The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

Our Top Book Pick for 2022

Gradient Flow • 199 implied HN points • 15 Dec 22
🚌 Education Data science Machine Learning Books
  1. The recommended book of the year is a comprehensive guide for data scientists and data teams, offering practical advice and real-world insights in using data science effectively and ethically.
  2. ActivityPub is a W3C standard and decentralized social networking protocol, gaining traction as a viable alternative to centralized services for community building.
  3. SkyPilot, a newly launched project, presents a unified interface for running machine learning workloads on any cloud, catering to the need for cost-effective cloud computing in the coming year.

So you want to be a yenching scholar

ChinaTalk • 44 implied HN points • 24 Jul 25
🚌 Education Higher Ed Scholarships International Cultural Exchange Student life
  1. Yenching Academy and Schwarzman Scholars are programs in China for international students aimed at fostering understanding and leadership. Yenching is a two-year program, while Schwarzman is one year.
  2. The application process for Yenching focuses on your interest in China and relevant experience, including language skills. Each program has different academic demands, with Yenching offering more accessible courses.
  3. Campus life at Yenching is diverse and encourages integration with local students, while Schwarzman tends to create a more Westernized environment. Networking opportunities and career services also vary significantly between the two programs.

MIT will continue requiring the SAT

Penelope Trunk's Substack • 59 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
🚌 Education Standardized Testing College Admissions Education system
  1. MIT continues to require the SAT for admissions, which can be a significant factor for students like the girl from foster care who surpassed expectations in the math section.
  2. The SAT is seen as an equalizer by some institutions like MIT, serving to identify potential in students who may face extreme challenges and fears, like the brilliant girl from foster care.
  3. The story highlights the importance of recognizing exceptional talents and potential in students from diverse backgrounds, even when facing adversities like lack of stability and basic needs.

The biological reasons boys suck at school

Sex and the State • 49 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🚌 Education Schooling Gender Studies Psychology Child development Policy Reform
  1. Boys generally struggle more in school than girls due to differences in behavior and brain development. They often have trouble with focus, patience, and following instructions, which are important for success in formal education.
  2. School systems often fail to meet the needs of boys, particularly those who are low-performing. Many boys feel frustrated and unengaged, leading them to drop out or act out in class.
  3. To help boys succeed, schools should provide more practical learning options like apprenticeships, trade schools, and classes that match their skills and interests. Boys thrive when they feel needed and responsible.
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Career advice: Learn how to write

Wednesday Wisdom • 151 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🚌 Education Writing Skills Career Advice Communication Personal Development Critical Thinking
  1. Writing is a valuable skill, even with AI around. Good writing helps you communicate better in teams and makes your work more effective.
  2. Practice makes perfect when it comes to writing. The more you write, the better you'll become at organizing your thoughts and expressing them clearly.
  3. Strong writing skills help you think clearly. Writing forces you to clarify your ideas, making it an essential tool for problem-solving.

Generational Cycles

America in Crisis • 19 implied HN points • 10 May 24
🚌 Education History Societal Trends
  1. Generations influence world views and behaviors, shaping and being shaped by the times they live in.
  2. Generations have peer personalities based on the historical location relative to social moments, impacting civic engagement and values orientation.
  3. Generations go through phases like youth, rising adulthood, mature adulthood, and elderhood, each influenced by the social moments they experience, contributing to cyclical historical patterns.

‘Catching Kids Up’ Requires Insisting On, Embedding Mastery

The Future of Education • 99 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🚌 Education Higher education Admissions
  1. Address the inherent flaws in the education system by embedding learning success for all students.
  2. Community colleges have challenges in balancing academic transfer, job training, and community development.
  3. Acknowledging and addressing urgent issues within college campuses is crucial for fostering inclusivity and understanding.

What should I write about

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🚌 Education Tutorials Learning methods Content creation Skill development Teaching Strategies
  1. The writer plans to start creating tutorials again. It's a chance for people to learn more about various topics.
  2. They want feedback from subscribers about what specific topics they are interested in. This shows they value readers' opinions.
  3. There's a wide range of tools in data science, and the writer is keen to help navigate that complexity with useful content.

