The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top International Topics

Why the Revolution Never Ends

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1432 implied HN points • 24 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Marxism hasn't gone away; it's just evolved into new forms. Nowadays, it's showing up in different movements and ideologies that focus on social and cultural issues.
  2. People who support modern interpretations of Marxism often find new pairs of groups to classify as oppressors and oppressed. This flexibility keeps the ideology alive and relevant.
  3. The struggle for power and recognition continues to adapt, creating new labels and conflicts. This keeps the conversation about oppression active and ongoing in today's society.

The 'Let Kids be Kids' roadshow of the South Island NZ gets pushback from the usual suspects.

A B’Old Woman • 759 implied HN points • 24 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Some parents in New Zealand are worried about what kids are learning in school about gender identity and sex education. They feel that these topics are sometimes not suitable for children.
  2. The 'Let Kids be Kids' roadshow faced backlash from activists who disagreed with its message. They pressured event venues to cancel the presentations.
  3. There's a growing concern among parents about their involvement in decisions about school education. Some feel their voices are not being heard in discussions about the guidelines related to sexual education.

Chuck Your Privilege

Persuasion • 2908 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Checking your privilege based on certain characteristics isn't as impactful as acknowledging and renouncing the privilege of money or class.
  2. Elite college students are likely to come from wealthy backgrounds or are aiming for prestigious, high-paying careers, prioritizing money and status over making a positive impact in the world.
  3. It is possible to act on privilege related to wealth and status by renouncing financial support, declining elite opportunities, and embracing a more humble and real outlook.

"You need to grasp the nettle"

City Quitters • 379 implied HN points • 14 Jun 24
🪑 Design Education
  1. It's important to focus on community spaces in rural areas. Smaller projects can have a bigger positive impact on people's lives.
  2. Designing with local resources fosters a sense of identity and connection. Using nearby materials can be more sustainable and supportive of the local economy.
  3. Embracing imagination and being open to new ideas can lead to great changes. Beauty exists not just in design but in the relationships and systems we build.

Mrs. Inventosh

Disaffected Newsletter • 2817 implied HN points • 14 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Mrs. Inventosh taught her fifth-grade class about the Holocaust in a real and impactful way, sharing her own family's stories. These stories made history more relatable and memorable for the kids.
  2. She introduced her students to Jewish culture by cooking traditional foods like latkes in class. This gave kids a warm and welcoming experience that helped them understand different traditions.
  3. Mrs. Inventosh showed special care for her students, especially those who struggled. By encouraging a love for reading and taking time to connect individually, she made a lasting positive impact on their lives.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

AI Links, 12/21/2025

In My Tribe • 197 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Education
  1. AI can run many human-like interviews and assessments cheaply and reliably, letting organizations collect richer open-ended responses at scale.
  2. Even when AI succeeds technically, the firms that build models might not capture the value—competition can erode profits and create financial risks even as enterprise usage and integration grow.
  3. Whoever controls the data, algorithms, and coordination networks gains real decision-making power, and AI’s fast adaptability could outpace human retraining and reshape many jobs.

"Uplift Suasion" vs. Dysfunctional Black Behavior

Journal of Free Black Thought • 48 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Publicly visible behavior heavily shapes how Black people are seen, and viral incidents of misconduct tend to be generalized and reinforce harmful stereotypes.
  2. A long-standing idea called "uplift suasion" held that discipline, education, and moral example could refute racist myths, but that ethic has weakened and is often criticized as "acting white."
  3. While structural racism matters, communities also need honest self-critique and a collective commitment to family stability, personal responsibility, and respectful public conduct to improve their image and prospects.

The Futility of Trigger Warnings

Persuasion • 2830 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Some universities are implementing trigger warnings on classic literature which may not actually be helpful for students' mental health.
  2. Research shows that trigger warnings do not alleviate emotional distress and may even increase anxiety in individuals with PTSD.
  3. There is concern that the trend of trigger warnings on literature may degrade the transformative power of art and hinder students' growth.

Save Gad Saad!

Daily Dreher • 1513 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
📰 News Education
  1. Gad Saad needs support for being unwoke at his university in Montreal.
  2. Concordia University in Montreal is facing criticism for its ultra-woke direction.
  3. The university's approach may impact scholarship and cause professors to leave.

