The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top International Topics

The future isn't what it used to be

Noahpinion • 20235 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Education
  1. The future is much less predictable now because AI and political and global shocks could upend the old path to security. You can't assume the 2016 playbook—hard work, saving, college, and a professional career—will guarantee your kids' success.
  2. AI could bring huge benefits or huge harms very quickly, so it's unclear which jobs and skills will still be valuable. Rapid technological change may transform the economy and society in a short time.
  3. Because we can't reliably extrapolate from the past, people are losing confidence in the future and feeling nostalgic for more predictable times. That rising uncertainty is changing how families and markets plan for the next generation.

Turns out Generative AI was a scam

Marcus on AI • 28575 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Education
  1. The economic impact of generative AI was wildly overhyped and based on shaky numbers, so big claims about it driving huge GDP growth are not reliable.
  2. Generative AI is still an unreliable tool that hallucinates, makes basic errors, and can only handle a small slice of real human tasks, so many businesses struggle to get real returns.
  3. The hype around generative AI has caused real harm — disrupting education and information, enabling deepfakes, straining the environment and finances, and risking broader social and economic damage.

On Being Butthurt

The Elif Life • 3249 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Keeping a notebook can help capture funny or interesting moments in life. It’s a way to notice the lighter side of things, even when life feels heavy.
  2. Feeling butthurt often comes from comparing ourselves to others and their privileges. This can lead to unnecessary resentment instead of recognizing our own journey.
  3. Writing can be a way to overcome feelings of butthurt. It allows us to connect with our past selves and remember our growth over time.

AI & Python #29: Python Projects You Can Finish in a Weekend

Artificial Corner • 198 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Education
  1. Working on Python projects is important because it helps you apply what you've learned. It's a great way to connect theory to practice and improve your coding skills.
  2. The article suggests projects for both beginners and advanced users, which helps cater to different skill levels. Starting with easier projects can build confidence before tackling more complex ones.
  3. Completing projects can also boost your motivation and help you create a portfolio. This can be really useful when looking for job opportunities or trying to showcase your skills.

How to Undo Woke Programming: 2024

Holly’s Newsletter • 2122 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. College courses can shape how we think about ourselves and others. Some classes may focus too much on victimhood, which can lead to a negative mindset.
  2. It's important to control our reactions when faced with assumptions about ourselves. Choosing kindness instead of anger can lead to better outcomes.
  3. Cultural messages can make us doubt our abilities and feel like victims. It's crucial to challenge these beliefs and recognize our own strength.
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George Steiner breaking my heart with his description of the way people used to memorise poems, Bible passages, classic works.

The Common Reader • 4536 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
📚 Literature Education
  1. Memorising poetry and classic texts used to be central to educated life, giving people a shared store of quotations and echoes that shaped public speech and culture.
  2. That routine memorisation has largely faded in modern schooling and many teachers no longer practise it, though pockets of the habit survive in some places and among some people.
  3. Making a personal effort to memorise poems and to copy out passages (ruminatio) deepens understanding of texts and is a worthwhile, rewarding practice to revive.

On What Makes a Good Writer with Kevin Wilson

The Sub Club Newsletter • 1110 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
📚 Literature Education
  1. Finding a supportive community can really help a writer feel like their work matters. Connecting with others can make the writing journey feel a lot less lonely.
  2. Writing is both a personal and technical craft. It's important to enjoy the process and be open to learning, rather than getting too caught up in formal success markers.
  3. Art should be valued beyond just monetary success. Writers can thrive by focusing on what they love to create, regardless of whether they achieve fame or fortune.

How Generative AI is destroying society

Marcus on AI • 27191 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Education
  1. Current generative and predictive AI systems tend to hollow out and degrade civic institutions like government, courts, education, healthcare, and journalism.
  2. Because these systems are opaque and optimized for efficiency rather than openness, they undermine cooperation, transparency, accountability, and adaptability, which makes institutions ossify and lose legitimacy.
  3. Even without bad actors, widespread deployment of these AI designs will progressively enfeeble institutions, so the danger is urgent and calls for immediate structural repair.

