsoft and McKinsey, this report draws on surveys of teachers and students across the US, UK, Canada and Singapore to examine what the class of 2030 will need to thrive — and how education systems are currently falling short. Its core argument is that automation will reshape the workforce so fundamentally that social-emotional skills (self-awareness, collaboration, resilience, emotional intelligence) will become as important as academic knowledge, yet most schools are not yet teaching them with the deliberateness or consistency required.
The report identifies a striking perception gap: 60% of teachers believe they provide feedback on social-emotional skills, but only 30–40% of students report receiving it. It also finds that while 67% of teachers believe learning should be personalised, only 30% of those motivated to do so actually manage it in practice — citing lack of time, tools and flexibility. The two strategies the report identifies as most promising are explicit social-emotional learning integrated into curriculum, and personalised learning that adapts to individual student needs, pace and motivation. Technology — particularly digital collaboration platforms, AI-powered analytics and mixed reality — is positioned as an enabler of both at scale, freeing teachers to act more as coaches and mentors rather than content deliverers.