Education

Ever wake up just before your alarm? It might not be a coincidence… It turns out, our brains have a natural way of keeping track of time, an inborn “clock” mechanism, which is synchronised to light in our environment. It’s got the coolest name for such a tiny brain region: the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - literally, the group of cells (nucleus) above (supra) the optic chiasm (crossing). The SCN is essentially your brain’s “master clock” because it is responsible for coordinating our circadian rhythms. Light-sensitive cells in your eyes send signals to the SCN, which regulates melatonin - a hormone that makes us sleepy - via the pineal gland. Our species evolved to be diurnal, being active in the day and sleeping at night. As a result, daylight inhibits melatonin release, making us more alert. At night, the lack of light promotes melatonin release, making us sleepy. This is why for better sleep hygiene, experts often recommend limiting exposure to electronic devices for at least an hour before bedtime. The light from electronic devices can shift your body clock and this gets aggravated by heightened anxiety associated with doom scrolling -- neither of which helps your sleep. Want to support your brain’s internal clock? A few simple habits can make a big difference: 👉 Get natural sunlight in the morning. This helps reset your body clock. 👉 Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends. 👉 Limit screens at least an hour before bed. 👉 Keep your bedroom dark and cool to promote better sleep. BTW, in teenagers melatonin starts to be produced later at night, which is why many teenagers don’t feel sleepy until much later in the evening. It’s also the reason they struggle to get up in the morning. For teens, going to school early is a bit like forcing them into a different time zone during the week and only letting them reset on weekends. When your teenager sleeps in on the weekends, bear in mind they are dealing with a genuine biological change in their circadian rhythm during the teenage years. So when you wake right before your alarm, blame (or credit!) your suprachiasmatic nucleus for being such a good time keeper! Understanding our biology helps us work with our natural rhythms rather than against them. How do you optimize your daily schedule around your circadian patterns?

Atlassian has been fully distributed for almost five years. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve learned a lot about how to keep teams thriving across time zones—and we’re applying those insights every day.  ➡️ Asynchronous work: Async tools are at the core of how we operate. Confluence is our virtual hub where we share stories, celebrate new hires, and collaborate effortlessly. We also use Loom to share videos and give feedback on our own time—avoiding those dreaded “this could have been an email” moments. In fact, we’ve saved nearly half a million meetings using Loom! ➡️ Designing workdays: We’ve learned to structure workdays for focus, collaboration, and meetings (only when absolutely necessary). Teams work across no more than two time zones, ensuring at least four hours of overlap to get things done together. ➡️ Intentional connection: Data shows that real connection happens when teams meet regularly—not sporadically in an office. We provide Intentional Togetherness Gatherings (ITGs), curated experiences, and focused in-person time to collaborate. ➡️ Adapting for different needs: It’s not one-size-fits-all. For example, new hires and grads often benefit from more frequent in-person meetups, so we make sure to offer opportunities for them to connect early on. https://lnkd.in/g2sSbe3v

What do you do if you’re a freshman in college today? A family friend’s son is starting college this fall, and they asked me what he should study. A simple question -until you really think about it. By the time he graduates in 4 years, the world will look nothing like it does today. The education system won’t change overnight but the job market will. For decades, the logic of higher education was clear: Get a degree → land a junior role → learn by doing → climb the ladder. But now, the tasks that defined entry-level work - summarizing reports, drafting emails, analyzing data - can now be done instantly, at near-zero cost. These weren’t just chores; they were how young employees built judgment, intuition, and experience. And so I keep coming back to this question: if entry-level jobs disappear, where does experience come from? Much of the work that once bridged the gap between “student” and “professional” can now be done instantly, at near-zero cost. Ironically, education may flip. It used to be vocational at the bottom (trade schools) and theoretical at the top (college). But if AI removes the need for junior roles, will universities start training students directly for higher-level decision-making? Will 'entry-level' begin to disappear entirely? If AI continues to eat away at junior roles, colleges will eventually have to change. Maybe that means: 〰️ More apprenticeship models. Real-world experience will matter more than degrees. 〰️ Less focus on knowledge, more on decision-making and creativity. “What’s the right answer?” will be less valuable than “What are the trade-offs?” 〰️ AI-native professions. Knowing how to wield AI, but also where it breaks, will become its own form of expertise. For today’s students, the challenge isn’t just choosing a major - it’s figuring out how to gain experience when experience itself is being automated. If I were 18 today, I’d focus less on what to study and more on how to build - skills, projects, networks. If you were 18 today, how would you approach the next four years? (Pls tell me so I can pass on the advice)