How Do You Fix Schools? Teachers Union Says Stop Trump, ICE, and Fascism

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1460 implied HN points • 11 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Many teachers are worried about low reading and math skills among students. A lot of fourth graders can't read well and only a few twelfth graders are good at math.
  2. At a recent teachers' union meeting, some members felt the focus was more on political issues than on improving teaching. They wanted to talk about better ways to teach but were told there was no time for that.
  3. There seems to be a strong desire among teachers to prioritize fighting political figures and ideas over tackling the pressing educational challenges faced in schools.

Against the hydraulic analogy

lcamtuf’s thing • 4081 implied HN points • 27 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Education
  1. The hydraulic analogy, which compares electrical circuits to water systems, is often misleading. It can create confusion, especially when learning complex components like semiconductors.
  2. While analogies can aid in understanding, they need to remain accurate as you learn more advanced concepts. The hydraulic analogy can break down and lead to misunderstandings.
  3. When students encounter flaws in the hydraulic analogy, it may cause them to forget the basics and start over, making the learning process harder than it needs to be.

The Presidential Fitness Test Was Humbling. I’m Glad It’s Back.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1112 implied HN points • 13 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. The Presidential Fitness Test taught kids that hard work can lead to improvement and strength. It showed how physical challenges can help boost confidence.
  2. Recalling old memories of the test highlights how it was often a mix of fun and embarrassment for students. It’s a reminder that everyone has different abilities and experiences in sports.
  3. Reinstating the test aims to tackle the growing health issues among Americans. It encourages people to get active and strive for better physical fitness.

Behind the $221 Million Columbia Antisemitism Deal

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1293 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Columbia University is paying $21 million to settle claims of antisemitism on campus. Many Jewish faculty, staff, and students can get payouts because of this issue.
  2. The settlement is the largest of its kind by the EEOC and highlights serious problems that Jewish people faced at Columbia, like feeling unsafe and being discriminated against.
  3. There's uncertainty about whether this deal will lead to real changes at Columbia to prevent antisemitism in the future. People are concerned if these actions will change the campus environment for the better.

I Know That I Know Nothing

Fields & Energy • 339 implied HN points • 17 Jun 24
🔬 Science Education
  1. Admitting you don't know something is important for growth. It helps you start fresh and build better understanding.
  2. Real science often challenges the current beliefs. Great discoveries come when people realize the accepted ideas might be wrong.
  3. Being open to being wrong can lead to better learning. It's key for scientists to question what they think they know.

On the greats and mathematical style

Infinitely More • 15 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
🔬 Science Education
  1. Greatness in mathematics is hard to rank because insights can come from many people and eras, and being the first often involves luck since ideas are sometimes "in the air."
  2. Simple, clear, easy-to-understand arguments are especially valued because they are easier to check and to learn from, and playful thought experiments or metaphors help visualize problems and reveal strategies.
  3. There are different successful working styles—long solitary grinds on one problem versus collaborative, social approaches that switch problems—and many practitioners pursue mathematics for the love of the subject rather than for prizes, with online collaboration regularly sparking new work.

Will this policy be the one which loosens the stranglehold of 'gender-identity affirmation' in NZ schools?

A B’Old Woman • 579 implied HN points • 08 May 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. A new guide from Ethos Alliance in New Zealand offers a different approach to handling gender identity in schools. It suggests a method called 'watchful waiting,' which is about giving kids time to explore their feelings about gender.
  2. The guide is meant to provide clear information for schools and parents that isn't driven by specific ideologies. It aims to reassure concerned teachers and families about the options available regarding gender identity.
  3. There has been pressure on schools to support gender-identity affirmation without enough evidence that it benefits children. Ethos Alliance hopes their guide helps start a more balanced conversation around this issue.

"Affordability" Isn’t Really What You Think

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 246 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Median male full-time pay no longer by itself buys the single-earner middle-class life it used to, because spouses now contribute large shares of family income.
  2. Many rightwing men feel a painful loss of status when they can’t be sole breadwinners or when household authority shifts, and having more consumer goods doesn’t solve that dignity problem.
  3. For most people outside that TradLife slice, the affordability complaint is primarily about rising nominal prices and a broken social contract—especially for housing, childcare, college, and medical care—rather than a lack of real improvements in goods.

An Illustrated Survival Guide

OK Doomer • 337 implied HN points • 28 Nov 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Education
  1. There are two versions of the survival guide: one serious and one more casual. This way, readers can choose the style they prefer.
  2. The guide will cover essential survival topics, especially focusing on helping vulnerable people during tough situations like extreme weather.
  3. Support for the project is important, and the creator will share completed parts of the guide with subscribers as they go along.

