The hottest Schooling Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Literature Topics

Open Thread 388

Astral Codex Ten • 2477 implied HN points • 30 Jun 25
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. The Alpha School received mixed reviews, with some people sharing positive experiences while others had negative ones, often discussing issues related to admissions and tuition costs.
  2. There's a discussion about whether schools could shorten their curriculum to just two hours a day and still be effective, which raises questions about the current school system's structure.
  3. A reader is seeking professionals with FDA regulatory experience to provide feedback on a new tool for life science labs. This shows there's a need for better solutions in regulatory documentation.

Good Schools or Good Genes?

ideassleepfuriously • 943 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Debate on grammar schools vs. comprehensives is rooted in egalitarianism vs. meritocracy.
  2. Studies show grammar schools do not significantly improve student grades or social mobility compared to comprehensives.
  3. Grammar school debate reflects underlying issues of classism and societal perceptions of education.

A Second Year with Douglas Murray

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 3524 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
📚 Literature Schooling
  1. Good journalism involves highlighting things that work beautifully in the world, not just what's broken.
  2. Memorizing great literature allows for personal growth and different insights over time.
  3. Memories and philosophical insights of great artists live on when memorized, representing a form of freedom.

Some Recent Essays on Schooling

In My Tribe • 303 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. The Null Hypothesis suggests that many education methods don't really change student learning over time. When improvements do happen, they often fade away later.
  2. Extrinsic motivation, like rewards, can be a strong driver for student achievement. Personalized rewards for students can help them engage better in their learning.
  3. Different students have varied learning needs, and a one-size-fits-all approach might not work. Many students thrive in structured environments where they learn together, even if it feels less exciting.

Here are 13 Other Explanations For The Adolescent Mental Health Crisis. None of Them Work.

After Babel • 2133 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🏥 Health Politics Schooling
  1. Smartphones and social media are the main factors behind the adolescent mental health crisis.
  2. The decline in independence among children and teens may be a contributing factor to the rise in teen depression, but it works in conjunction with smartphones and social media.
  3. Alternative explanations such as increased academic pressure or lack of places to hang out do not fully explain the significant increase in teen depression rates.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

School is Uncool: The Good & Bad of a Formal Education

The Hard Fork by Marvin Liao • 216 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Children start with wild creativity and courage but often conform as they grow older due to social pressures.
  2. To succeed, it's important to be authentic, think independently, and stand out from the crowd.
  3. Balancing formal education with informal learning is crucial for helping kids develop critical thinking skills and avoid becoming 'cookie-cutter sheeple.'

Sexism is not why boys suck at school

Sex and the State • 101 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Boys perform worse in school not mainly because of sexism, but rather due to societal pressures and expectations around masculinity. Many boys think focusing on school is not 'manly' and this affects their effort and engagement.
  2. The environment at home plays a big role in how boys do in school. Boys tend to do better in stable, low-stress homes, and they struggle more in difficult situations compared to girls.
  3. Having more female teachers doesn't hurt boys' performance; instead, boys often feel they can't connect with them because they associate success in school with femininity. This shows that changing how we view education could help boys succeed.

The biological reasons boys suck at school

Sex and the State • 49 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🚌 Education Schooling
  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.

Links for May

Bullfish Hole • 78 implied HN points • 11 May 23
🎭️ Culture Schooling
  1. There is no evidence of a whaler being swallowed by a sperm whale, but a lobster diver was accidentally swallowed by a humpback whale in 2021.
  2. Assisted suicide has widespread support in Canada, but there was a tragic mass suicide incident involving a Kenyan cult.
  3. Abolishing tenure in universities may not effectively address the issue of politicization and could make matters worse, according to different perspectives.

sunday memepool: an education

bad cattitude • 101 implied HN points • 05 Jan 25
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Education is evolving, and it's important to stay updated. Keep learning about new trends and methods.
  2. There are many modern issues that require fresh thinking. It's good to approach problems with a new perspective.
  3. Engaging with communities can provide valuable insights. Sharing experiences and ideas can help everyone grow.

Links to Consider, 2/6

In My Tribe • 243 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Mark Mills raises concerns about the environmental impact of electric vehicles.
  2. Zvi Mowshowitz advocates for grade skipping in education for better outcomes.
  3. Peter Gray argues for reducing the role of coercive schooling to promote children's passionate interests.

Marked Absent

Outlandish Claims • 1 HN point • 10 Jul 24
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. In language, marking certain traits as different or special allows us to understand norms. This concept of 'markedness' plays a significant role in societal perceptions.
  2. An unmarked system can hide problems or biases. For example, schools being seen as the norm might overlook issues like sexual abuse within them.
  3. Standardized education doesn't always equate to real-life success. Studies show homeschooled children, often considered 'marked,' can perform similarly or better academically.

Sal Khan, Serial Education Revolutionary

Freddie deBoer • 11 HN points • 11 Jan 24
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Sal Khan's past promises about revolutionizing education with Khan Academy videos have not come true.
  2. Educational outcomes are heavily influenced by inequalities in society and students' inherent academic potential.
  3. Acknowledging the limitations of formal schooling is important for understanding the reality of closing academic gaps and erasing social inequality.

Schools can't teach social skills

Penelope Trunk's Substack • 0 implied HN points • 09 Dec 23
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Schools may not effectively teach social skills, so parents can create workarounds.
  2. There is no FDA-approved treatment for social skills in school-aged kids, and interventions may focus on behavior modification.
  3. Autistic individuals may not need to interact with 'normal' people and tend to surround themselves with like-minded individuals.

How should we enable playful learning?

resonantbrain • 0 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Children naturally learn best through play and exploration, making traditional teaching methods less effective. It's important to allow children the freedom to explore and discover on their own.
  2. Playful learning goes beyond standardized curriculum; it involves letting children engage with topics through hands-on experiences like playing with mud to learn about science concepts.
  3. Adults should act as guides in a child's learning journey, sharing the joy of exploration and discovery, rather than being the sole source of knowledge. Success lies in the journey of self-discovery and purposeful living.

Lots of excused absences correlate to high test scores

Penelope Trunk's Substack • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🚌 Education Schooling
  1. Taking students out of elementary school for extra activities like cello lessons can lead to higher test scores
  2. Unexcused absences can indicate parenting problems while excused absences correlate with higher test scores
  3. Research shows that the impact of parents taking students out of school more often on test scores is more significant in low-income families