Category: At home

Do Young People Have the Right to Think the “Wrong” Things?

A recurring assumption in public debate is that young people should be progressive. When surveys suggest otherwise, concern often follows. Headlines warn that young people are becoming more conservative, less supportive of social change, and increasingly willing to question ideas that many adults take for granted. Whether those observations are accurate is a separate discussion.… Read More Do Young People Have the Right to Think the “Wrong” Things?

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Do Universal Free School Meals Reduce School Suspensions?

Universal free school meals are usually discussed from the perspective of health, poverty, and/or opportunity policy. However, a new American study by Andres Cuadros-Meñaca looks at something else: whether free meals for everyone also affect school suspensions. The researchers analysed data from schools that introduced such free meals at various times. Their conclusion: schools that implemented such… Read More Do Universal Free School Meals Reduce School Suspensions?

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Rich Countries, Unequal Childhoods

Last week, UNICEF published a new report on inequality and child well-being in high-income countries. There was quite a lot of media attention for the rankings, but the report itself is more interesting than simply asking which country is now “winning”. In reality, it is about something more fundamental: what economic inequality does to children.… Read More Rich Countries, Unequal Childhoods

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Why The Imposter Syndrome Might Not Be Entirely Bad

There is something oddly comforting in this short video from Harvard Business Review. Not because it tells people to simply “believe in themselves,” but because it reframes something many high achievers quietly struggle with: imposter syndrome. Arthur Brooks argues that feeling like a fraud is often not a sign that you are incompetent. In many… Read More Why The Imposter Syndrome Might Not Be Entirely Bad

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Why Bayesian Thinking Matters More Than Ever

One of the underlying things I keep returning to on this blog is how difficult humans are with uncertainty. We like certainty. Clear answers. Strong predictions. Education debates are full of them, too. Yet reality rarely cooperates that neatly. This short BBC Ideas video featuring statistician David Spiegelhalter offers a remarkably accessible introduction to Bayesian… Read More Why Bayesian Thinking Matters More Than Ever

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Why Are ADHD Diagnoses Rising Worldwide? A Different Perspective on a Complex Debate

During a talk in Belgium last week, I was asked a question by a school leader that I seem to hear more and more often: Why are we seeing so many more diagnoses, such as ADHD, than before? Is there really an explosive increase? Have children changed? Or are we looking differently? Not coincidentally, shortly… Read More Why Are ADHD Diagnoses Rising Worldwide? A Different Perspective on a Complex Debate

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Why do differences between children appear so early in life?

Whenever an international report, such as the recent IELS study, is published, reactions quickly follow that basically amount to: “See? My solution was right all along.” I’m probably guilty of that myself from time to time. So today I wanted to try something different by putting two very different sources next to each other to… Read More Why do differences between children appear so early in life?

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Does working longer keep your brain sharp? The answer is nuanced

We hear it all the time: we have to work longer. This leads to tensions, strikes, and demonstrations. Just this week, among the pilots in the country where I live. But… are there also personal benefits to working longer? It is perhaps a question that some might find offensive, but it is one that Noah Arman… Read More Does working longer keep your brain sharp? The answer is nuanced

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Doesn’t education lead to fewer children after all?

When I talk to people about demographics, after a while we quickly run into *the* question: why are we having fewer children? A popular explanation is that more education for women means marrying later, having children later, and ultimately having fewer children. That narrative is so deeply ingrained in how we think about education and demographics… Read More Doesn’t education lead to fewer children after all?

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Is the mental health crisis amongst young people an elite problem? A longer read on a complex theme!

I already raised this on my blog before: when we talk about the increase in mental health problems among young people, these seem to be rising mainly among children from more advantaged backgrounds. At the same time, it remains true, as it has for decades, that young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are on average… Read More Is the mental health crisis amongst young people an elite problem? A longer read on a complex theme!

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