DeFi Education Q&A (May 2024 pt. 1)

DeFi Education • 579 implied HN points • 04 May 24
🔮 Crypto Education
  1. DeFi education is important for understanding finance and crypto. It helps people make informed decisions in the market.
  2. Q&A sessions feature experts who share their knowledge. This is a great opportunity to learn from experienced professionals.
  3. Staying updated with the latest trends in DeFi can lead to better investment choices. Engaging in discussions and asking questions enhances your understanding.

The 10 Most Popular Waste Investigations of 2025

OpenTheBooks Substack • 163 implied HN points • 01 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. They pushed for much greater federal transparency, including real-time visibility into Treasury payments and a public database of federal employees so taxpayers can see who’s paid and why.
  2. Investigations revealed widespread taxpayer waste, improper payments, and cozy contracts at federal, state, and local levels, showing systemic misspending and abuse across government.
  3. A large study found higher school payrolls were linked to worse student performance, suggesting more spending on staff and overhead doesn’t automatically improve outcomes and needs policy change.

What Justice Scalia Taught Me

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 996 implied HN points • 19 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. It's important for law students to support different opinions. This helps them learn how to find justice in the courts.
  2. Working as a prosecutor can be meaningful, but sometimes you might face tough decisions that challenge your values.
  3. Standing up for what you believe in, even if it means leaving a job you love, is important for personal and professional integrity.

Another Boringly Obvious Observation

Chuck Palahniuk's Plot Spoiler • 2437 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
📚 Literature Education
  1. Recall incidents like the Ross Steering Gear crisis can have broader impact on industries and supply chains.
  2. Combining personal experience with technical skills is crucial for writers to create meaningful work.
  3. According to one study, people tend to create their masterpiece around the age of thirty-one by combining formal education with life experiences.

The 2024 state of social media

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 3732 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Social media is now more about fun and learning than personal chats. People want to be entertained as they scroll.
  2. Instagram is the top platform for engaging brand content. Many users love to see brands posting more there.
  3. YouTube is still important, especially for longer videos. Users enjoy in-depth content, even from brands, making it stand out in a world of short clips.

What Florida Is (and Isn't) Teaching Students about Slavery

Glenn Loury • 3551 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. The Florida Board of Education's guidelines for teaching African American history include lessons on the Underground Railroad, slave rebellions, and the harsh realities of chattel slavery.
  2. The controversy on the Florida curriculum involves a debate between emphasizing victimization or acknowledging the agency of enslaved individuals.
  3. Some researchers argue that recognizing the agency of enslaved blacks does not downplay the inhumane aspects of slavery and can provide a more nuanced understanding of their experiences.

Affirmative action! White men! Controversy!

Philosophy bear • 185 implied HN points • 25 Dec 25
📖 Philosophy Education
  1. Meritocracy is always going to be imperfect because luck, connections, and structural factors mean many deserving people still miss out, and the public treats merit as a moral entitlement so complaints are common but often hard to remedy.
  2. Claims that white men have been broadly excluded are overstated — where exclusion is real it’s concentrated in media, cultural industries, and parts of academia, and in some fields affirmative action has noticeably shifted hiring odds while white men remain well represented in many areas.
  3. The constructive response is careful rebalancing rather than wholesale rollback: acknowledge and mitigate the harms to invisibly disadvantaged people, and push policies that expand high-quality jobs and create second‑chance pathways so the pie grows instead of people just fighting over slices.

A Mom Asked for Public School Board Records. They Charged Her $33 Million.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 3426 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. Parents are increasingly suing schools to find out what their children are learning. This shows a demand for transparency in education.
  2. Some schools are responding by suing parents to silence them. This creates a conflict between parents' rights to know and schools' desire to keep information private.
  3. A mom was quoted a shocking amount of over $33 million to access public school records. This highlights how expensive and complicated it can be to get information from schools.

Keep The Talent Funnel Wide (Part 2)

Range Widely • 1808 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Diversifying entry points in talent development accommodates both fast risers and slow bakers.
  2. Slow and steady development can lead to significant achievements in various fields, like art.
  3. Encouraging diverse entry points into fields like art can help discover talent that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Welcome to Hamassachusetts

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2652 implied HN points • 14 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. There is a growing concern about antisemitism in Massachusetts public schools. Lawmakers are highlighting this issue during discussions and hearings.
  2. A recent event featured a state representative showing a folded dollar bill as a symbol of antisemitism, sparking reactions from teachers and union leaders.
  3. The leader of the Massachusetts Teachers Association did not make a judgment when asked if that imagery was antisemitic, reflecting a complex conversation around these topics.