On reading Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The sea and why kids these days can't read

Wondering Freely • 991 implied HN points • 24 Oct 24
📚 Literature Education
  1. Many students today struggle to read long novels and often rely on summaries instead. This shift shows how reading habits have changed in recent years.
  2. Reading literary fiction can be a journey that helps us grow as people. It lets us explore complex characters and their lives, which can lead to self-reflection.
  3. We often feel pressured to be constantly productive, which makes it hard to enjoy reading. It's important to slow down and allow ourselves to simply enjoy a good book.

Decide You Are Not Done

The American Peasant • 2914 implied HN points • 13 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. When you want to improve a skill, don't just stop at what's easy. Keep going to push your limits, like continuing to practice a sport even if you don't enjoy it.
  2. Focusing on a specific task for longer can lead to better results. Working longer on the same project can help you learn more and improve your work.
  3. Practicing in a challenging way, instead of just going through the motions, makes a difference. Trying hard things can lead to great improvements, even if it feels frustrating at times.

10 Survival Skills in an AI-Controlled Society

The Honest Broker • 11403 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Education
  1. A college degree no longer reliably gets you a job and can feel like an expensive gamble. Many graduates are finding that the cost and odds don’t match the promise of steady employment.
  2. AI and automation are eating into entry‑level openings, so even traditional 'marketable' skills can get crowded out or replaced. This means new graduates can be outcompeted before they even start.
  3. Job seekers are often stuck in a cycle of mass applications, getting few interviews, and facing real financial and emotional strain. The current job hunt can be demoralizing and unsustainable for many people.

Lessons From Michigan's DEI Failure

Erick Erickson's Confessions of a Political Junkie • 1099 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. The University of Michigan spent a lot of money and time on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, but many people felt frustrated and saw it as a failure.
  2. Students from different backgrounds thought that the DEI programs were well-intentioned but didn't achieve their goals.
  3. Research suggests that people who are religious report being happier compared to those heavily focused on DEI principles.

The Truth About BS Podcast

Bet On It • 80 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🎙 Podcasts Education
  1. Princeton University Press launched a podcast called “The Truth About Bullshit” that riffs on the book On Bullshit.
  2. An episode features a conversation about The Case Against Education, connecting the podcast to debates over the value and purpose of schooling.
  3. The episode is described as a high-quality, thoughtful conversation and is recommended listening for those interested in the topic.

What Holds America Together?

Chris Arnade Walks the World • 3306 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Place, family, faith, and local culture give many people deep, non-credentialed meaning and dignity, so folks often stay in declining towns simply because it’s home.
  2. A shared “thick” culture—summed up by the American Dream/Careerist Christianity—holds diverse regional lifestyles together by promising upward mobility through decent work and fair rules.
  3. The educational and economic split between the elite ‘front-row’ and the rest threatens that shared belief, but areas like the Midwest show recovery is possible with affordable housing, respected blue-collar jobs, and strong local communities.

Where is AI headed? 8 perspectives at The New York Times

Marcus on AI • 7469 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Education
  1. AI will dramatically reshape coding. Tools will automate many programming tasks, speed development, and change who writes software.
  2. AI will have a large impact on education. It can personalize learning and broaden access, but careful implementation is needed because models have limits and can mislead learners.
  3. Leading thinkers disagree and many are skeptical about the pace and limits of AI progress. Expect a wide range of forecasts over the next five years and ongoing debate about risks and benefits.

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear

Austin Kleon • 7873 implied HN points • 23 Aug 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. It's back to school time, which can make parents reflect on how fast their kids are growing up. Keeping busy with projects like writing or crafting can help with those feelings.
  2. Many famous artists and writers use simple supplies like scissors, glue, or index cards to create their work. It shows that you don't need fancy tools to be creative.
  3. A mixtape can be a fun way to connect different themes or moments in life. It's also interesting how the term 'blue moon' can mean two different things depending on how it’s used.

America has to feel fair

Noahpinion • 24353 implied HN points • 22 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Anti-discrimination laws forbid racial and gender bias, but they’re hard to enforce, so real-world discrimination — including against White men in some sectors — can persist.
  2. People care about individual fairness, not just group statistics. When individuals feel unfairly treated, trust in institutions falls and politics can polarize into racial blocs.
  3. The best way to restore trust is to visibly enforce anti-discrimination laws through high-profile legal victories and repeated lawsuits so everyone sees that unfair hiring and firing won’t be tolerated.

