Educator’s Notebook #493 (July 27, 2025)
INTRODUCTION
Polarization, collaboration, prioritization, and more
An excellent week.
It’s hard to escape politics in education these days, and one of this week’s features reminds us that students want to escape today’s politics, too. Find several other posts on the theme throughout.
Also in the features, find a thoughtful piece on the power and importance of teacher collaboration. AI does provide new support for teachers, but little beats the pleasure and productivity of a group of people working together towards a shared goal.
So many other great pieces this week, and if I’m to spotlight one other mid-summer delight, it would be the piece in Reading/Writing on the gentleman who recorded the nearly 3,600 books he read during his lifetime. It’s an inspiration to be more deliberate in choosing and recording the books that make it to the shelf.
These and many more, enjoy!
Peter
PS. Last chance to submit proposals to SXSW EDU. Panelpicker closes today!
More and more people want phone bans in schools. See more in Tech.
Browse and search over 15,000 curated articles from past issues online:
FEATURED
“My Generation Is Sick Of Your Culture Wars. Here’s What Students Really Need.”
“Don’t decide which narratives I’m allowed to access. Give me the tools to think critically and let me decide for myself… If we want classrooms where every student can thrive, both liberals and conservatives must work to fully embody Jefferson’s belief. Our ideologies may differ, but most of us ultimately want the same thing: human flourishing.”
“Social Tinkering” And The Power Of Teacher Collaboration
“In my research studying pairs of learners, I've found that some of the most powerful moments of learning resilience come from interactions that might initially seem counterproductive: disagreements, challenges, and questions that create productive tension. When one student challenges another's approach or expresses confusion about a solution, it forces both learners to articulate their thinking more clearly and navigate uncertainty together. This collaborative struggle builds capacities that solitary work, even with AI assistance, cannot emulate.”
ADMISSIONS
What Are College Counselor Perceptions Of The Reasons For College?
“The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine school counselors’ beliefs about the major benefits associated with college attendance. Study findings indicated school counselors focused on students’ individual benefits rather than broader societal impacts associated with college attendance. Participants identified four salient categories of benefits associated with college attendance, including career preparation, financial gains, knowledge expansion, and personal growth and development.”
ADOLESCENCE
“Biggest Threats To Teens’ Mental Health” [Infographic]
“‘Folktales’ Review: A Bracing Education In Arctic Norway”
“At Pasvik Folk High School, where the curriculum revolves around Nordic traditions and survival skills, cellphones are not verboten, but eventually their lure subsides… Students from around the world learn to hunt and build fires, to care for the Huskies and endure the monthslong polar night, all while navigating that poignant and charged phase on the cusp of adulthood.”
At What Age Did Today’s Tweens Get Their First Smartphone?
“The vast majority—nearly 80%—of respondents said they have their own smartphone, and another 5% said they have a phone that is not a smartphone. About half the kids in the survey have phone with a data plan—which gives them constant access to the internet.”
CHARACTER
On Coping In A Time Of “I Hate, Therefore I Am”
Stories Of Taking Charge To Bring About An Idea
“Want More Self Control? The Secret Isn’t Willpower.”
CREATIVITY
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION
“Appeals Court Backs Arkansas Law Targeting Critical Race Theory”
“The law exempts teaching about “issues of the day” and allows discussions about the ideas and history of concepts described in the law. The state argued in court papers that the law “does not prohibit teaching about Critical Race Theory,” only “teaching that would indoctrinate students with [such] ideologies.””
GOVERNMENT
Larry Summers On Columbia’s Recent Decision
4 Legal Experts On Recent SCOTUS Rulings On K-12 Education
“The 2024-2025 Supreme Court term was a consequential one for K-12 public education. The Court considered the legality of religious charter schools (Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond), the rights of students with disabilities to access a public education (A. J. T. v. Osseo Area Schools), and whether parents should be allowed to opt their children out of lessons or access to curriculum material that conflicts with their religious beliefs (Mahmoud v. Taylor). In this piece, we invited experts on education law and policy to share their reactions to the Supreme Court’s recent decisions this term.”
HUMANITIES
LEADERSHIP
How Strategic Organizations Succeed
How To Reframe Your Questions To Make Them Better
“Stupid questions are easy to turn into smart opportunities. Notice the following examples. “Don’t you think it would be better if…?” Or “What are some other options?” “Why did you do it that way?” Or “What didn’t happen that caused this failure?” “What were you thinking?” Or “What would you do differently next time?” “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Or “What makes you believe that will work?”
Strategic Priorities For A First Year Headship
Leaders: Your Faculty Are Customers, Too.
“Employees are customers who decide daily how much energy to give to their work. Here’s how leaders can understand and segment their workforce to identify what employees want most — and act on it.”
“What A… School Leader Has Learned From Shadowing His Students”
LEARNING SCIENCE
PD
PEDAGOGY
READING/WRITING
“He Read (At Least) 3,599 Books In His Lifetime. Now Anyone Can See His List.”
