THE ESSENTIALS Fifty years ago, sociologists Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron denounced the meritocratic illusion of school. These social and achievement inequalities persist, as highlighted by school assessments. Behind the promotion of excellence, we continue to transform socially inherited skills into academic judgments. The promise that schools make to the nearly 12 million students who […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
School in the age of competitive individualism? Behind the rhetoric of excellence, the meritocratic illusion
Why the ugly history of IQ testing matters for AI and education
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has recently been discussing “artificial general intelligence” that matches or surpasses human capabilities. This is from the same person who has said children born today (including his own) will “never be more intelligent than AI, from a ‘raw IQ’” (intelligence quotient) perspective. United States President Donald Trump has also recently mused […] … learn more→
Do you think teachers are similar to coaches, pastors or something else? It depends on where you live
Three answers, three countries, one open-ended question: “Teaching is similar to what other occupation or activity?” We asked this question to more than 3,000 people across the United States, England and Australia between May 2025 and March 2026. Coaching was the front-runner across all three countries. But the similarities partially diverged there. Respondents in England […] … learn more→
A ‘vitamin’ of critical thinking: learning rhetoric in school
What relationship can there be between the results of an international educational test, such as PISA, and the democratic quality of a country? Only twenty-five fully functioning democracies remain in the world . The democratic system is weak because it requires the exchange of diverse viewpoints among its free and equal citizens. These citizens are […] … learn more→
Not everything that is possible is desirable: what philosophy contributes to engineering
Imagine the following problem: we are trying to send trash into space to prevent it from accumulating on Earth, but we are not yet able to do so efficiently. How could we solve this? When I posed this question to my undergraduate engineering students during the Ecodesign course , one of the proposed solutions was […] … learn more→
Why Students Should Use a Grade Calculator
Studying is hard enough, but for many subjects or courses keeping track of grades can be a challenge on its own. A course may include grades on quizzes, projects, homework assignments, midterm exams, presentations, final exams, etc. Each of these is typically weighted differently so just looking at your scores would not easily tell you […] … learn more→
Damian Creamer on The Architecture of Learning: Why the “Whole Child” Is a System Requirement, Not a Soft Ideal
In most education strategy conversations, “whole child” appears in the mission statement and the conference title. Then? It gives way to the real discussion about outcomes, platforms, and now artificial intelligence. Damian Creamer, founder and CEO of Primavera Online School and StrongMind, argues the phrase has been filed in the wrong drawer. “People treat the […] … learn more→
Towards “AI bilingualism”: learning to work with it and learning to work without it
Artificial intelligence (AI), and especially generative artificial intelligence, its most visible branch, is already widely used by students – from middle school to higher education in increasing proportions – and by teachers. Will AI help schools overcome their crises, or will it prevent young people from thinking for themselves and acquiring real skills, turning teachers […] … learn more→
Three common study myths busted by a learning expert – and better strategies to use instead
As high school and university students approach the exam period, study sessions often increase and intensify. But even when students are “trying hard” to study they can still fall into some common study traps that hinder, rather than help, their learning. I research how the human mind learns. Here are three misconceptions about studying, and […] … learn more→
Best Math Apps for kids in 2026: An honest, tested comparison
Quick answer: The best math apps for kids depend on your child’s age and what you need. For story-driven practice that keeps kids ages 5 to 10 coming back on their own, MathHero is the strongest pick. For the earliest counting and number recognition, Khan Academy Kids and Moose Math fit better. For skills beyond […] … learn more→