Let's Eliminate General Bewilderment • Python's LEGB Rule, Scope, and Namespaces

The Python Coding Stack • by Stephen Gruppetta • 179 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Education
  1. In Python, each function has its own scope. This means a variable defined in a function can only be used inside that function, not outside.
  2. The LEGB rule helps Python find variables: it first looks in the Local scope, then in any Enclosing scopes, next in the Global scope, and finally in Built-in scope if it can't find the variable anywhere else.
  3. Namespaces are like containers for names in Python. They store the names of variables and their corresponding values, making it clear which variables are available in which parts of your code.

At least five interesting things: Buy Local edition (#74)

Noahpinion • 17941 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
💼 Business Education
  1. Reducing regulatory costs and investing in infrastructure makes it much easier for small businesses to start, compete, and find customers. This kind of "abundance" policy lowers barriers to entry and helps local economies revive.
  2. Building more market-rate or "luxury" housing lowers rents for everyone by giving high earners places to live so they don’t bid up older, affordable units. Increasing overall housing supply acts like a containment for upward pressure on rents.
  3. Tariffs have raised some prices and hurt certain industries, but the broader U.S. economy has been resilient because actual tariffs paid are much lower than headline rates due to exemptions and trade rules. Also, much of the damage from tariff shocks can appear with a year or two of delay.

Places you have no reason to be

The Elif Life • 1834 implied HN points • 10 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. It's okay to explore places without a specific reason; your curiosity itself is a reason to go. Sometimes, just following your feelings can lead to valuable experiences.
  2. Setting aside time for yourself, like an 'artist date,' is important for creativity. It helps you connect with your inner artist and can inspire new ideas.
  3. Taking detours in life can lead to unexpected insights and connections. Embracing spontaneity might open doors to experiences you never planned for.

UK News Report #3

Wrong Side of History • 318 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26
📰 News Education
  1. The UK’s handling of international crises and evacuations looks slow and disorganised, which is harming its global reputation and leaving people exposed.
  2. Reading and deep engagement with books are falling sharply as short-form digital media dominate, raising worries about cultural and intellectual decline.
  3. Policies that prioritise equity or political concerns over clinical risk in public services can endanger vulnerable people and have led to tragic outcomes when mental health needs were downplayed.

The New Anxiety of Our Time Is Now on TV

The Honest Broker • 29356 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Popular sci‑fi shows like Pluribus and Severance reflect a deep public fear that people could lose their individuality and turn into a hive mind.
  2. Modern tech—AI, social platforms, and search algorithms—encourages sameness and follower-based behavior, which weakens education, public debate, and personal responsibility.
  3. A backlash is forming: local reforms, creative platforms, and a cultural 'New Romanticism' aim to restore personhood, and political and legal changes will likely follow as pressure builds.

Yao Yang on three shifts he saw in the U.S. and in China-U.S. relations

Pekingnology • 67 implied HN points • 24 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Education
  1. Fewer Chinese students are coming to the U.S., which is squeezing public university budgets because stricter visa/work policies and better job prospects at home make U.S. study less attractive.
  2. American attitudes and strategy on China are shifting: a new generation of scholars and changing political camps are more sober and interest-driven, favoring selective, pragmatic policy over older emotional or broadly expansionist approaches.
  3. True decoupling is limited because the U.S. and China remain economically complementary, while capital-driven narratives (like AI hype) and fast-changing policy create public anxiety and leave think tanks lagging behind events.

How a Government Think Tank Trained The First Generation of US Software Developers

Construction Physics • 24010 implied HN points • 26 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Education
  1. The US government played a big role in developing early computers and software, especially for military purposes. This support helped lay the groundwork for the software industry we know today.
  2. The SAGE project was a major effort to create a computer-based air defense system. It required a lot of programmers, leading to the creation of the System Development Corporation, which trained many of the first software developers.
  3. As programmers gained experience from SAGE, they moved on to other companies, helping expand the software field. This high turnover made SDC a sort of training ground for new talent in programming.

