Billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman is championing Alpha School, a fast-growing private K-12 network that uses artificial-intelligence software to compress daily instruction in core subjects into roughly two hours and omits diversity, equity and inclusion content from its curriculum. Ackman has been acting as an informal ambassador for the school as it prepares to open a Manhattan campus this year, encouraging parents to consider the model and agreeing to appear on a promotional panel with co-founder MacKenzie Price. The Austin-based network, established more than a decade ago, refers to its teachers as "guides" and says students cover twice the material handled in traditional classrooms despite the abbreviated schedule. Alpha charges about $45,000 in annual tuition. Supporters argue the approach frees the rest of the school day for leadership workshops and physical activities, while critics say the stripped-down curriculum raises questions about how subjects that require broader context—such as history and literature—will be handled. Ackman’s involvement underscores a wider push by wealthy donors to create alternative, technology-driven schooling outside the public system.