DeFi Education Q&A (April 2024 pt. 1)

DeFi Education • 659 implied HN points • 06 Apr 24
🔮 Crypto Education
  1. The Q&A sessions provide expert insights from experienced professionals in finance and software. This means you'll get reliable knowledge directly from people who really know what they're talking about.
  2. These sessions are just for paid subscribers, which helps ensure quality content and an engaged audience. It's a space designed for those who are truly interested in learning more.
  3. The focus is also on staying updated with the fast-moving world of cryptocurrency and finance, so you'll always be learning the latest trends and information. It's an opportunity to grow your understanding of DeFi in real-time.

8 Forecasts & Implications for the Years Ahead :: 2024+

Implications, by Scott Belsky • 1356 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Education
  1. The future will be personalized to your preferences, with digital experiences tailored to you.
  2. Local OS-native AI models will improve everyday life and redefine consumer AI, focusing on personalization, trust, and privacy.
  3. Small brands will become more competitive with big brands, AI will influence purchase decisions, and education will undergo a significant transformation.

Where the Magic Doesn’t Happen

After Babel • 3133 implied HN points • 02 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. Technology can make personal development harder. Instead of helping kids grow and learn, instant access to things distracts them from meaningful experiences.
  2. Magic, or instant and effortless results, should not be in places where kids learn and grow. Schools, homes, and churches need to avoid tech that takes away from real relationships and hard work.
  3. Even a short break from screens can help families reconnect. When tech is removed, people quickly find joy in being together and engaging in real life.

We Need a Renaissance of Rhetoric

Investing 101 • 73 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Education
  1. The art of rhetoric is fading because attention-driven tech and emotional political theater reward quick, persuasive tricks over careful reasoning.
  2. AI and modern information systems are changing language and thought, making it easy for people to hand over their worldview to platforms or partisan narratives instead of forming their own judgments.
  3. We need a renaissance of rhetoric and spirited purpose: teach people to read, debate, and think critically so they can be convinced by good reasons again.

The Vibe Shift Comes to the Super Bowl. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2582 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. This year's Super Bowl showed a shift in culture with new messages like 'Choose Love' in the end zone. The halftime show featuring Kendrick Lamar mixed patriotism with social commentary.
  2. Democrats are trying to defend USAID amid controversies, but many people believe foreign aid is excessive, which could backfire on their political support.
  3. American public education continues to struggle, with students falling behind, and some educators are allegedly trying to obscure the problem instead of fixing it.

A High Schooler Graduated with a 3.4 GPA. He Can’t Read His Diploma. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2480 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education
  1. A high school graduate with a decent GPA didn't learn how to read, highlighting serious issues in education today. This has sparked legal action against the school district for not providing proper education.
  2. Many people agree that kids today are not performing as well academically, partly due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to concerns about declining intelligence and skills among young students.
  3. Recent political events have raised questions about justice and accountability, especially regarding figures like Trump and his pardons for individuals involved in corruption. Such actions have sparked debate about fairness in the legal system.

DeFi Education Q&A (April 2024 pt. 2)

DeFi Education • 539 implied HN points • 20 Apr 24
🔮 Crypto Education
  1. The Q&A sessions are led by experienced people from finance and crypto, so you can learn a lot.
  2. These sessions help both new and existing subscribers stay updated on the latest in DeFi.
  3. It's a good opportunity to gain insights and ask questions to deepen your understanding of decentralized finance.

A slightly tipsy investigation into my wife's superpower

Experimental History • 7657 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🔬 Science Education
  1. Some people have unique sensory abilities that others may not understand or share, like detecting the lingering smell of eggs on plates even after washing.
  2. Being open-minded and receptive to new ideas is important to avoid rigidity in thinking and to continuously learn and grow.
  3. Academic professions, like journal publishing and university rankings, can sometimes involve questionable practices that prioritize profit over knowledge or ethics.

DeFi Education Q&A (February 2024 pt. 2)

DeFi Education • 879 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🔮 Crypto Education
  1. Q&A sessions give you insights from experts in finance and software. It's a great way to learn from people who know the field well.
  2. These sessions are for anyone interested in DeFi, whether you're new or looking to deepen your understanding. Everyone can benefit from the information shared.
  3. Being part of these discussions can help you make better decisions in your financial journey. Engaging with knowledgeable individuals can provide clarity on complex topics.