The "$140,000 poverty line" is very silly

Noahpinion • 24529 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. The $140,000 "poverty line" mostly comes from simple data and math mistakes — using the wrong food-share number and the wrong income benchmark makes the figure much higher than it should be, and a corrected back-of-envelope comes in closer to about $80,000.
  2. The method of redefining poverty by scaling a 1963 food-based rule to modern middle-class spending is flawed — it treats voluntary upgrades (bigger houses, fancier goods) and temporary costs (full-time daycare for young kids) as permanent necessities, which produces absurd results.
  3. Reality checks show most families today have food, housing, insurance, and adequate transport, so calling a majority "poor" is misleading; that said, rising costs for housing, healthcare, and childcare are real problems that merit policy attention.

The Christian Conservatives Who Don’t Want Prayer Time in Schools

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 384 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Education
  1. Most Texas school boards have rejected creating official prayer periods during the school day, even though they were required to vote on the question.
  2. Some conservative Christians say personal faith should stay private and not be turned into a formal part of the school schedule.
  3. Religious practices still happen informally in communities—like student-led prayers at football games—even when boards decline to add prayer time to the school day.

At least five interesting things: Debunking the Debunkers edition (#73)

Noahpinion • 18353 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
📰 News Education
  1. Basic income trials boost recipients' cash but don’t meaningfully raise their labor income or reduce crime in the short run, so unconditional cash alone won’t solve many social problems.
  2. Mississippi’s big gains in fourth‑grade reading don’t appear to be just a selection artifact from holding kids back, since improvements show up across all score deciles and have persisted beyond the first retained cohorts.
  3. Nick Fuentes’ online popularity was at least partly manufactured by coordinated, anonymous (often foreign) accounts that artificially amplified engagement, demonstrating how viral platforms can be gamed to inflate extremist influence unless better gatekeeping is built.

You Pick the Stock. I'll Run the Vitals.

Behavioral Value Investor • 104 implied HN points • 20 Mar 26
💰 Finance Education
  1. A new weekly video called Subscriber PULSE Check will screen three or four subscriber-submitted tickers each Friday, with the host opening the PULSE template on camera and walking through the analysis.
  2. PULSE is a quick triage tool that anchors on hard historical financials—like economic profits, underlying free cash flow, leverage, smoothed FCF yield, and EV cap rates—to decide if a stock deserves deeper research.
  3. Everyone can watch the episodes for free, but only paid subscribers can submit tickers (submissions stay in a queue if not picked), and the regular free Tuesday PULSE articles will continue.

Luther and the Spark of the Reformation

Papyrus Rampant • 178 implied HN points • 26 Oct 24
💾 History Education
  1. Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517, which wasn't meant to start a movement but turned out to spark the Protestant Reformation.
  2. He challenged the sale of indulgences, emphasizing that faith in God, not money, is what saves people from sin.
  3. Luther's actions led to a push for education and Bible translation, helping more people understand their faith and read scripture in their own language.

The Unchecked Rise of Crazy Race Theory in Academia

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 9309 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. A city housing official’s past social posts promoting collective ownership and using legal means against landlords caused a public uproar and the mayor publicly defended the appointment.
  2. An academic idea often called "whiteness as property" has gained traction in some university and activist circles, arguing that white identity and property rights are historically linked.
  3. Critics say this theory is racist and dangerous, warning it could undermine private property and Enlightenment values, and it has drawn legal and political scrutiny.

The importance of odd friendships

Civic Renaissance with Alexandra Hudson • 319 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Odd friendships can be beautiful and meaningful. They show us that people with different backgrounds can connect and grow together.
  2. Like the writer Hannah More, we can have friends from all walks of life. It's important to embrace those differences and find common ground.
  3. Having friends who challenge our beliefs can help us hold strong convictions while still being open-minded. This balance enriches our lives and helps us understand others better.

‘This is becoming the biggest issue for councils’

NN Journal • 178 implied HN points • 24 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. There is a huge budget crisis for special needs education, with a national shortfall of £4 billion. This could lead to some councils going bankrupt if the situation doesn't improve.
  2. Many councils are facing growing deficits in their budgets because more children need special education services, but funding is not keeping up with demand.
  3. Families are struggling to get the education and support they need for their children, with long wait times for necessary plans and some choosing to educate their kids at home instead.

Top Link 1026 Billionaire women. Why it sucks to be a graduate in the UK. Economy as utopia. The Luftwaffe's interrogator.