Hidden Open Thread 315.5

Astral Codex Ten • 344 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🚌 Education Blog
  1. The post is exclusive for paid subscribers, indicating it contains premium content for a specific audience.
  2. Readers can subscribe to access the post or sign in if they are already paid subscribers.
  3. The post shares a link and encourages engagement by allowing sharing and comments.

Qian Chengdan on Area Studies in China

Pekingnology • 67 implied HN points • 21 May 25
🚌 Education Interdisciplinary Political Science Cultural Studies History
  1. China has a strict system for classifying academic disciplines which includes a recent addition of 'area studies.' This means universities can't create new fields without government approval, keeping academic studies organized but also rigid.
  2. Area studies is important because it combines different fields like politics, economics, and culture to understand specific countries or regions better. This helps in making informed government strategies and improving international relations.
  3. Despite the rise in area studies, there are challenges due to traditional academic boundaries. China is trying to support this field by officially recognizing interdisciplinary studies, which allows for more collaboration and talent development.

How to Learn What is True

David Friedman’s Substack • 350 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🚌 Education Critical Thinking Expertise
  1. Be skeptical of claims on contentious issues and don't readily believe them without verification.
  2. Evaluate arguments by reading carefully, checking claims, and assessing the logic for yourself.
  3. Recognize that scientific truth is not established by official committees, but through a decentralized process of expert agreement.

With few conservatives, academia will struggle to develop a theory of progressivism

The Path Not Taken • 462 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🚌 Education Ideological analysis Research Methods
  1. Academia may struggle to develop a theory of progressivism if there are few conservatives involved.
  2. There is a lack of academic work on progressivism despite significant changes in left-wing ideology.
  3. The lack of conservatives in academia may hinder the growth of research on progressivism and lead to challenges in developing a comprehensive theory.

HOISTED FROM THE ARCHIVES: Again, This Year, I Lament I Have No Opportunity to Give My "How to Think Like an Economist" Lecture

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 99 implied HN points • 20 Feb 25
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Economics Higher education
  1. Learning economics requires new ways of thinking, similar to learning a new language. It helps people see the economy more clearly but may also overlook things that are not easily measured.
  2. There's an ideal time in college to teach how to think like an economist. Teaching it too early or too late may not be effective.
  3. Economics is viewed differently based on background; some see it as a science, while others view it as outdated psychology. Both views have some truth to them.

What Had I Hoped to Teach This Just-Past Semester?

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 130 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Curriculum Development Economic History Cognitive Science Narrative Theory
  1. Understanding history is crucial for making sense of current and future human affairs. It helps us to see patterns and learn from past mistakes.
  2. Students should learn to think critically about economic issues. This includes analyzing how economic instability relates to political decisions and vice versa.
  3. History teaches us to look both backward and forward in time, which is a valuable skill. It allows us to make better decisions by using past examples to inform our understanding of present circumstances.

Open Friday Thread: Storytelling, Teaching Experiments, and Private Threads

The Recovering Academic • 98 implied HN points • 03 Feb 23
🚌 Education Storytelling Teaching Experiments
  1. Collaboration on projects like Inner Life can help create a sense of community and engagement among contributors and subscribers.
  2. Storytelling and surprising teaching methods can have a profound impact on engagement and learning, both in traditional and experimental settings.
  3. Offering private threads or discussions for paying subscribers can enhance exclusivity and provide a more intimate space for in-depth conversations.

Fastest Way to Learn Coding and Actually Get a Job

Brain Bytes • 59 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
🚌 Education Coding Learning Job Market Skills Career Advice
  1. Choose a flexible programming language like Python or JavaScript to boost your chances of landing a beginner job.
  2. Take your time learning coding through books, tutorials, or courses - don't rush the process. Type along with tutorials and practice consistently.
  3. Build simple projects using frameworks, add them to your portfolio, and deploy them online to enhance your chances when applying for jobs. Showcase your projects and personality in your resume.

Short, Affordable Alternatives to College

The Future of Education • 218 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
🚌 Education Alternative Education
  1. Over 50 million people in the US are in low-wage jobs with limited career mobility and education.
  2. Innovative programs like Merit America and Marcy Lab School provide affordable, supportive, and career-focused alternatives to traditional college.
  3. These alternatives rethink college costs, advocate for federal financial aid eligibility, and prioritize a no-excuses mindset for student success.

