The hottest Learning Outcomes Substack posts right now

People argue about heritability, but what most people really care about is mutability — whether education and policy can change students' academic outcomes.
Research shows students' relative academic positions are largely set early and remain stable despite interventions, suggesting there are consistent individual differences that schooling rarely eliminates.
Non-genetic factors like prematurity, lead exposure, or brain injury can cause large, lasting academic harms, so 'environmental' does not automatically mean a problem is controllable or easily fixed.

A new class on Large Language Models (LLMs) was created to help Cognitive Science students understand the intersection of AI and human cognition, especially after the popularity of technologies like ChatGPT.
The course covered the history and technical foundations of LLMs, with hands-on labs and discussions that helped students think critically about their societal impacts and ethical concerns.
For future classes, there's a desire to expand the content, particularly by adding discussions on topics like tokenization and exploring more philosophical aspects of LLMs.

Education needs to focus on what students should remember and be able to do, rather than just what they can get from AI like chatbots.
Instead of banning AI, we should find ways to use it in learning, just like we adapted to calculators in math classes.
Understanding the basics behind complex tools like AI is important, as all tools have limitations and can miss important details.

AI chatbots in education may not be as effective as human tutors in achieving a two-sigma difference in learning.
Students are likely to prefer classroom teachers over AI chatbots when given the choice.
Changes in teacher attrition or hiring due to AI chatbots in education may not be significant in large school districts.

Innovation in schools should be the default, not based on permissions.
Current policies often focus on inputs rather than learning outcomes.
Creating true innovation in schools requires significant effort and dedicated work.

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