Common Sense Media recently released a comprehensive risk assessment of AI teacher assistants/lesson planning tools. Their findings reveal that while these tools promise increased productivity and creative support, they're also creating "invisible influencers" that could fundamentally undermine educational quality. Unlike GenAI foundation model chatbots, these tools are specifically designed for instructional planning and classroom use and are rapidly being adopted across districts. Key Concerns from their report: • "Invisible Influencers" in Student Learning: AI-generated content directly shapes what students learn through potentially biased perspectives and historical inaccuracies that teachers may miss; evidence also shows these tools suggest different approaches and responses based on student race/gender • “Outsourced Thinking" Problem: Tools make it dangerously easy to push unreviewed AI instructional content straight to classrooms, while novice teachers lack experience to spot subtle errors and biasses • High-Stakes Outputs: IEP and behavior plan generators create official-looking documents that could impact student educational trajectories even though these plans should be human-generated (and in the case of IEP goals are mandated to be human generated) • Undermining High-Quality Instructional Materials: Without proper integration, these tools fragment learning and can undermine coherent, research-backed curricula Recommendations from the report: • Experienced educator oversight required for all AI-generated educational content • Clear district policies and guidelines for AI teacher assistant implementation • Integration with existing high-quality curricula rather than replacement of established materials • Robust teacher training on identifying bias and evaluating AI outputs • Careful oversight of real-time AI feedback tools that interact directly with students We'd also recommend foundational AI literacy for teachers before they begin using GenAI teacher assistants, so that they are aware of the potential limitations. While AI teacher assistants aren't inherently problematic, they require the same careful implementation and oversight we'd expect for any tool that directly impacts student learning. The potential for enhanced productivity is real, but so are the risks to educational equity and quality. This report underscores the urgent need for GenAI EdTech tool makers to provide evidence of how their tools mitigate these issues along with evidence-based policies and professional development to help educators navigate AI tools responsibly. All of which underline how important AI Literacy is for the 2025-2026 school year. Link in the comments to check out the full report. Also check out our 5 Questions to Ask GenAI EdTech Providers resource in the comments if you are planning to implement any of these tools in your school or district. #AIinEducation #ailiteracy #Education #K12 AI for Education

If you're in tech, Python is a skill that can take you far. But where do you start, and how do you progress? Having mentored developers and switched careers into tech myself, I've put together a roadmap that's helped many navigate their Python journey. Here's a breakdown of key areas to focus on as you level up your Python skills: 1. Core Python    Start with the basics - syntax, variables, and data types. Then move on to control structures and functions. This foundation is crucial. 2. Advanced Python    Once you're comfortable with the basics, dive into decorators, generators, and asynchronous programming. These concepts will set you apart. 3. Data Structures    Get really good with lists, dictionaries, and sets. Then explore more advanced structures. You'll use these constantly. 4. Automation and Scripting    Learn to manipulate files, scrape websites, and automate repetitive tasks. This is where Python really shines in day-to-day work. 5. Testing and Debugging    Writing tests and debugging efficiently will save you countless hours. Start with unittest and get familiar with pdb. 6. Package Management    Understanding pip and virtual environments is crucial for managing projects. Don't skip this. 7. Frameworks and Libraries    Depending on your interests, explore web frameworks like Django, data science libraries like Pandas, or machine learning tools like TensorFlow. 8. Best Practices    Familiarize yourself with PEP standards and stay updated on Python enhancements. Clean, readable code is invaluable. Remember, the key isn't just learning syntax - it's applying what you learn to real projects. Start small, but start building. What area of Python are you currently focusing on?

Ten years of NIRF data as analysed by KPMG India now offers a rare longitudinal view of how Indian higher educational institutions are performing. Keeping aside the integrity issues, this is indeed a positive trend for higher education. The next ten years can be transformative, if the government is willing to make some bold reforms in higher education. ▪️ Participation in NIRF grew from 2,426 institutions in 2016 to 7,692 in 2025. The college category alone expanded from 803 to 4,030 institutions. Law and medical categories saw triple-digit growth. ▪️ PhD-qualified faculty in engineering institutions increased from 28 percent in 2017 to 48 percent in 2025. Top-ranked institutions now report over 73 percent PhD faculty across most categories. Management institutes exceed 90 percent. ▪️ PhD student enrolments in universities rose from 97,947 in 2019 to 118,556 in 2025. Completions increased from 16,403 to 24,481 in the same period. Institutions ranked 76 to 100 showed the fastest growth in enrolments, while top-ranked institutions led in completions. ▪️ Research publications increased by 150 percent in engineering and universities. Pharmacy and management categories recorded a 300 percent rise. India’s share of global publications moved from 3.5 percent in 2017 to 5.2 percent in 2024. ▪️ Patent filings by educational institutions tripled between 2022 and 2024. India is now among the top six countries globally in patent activity. ▪️ Median salaries of graduating students across institutions nearly doubled over five years. This reflects improved graduate outcomes and stronger employer confidence. ▪️ In the QS World University Rankings 2026, India is the fourth most represented country with 54 institutions. This is a fivefold increase since 2015.