“After Dan Pelzer died this month at 92, his children uploaded the handwritten reading list to what-dan-read.com, hoping to inspire readers everywhere.”
"11 Tips For Being A Columnist”
“So you wanna be a columnist, eh? Young aspiring journalists and wizened elders often ask how I scored this sweet gig. Truth is, I don’t entirely know. There’s no chance of replicating the particular mix of skill, work and (mostly) serendipity that contributed to my path here. Still, I can offer advice to other lucky pundits who land this perch. Lord knows my own track record is far from perfect, but here are 11 pointers and principles I’ve aspired to:”
SAFETY
SOCIAL MEDIA
STEM
“Why Word Problems Feel So Hard And What Teachers Can Do”
“Gender Gap In Math Performance Starts Early In Elementary School”
“As to solutions, the report encourages education for teachers and parents to erase gendered stereotypes, as well as any anxieties of their own on the subject, and suggests schools should provide access to strong role models of scientists, analysts, teachers, astronauts, and statisticians for girls to appreciate and emulate. Good practices for anyone interested in boosting the presence of women and girls in math and science.”
TECH
Make The Change: Support For Cellphone Bans Keeps Rising
“Today, 74% of U.S. adults say they would support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class, up from 68% last fall. Far fewer (19%) oppose classroom bans and 7% are unsure, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in June.”
WORKPLACE
“Fully Remote Work [Is] Least Popular With Gen Z”
“Gen Z prefers hybrid work and is more likely to want employees in the office more often.”
“4 Day School Weeks May Have Diminishing Returns For Teacher Recruitment”
GENERAL
What Are The Fastest Shrinking Jobs?
What Are The Fastest Growing Jobs?
Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters” Is A Surprising Summer Diversion
“Stephen Colbert Connects Chance The Rapper To “Lord Of The Rings””
A.I. Update
A.I. UPDATE
Canvas joins the AI race, how kids are using AI, and more
The biggest quiet announcement this week was Instructure’s press release that Canvas will begin integrating ChatGPT into its LMS. AI is increasingly native in more and more of our software.
Also this week, find several helpful surveys on how students are using AI: the feature post includes useful data on the ways kids use AI, The Rithm Project’s research shares what young people wish adults knew, and the Chronicle of Higher Ed offers insight into college student use of AI. These are all super helpful for teachers who can integrate this kind of information into how we design our learning experiences.
Also this week, a reminder that we can draw on AI as something like a personal board of advisors. Consider this a productive and provocative use case!
These and more, enjoy!
Peter
See Preply’s survey in the Features for more.
TECH/AI: FEATURED
ChatGPT Will Be Integrated Directly Into Canvas
“The first tool Instructure is launching is a new type of assignment called the LLM-Enabled Assignment, designed to let educators create a custom GPT-like experience within Canvas. Teachers can define how AI interacts with students, set specific learning goals and objectives and determine what evidence of learning it should track. They can do this using natural language prompts or by leveraging an assistant within the assignment creation flow to guide them through the process.”
What Do Kids Use AI For In School?
“To better understand how AI is being adopted by students, we set out to learn where young minds across the U.S. are utilizing this technology the most. From 18-year-old high schoolers to college students, and parents of younger teens, we looked at how often students rely on AI tools, for what, and what tools they use the most.”
TECH/AI: EDUCATION
“What Young People Wish Adults Knew [About AI]”
4 Ways To Use AI In Instructional Design
On Your Exam Strategy In An AI Time
Stanford's White Paper On AI And Learning Differences
“Strategies For Taking Advantage Of AI As A New Administrator”
AI Is A Study Partner For Kids. We Must Adapt To This.
Six Ways To Change Our Language Around AI For Education
An Open-Ended Approach To Student AI Usage: One Question
“How did you use AI while completing this assignment?”
TECH/AI: ETHICS AND RISK
“The Post-Reality Era”
“This is distinct from the post‑truth era we’re still free‑falling through. Post‑truth meant arguing over facts inside a loosely shared stage—often delusional, but still shared. Most people agreed COVID‑19 existed (come on, folks!), but the debates were about masks, data points, and motives. In a post‑reality era, reality may be AI-generated, but it’s stamped as “real” based on how it felt and what it moved you to do and believe, not by who or what produced it.”
Reminder Of Bias: ChatGPT Advises Women To Ask For Lower Salaries
TECH/AI: USES AND APPLICATIONS
How To Build A Personal Board Of Directors With GenAI
“Using GenAI tools, leaders can construct a virtual, personal board of directors made of personas modeled after current and historic thinkers and strategists. Author Vipin Gupta has made an MVP Board based on leaders including Steve Jobs, Indra Nooyi, and Nelson Mandela. Each virtual adviser offers distinct perspectives on strategy, innovation, ethics, and operations questions. Combined with your human relationships, your own virtual board would form a hybrid team of advisers.”