Chartbook • 600 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
💰 Finance Education
  1. Female billionaires are far rarer than male billionaires in the U.S., and profiles of these women show different pathways to extreme wealth.
  2. Being a graduate in the UK is portrayed as increasingly difficult, with weak job prospects and economic pressures making post‑university life tough.
  3. The pieces range across big ideas and vivid stories — from debates about the economy as a utopia to historical accounts like the Luftwaffe’s interrogator, paired with art and visual material.

The Devil’s Plan to Ruin the Next Generation

After Babel • 12247 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Technology, especially smartphones, can harm young people's ability to focus and be present. Constant distractions make it hard for them to learn and build meaningful relationships.
  2. Young people today often feel lost because their identities aren't formed through strong values or community ties. Instead, they rely on social media validation, which can lead to anxiety and confusion.
  3. The overwhelming amount of information available on the internet without proper guidance makes it hard for youth to discern truth and wisdom. This can lead to a lack of trust and depth in their relationships.

Le ménage n'est pas moral

L'Atelier Galita • 219 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Cleaning is a skill, not a moral failure. If you're not great at it, that just means you haven't learned yet.
  2. Many popular cleaning methods come from people who are already skilled, making it hard for beginners to learn. It's important to find someone who can explain things clearly.
  3. It's okay to delegate cleaning tasks to others. Just like you would hire someone for a ride or food delivery, you can get help with cleaning without feeling bad about it.

The 10 Most Popular Articles of the Year

The Honest Broker • 5884 implied HN points • 30 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. AI is shredding our shared reality and knowledge system, with fake or indistinguishable content spreading and companies forcing AI into everyday tools whether people want it or not.
  2. Students and classrooms are in crisis: constant phone-driven dopamine, poor attention, apathy, and rising cheating are seriously undermining learning.
  3. Big platforms are centralizing control and flattening culture, even as independent communities and alternative platforms grow and attract new audiences and subscribers.

Owning Our Words: Sounding the Depths of Language

The Convivial Society • 1476 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Language is a living foundation of human life that shapes how we see, think, and belong, so it must be actively cared for. We keep it healthy by reading well, speaking and listening precisely, and practicing making words.
  2. Outsourcing our speech to machines or hiding behind jargon and manipulative rhetoric weakens judgment, evades responsibility, and erodes community trust. Corrupted or specialized language makes public accountability and humane communication harder.
  3. Owning your words—taking responsibility for what you say, choosing metaphors carefully, and accepting the risks of disclosure—reanimates work and changes how we experience the world. Cultivating decent language is an ethical practice that preserves shared meaning and human togetherness.

How Fireship became YouTube's favorite programmer

engineercodex • 635 implied HN points • 09 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Education
  1. Fireship's videos are short and fast-paced. This keeps viewers engaged and encourages them to watch more.
  2. He uses humor to make learning fun. His jokes and memes help explain complex topics in a way that's easy to understand.
  3. Fireship combines trending topics with timeless content. This strategy helps him attract a lot of views both right away and over time.

UX Roundup: Generate in 4K | Research Reproducibility Crisis | NotebookLM Videos Perform Well | Midjourney v.8 | Micropayments | Microsoft Image Model | NVIDIA GTC

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 21 implied HN points • 23 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Education
  1. Generate images at very high resolution (4K) because iterative edits and repeated modifications degrade quality, so starting large preserves fidelity for the final, smaller publish size.
  2. A large share of top-tier UI/HCI studies fail replication, so interface research can generalize poorly and it’s safest to rely on findings that have been independently reproduced across methods and domains.
  3. Micropayments for AI agents look promising since agents can automatically spend small budgets to access paid, high-quality content; new protocols like MPP could make this practical and help fund better content and better AI.

Memory-Hole Archive: Sex and (Trans)Gender Wars

American Dreaming • 5936 implied HN points • 22 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Trans activism grew rapidly and increasingly embraced self-identification, prompting institutions, media, and medical bodies to redefine gender and minimize the role of biological sex.
  2. Those changes produced sharp real-world conflicts over women-only spaces, fairness in female sports, and medical treatments for minors, while critics, detransitioners, and concerned parents were often marginalized or silenced.
  3. The movement’s perceived overreach generated a powerful backlash: public support for some trans policies declined, legislatures and courts tightened rules on youth care and sports, and broader support for LGBT causes eroded.