This Legacy Speaker Probably Got You Through High School
Sal Khan is the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational organization. It offers free lessons in math, science and the humanities in multiple languages. Almost everyone we’ve talked to has watched a Khan Academy video at one point through high school. The organization also provides tools for parents, teachers and districts to track student progress.
Sal holds three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard. At MIT, Sal developed a math software for students with ADHD. Sal also taught test prep courses for the MCAT, and was named teacher of the year by a national test prep company.
Sal has always put emphasis on learning the material instead of the outcome of test scores. This is why he has received praise from students with ADHD and dyslexia—because he strives to provide accessible education for all. He embodies the “never give up” mantra and pushes the idea of pursuing one’s passion and is named one among “100 of the most influential people in the world” for TIME magazine in 2012.
In 2004, Khan's cousin was struggling with math, so Khan tutored her remotely and posted educational videos on YouTube. He noticed that his cousin, like so many other students in the education system, did not have some fundamental math skills. In his Ted Talk (right below!), he mentioned that a student who received 75% on a test had now identified that he/she did not know 25% of the test material. However, the way that our education system is structured meant that the teacher would have to move on the next subject instead of helping to fill in those gaps for students. The next subject would often be more advanced and build on the missing information.
The videos he posted were watched so much that eventually Khan quit his job as a hedge fund analyst and pursued Khan Academy full time. The videos he posted allowed students to pause, rewind, and rewatch the lesson at their own pace, helping them understand the material much better.
Khan Academy
What started as a passion project now has more than 115 million users worldwide, and is used in 190 countries.. Khan Academy has partnered with more than 200 school districts across the United States including Las Vegas, Detroit, and Houston.
Khan Academy’s philosophy is that learners of all ages should have access to free education which they can learn at their own pace. This is why the organization offers lessons beginning from kindergarten all the way to early college, with subjects including math, grammar, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, finance and history.
Sal Khan embodies the spirit and mindset of one who never gives up and pursues what he is truly passionate about. This is crucial for those wondering whether a certain career path is for them or not, it’s all about doing what makes you happy in the end and that’s exactly what Sal Khan had done. We are so excited to see him at Legacy on March 26.