Links to Consider

In My Tribe • 349 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🚌 Education Leadership Non-profit Ideology Critical Thinking
  1. The key to effective leadership is genuinely caring about your subordinates, not just pretending to care.
  2. Comparing profit-seeking businesses with non-profits, profit-seeking businesses are more incentivized to solve customer problems than non-profits are to create benefits that exceed costs.
  3. Wokism stems from the equality thesis of race and sex differences and a background of Christian morality, leading to challenges in discussing disparities and natural differences among groups.

Put on your beginner hat!

box. • 159 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
🚌 Education Personal Growth Community Building Social Skills Career development Diversity
  1. It's important to not limit yourself to one label, like 'engineer' or 'leadership kid.' Embrace all your skills and interests to grow as a person.
  2. Breaking down barriers between different groups, like tech and leadership, can lead to personal growth and better teamwork. Everyone has something valuable to share.
  3. Community support is key in learning new things. When we help each other, we all grow together and create a better environment for everyone.

Guns, Germs, Steel, Coal, Slavery, Seaborne Empires, Peninsulas, Mountain Ranges, Rainfall, & Chance: Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, & Steel" After Twenty-Five Years

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 522 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
🚌 Education History Literature Science Culture Philosophy
  1. Critics of Jared Diamond often lack basic discourse ethics, skip reading, or misinterpret his work.
  2. Diamond's book 'Guns, Germs, & Steel' excels in explaining historical advantages of Eurasian powers over others.
  3. The roots of Western-Eurasian exceptionalism might lie in cultural unity and political fragmentation, but there are gaps in Diamond's explanations.

Weekly Wednesday Wisdom #7

Weekly Wisdom • 99 implied HN points • 02 Feb 23
🚌 Education Creativity Storytelling Learning Self-reflection Personal Growth
  1. Documenting your learning process and teaching along the way can be an effective method to learn and grow.
  2. Storytelling is essential in communication and can be a powerful tool, even in something as seemingly mundane as copywriting.
  3. Reflecting on your progress, implementing small planning practices, and exploring new learning challenges can help in personal growth and development.

2E - 1517's Teen Fall Camp

1517 Fund • 484 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23
🚌 Education Event Technology Science Camping
  1. 2E - 1517's Teen Fall Camp is a unique opportunity for exceptional teenagers to gather in the Bay Area for a weekend of camping, tech, and mischief.
  2. The camp aims to bring together socially geeky teens who are passionate about science, technology, and collaborating with like-minded peers and mentors.
  3. Teens can attend for free but need to cover their own travel costs, and applications should be submitted by August 1st.

On Khanmigo

ailogblog • 59 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
🚌 Education AI Generative AI
  1. Generative AI in education, like Khanmigo, holds potential but may not revolutionize learning as expected. The actual problems in education go beyond just delivery of content.
  2. Generative AI, unlike traditional technology, relies on unpredictability to provide engaging outputs, which can be both delightful and challenging for educational use.
  3. When using generative AI tools like Khanmigo for educational purposes, it's important to consider the limitations and guardrails needed, especially when exploring sensitive or controversial topics.

let's meet up

Airplane Mode with Liz Plank • 39 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🚌 Education Events
  1. A sharing circle event with gentle goal-setting prompts is scheduled with Komal Minhas.
  2. The event is set to take place at 9amPT/12ET on a Sunday.
  3. There is an option for a 7-day free trial to access more content related to the event.

✍️ Journalism Awards, Events, Fellowships and Training ✍️ — October 20

Inside The Newsroom • 78 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🚌 Education Awards Events Mentoring Scholarships
  1. The post provides updates on various journalism awards, events, fellowships, and trainings
  2. The calendar includes opportunities like fellowships, scholarships, mentorship programs, and skill-building webinars
  3. Journalists can benefit from diverse resources, support, and financial assistance through these opportunities

Inside an averted school shooting plot

School Shooting Data Analysis and Reports • 39 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🚌 Education Safety Schools Security Students Incidents
  1. A 14-year-old student in Ohio was arrested for planning a school shooting, targeting specific students and involving anesthetic gases.
  2. The plot involved coordination with an adult in Colorado Springs, highlighting the complex nature of the planned attack.
  3. Despite the detailed planning of this attack, the student was reported, emphasizing the importance of alertness and communication in preventing such incidents.