Stop guessing your next move—let a Personal Development Plan guide your progress. A while back, I mentored a professional named Rahul, who felt he was being repeatedly overlooked for promotions. We conducted a competency mapping session and discovered a key gap in his ability to work cross-functionally and lead diverse teams. 🧩 Rather than feeling discouraged, Rahul saw this as an opportunity. We built a Personal Development Plan (PDP) to close those gaps. By enrolling in relevant courses and taking on cross-departmental projects, Rahul not only improved his skills but also earned the promotion he had been aiming for. 👉 What is a Personal Development Plan (PDP)? A PDP is a roadmap for your career growth, detailing the specific skills you need to develop to advance in your role. Here are the Key Sections every PDP should include: 💢Self-Assessment: Identify your current strengths and areas for improvement based on feedback or a competency mapping session. 💢Goal Setting: Set clear, measurable goals for what you want to achieve in your career (e.g., leadership skills, cross-functional collaboration). 💢Action Plan: Outline the steps you’ll take to close the gaps, such as enrolling in courses, seeking mentorship, or participating in projects. 💢Timeline: Assign deadlines to each action item to track your progress and stay on course. 💢Evaluation: Regularly assess your progress through self-reflection or feedback from peers and supervisors. 💡 Key Action Points: ⚜️Use competency mapping to identify specific skill gaps. ⚜️Develop a Personal Development Plan to close those gaps. ⚜️Engage in practical experiences like cross-functional projects or targeted training. Feeling stuck in your career? Start building your personal development plan today and tackle those skill gaps head-on! #CareerDevelopment #SkillGaps #PersonalDevelopmentPlan #LeadershipSkills #CompetencyMapping #ProfessionalGrowth

A 12-year-old girl in Vietnam has been declared cancer-free after fighting an aggressive form of leukemia - a victory that would have seemed impossible just years ago. She had exhausted conventional treatments, including a bone marrow transplant. When options ran out, hope came from a cutting-edge therapy: CAR-T, a “living drug” that transforms a patient’s own immune system into a precision weapon against cancer. What makes this breakthrough even more extraordinary is global collaboration. Her immune cells were harvested locally, sent across borders to Taiwanese specialists for genetic reprogramming, and returned to her body to hunt down the disease. Science, expertise, and care converged across countries - and lives were changed. This story is a lesson for healthcare and leadership alike: bold innovation, relentless perseverance, and seamless cooperation can turn the impossible into reality. In our work, in our teams, in our lives, the greatest breakthroughs come when we combine vision with courage, and knowledge with collaboration. #Healthcare #Innovation #GlobalHealth #Oncology #Leadership #Collaboration #Breakthroughs #PatientCare

I’m the Chair of the Academic Integrity and AI Committee at Berkeley. So… People sometimes find it weird when I talk about academic integrity. I almost never talk about… ↳ AI detectors ↳ Process trackers ↳ Mandatory disclosures I don’t use them and don’t find them particularly interesting. I’m far more likely to talk about… ► Using process-folios and process-clusters for more holistic assessment ► Using alt assessment to decrease the incentive to cheat ► A discussion-first approach, when we suspect that a student may have used a tool inappropriately or in a way that sacrificed their voice ► Transparency Statements that encourage metacognition and process-thinking ► Building a class culture that prizes transparency and the productive struggle that often comes with learning I’m not naive enough to think that any of this AI proofs my courses (if such a thing were even possible). But I do think these approaches are more sustainable. ——— Image: the cover of “The Opposite of Cheating” (Oklahoma University Press, 2025), by Dr. Tricia Bertram Gallant and David Rettinger. It’s the best book on academic integrity and AI I’ve read.

🏠 17,000 Home Visits. 12 States. One Clear Truth: We've Been Getting School Attendance All Wrong. I'm pleased to share my latest article: "Why Students Miss School, and Why We Miss the Point: Lessons Learned from Concentric Educational Solutions' 17,000+ Home Visits in 2024-2025." As a researcher and a father, this work challenged everything I thought I knew about chronic absenteeism. While my wife Marshella and I struggled with our own "privileged chaos" of getting kids out the door each morning, our team at Concentric Educational Solutions was revolutionizing how we understand attendance challenges by going directly into homes across America, listening to families facing impossible choices with insufficient resources. What Concentric's groundbreaking approach revealed: • Behind every absence statistic is a family story—not a character flaw • Students missing school to care for disabled parents or younger siblings • Families choosing between transportation to school or transportation to work • Children avoiding school due to untreated trauma, bullying, and safety fears • Parents facing truancy court for circumstances completely beyond their control The hard truth: Our punitive approach to attendance—truancy courts, penalties, threatening letters—adds punishment to circumstances that demand support. Concentric's transformative model: Rather than blame families, we provide comprehensive community support that recognizes attendance challenges as symptoms of systemic failures requiring systemic solutions. Our home-visit methodology doesn't just collect data—it builds relationships, identifies real barriers, and connects families to resources that address root causes. The path forward: We need comprehensive community support systems that address housing, healthcare, transportation, and safety as educational issues, not separate concerns. Every child has a story. Every absence has a context. Concentric Educational Solutions is pioneering the compassionate, evidence-based approach our students deserve. Read the full article to understand why attendance challenges are symptoms of systemic failures, not individual shortcomings—and how Concentric's innovative work is showing us what true educational equity looks like. #EducationEquity #StudentAttendance #SystemicChange #CommunitySupport #EducationalResearch #ConcentricEducationalSolutions