LinkedIn Top Voices 2019: Education

Today we’re unveiling our 5th annual Top Voices list, highlighting professionals in a variety of industries and regions who are building communities and starting thoughtful conversations on LinkedIn through their articles, posts, videos and comments. These are the people you should be following to get inspired and stay informed. 

To find standout voices, we used a combination of quantitative and qualitative signals, starting with a custom algorithm from our LinkedIn Data Science team and then curated by our LinkedIn Editors. You can learn more about how we compiled the list at the bottom of this article and can check out Top Voices around the world and across industries — from finance to sales — here. 

I dug into the data to find standout voices in education. You’ll find fresh new thinkers on everything from early-childhood education — and the importance of play — to the challenges of serving students with disabilities. Our lineup spans everything from innovative approaches in corporate learning to today’s hot topics in college and university settings.

In keeping with LinkedIn’s global reach, our education list highlights innovators who are currently living in India, Canada and Australia, as well as the United States. Take a closer look at these thinkers’ life journeys, and you will find people who started out in countries as diverse as the UK, Finland and Algeria. Think of the list as a reminder that great learning can happen anywhere. 

Here are this year’s 10 #LinkedInTopVoices in education.

What he talks about: Learning and play. After relocating to Australia from Finland, Sahlberg wrote this essay on different countries’ approach to education, alluding to his own children’s journey. This defense of outdoor play attracted more than 200 reader reactions.  

Lessons from his own school days: “My mathematics teachers taught us that math/science and music/arts coexist, always close to one another. This led me to study mathematics at university, while also loving arts and playing music. Great lesson.”

Follow Pasi Sahlberg

What she talks about: School leadership. Dr. Brown, who is also an assistant superintendent, emphasizes team nurturing and communicating a clear purpose. In this August post, she shared photos of four work badges with ascending titles, explaining: “growth is mandatory.” That post won more than 1,000 likes. 

Education’s biggest challenge: ”Leading with an equity lens” to support all students. Dr. Brown says her challenges in middle school fueled her desire to make sure students don’t fall through the cracks but instead have the support and attention needed to ensure success. 

Follow Dr. A. Tracie Brown

What he talks about: Drew focuses on issues relating to people with intellectual disabilities. He generates powerful conversations with prompts as simple as a seven-word poster, or as nuanced as a video on the merits of individual exploration versus group activities. 

Favorite podcast: “Heavyweight. Each podcast takes one moment in someone's life when everything changed. That concept is a great stepping-stone for extracting really lovely stories, and the host Jonathan Goldstein is a great storyteller.”

Follow Ben Drew

What she talks about: Milloway writes “This Side Up,” a newsletter on LinkedIn about corporate learning’s techniques, flaws and opportunities. Specific articles have covered good course design, cloud-based course-authoring tools -- and how to hold better meetings.

Choosing an education career: Early dreams of being a veterinarian fell apart when lab allergies did her in. Then she considered everything from science to public relations.”As a learning professional I learn about so many careers and help others. It’s been 10 years of bliss.”  

Follow Melissa Milloway

What he talks about: Higher education’s impact, both broad and narrow. An immigrant himself, Padron champions college as a way of helping people realize their dreams. He also shares news about faculty success, cloud computing and more at Miami Dade’s giant campus.

A lifetime in academia: Padron arrived in the U.S., from Cuba, at age 15 in 1961. He earned a Ph.D. in economics and became Miami Dade’s president in 1999. He stepped down this past August, at age 75, but remains active on campus as president emeritus. 

Follow Eduardo Padrón

What she talks about: Keeping hope alive in tough circumstances. One post looked at barriers students face at her Brooklyn, New York, school. Another shared her challenges as a school leader. It attracted more than 160 comments, many from fellow educators needing a boost.

A book worth sharing: Infinite Games, by Simon Sinek. She likes his advocacy of big, eternal goals that shape our future even if we can’t fully achieve them. For her, that means an infinite commitment to supporting students, even if school systems fixate on short-term tests. 

Follow Nadia Lopez

What she talks about: Based in India, she focuses on the intersection between learning and everyday life. One notable article shared lessons from her working mother’s experiences. Another talked about appropriate use of technology in the classroom.  

What worries her: Can people’s curiosity to learn be kept alive? “The meaning of 21st century literacy is not just about reading and writing,” Gokulnath explains. “It is being able to learn, unlearn and relearn — to adapt to the myriad skill sets that tomorrow’s jobs will need.” 

Follow Divya Gokulnath

What he talks about: In short posts, Lachemi chronicles happenings at a top Canadian university, including Nobel-laureate visits and the thrill of seeing his own daughter graduate. He also takes a deeper look at issues such as Ryerson’s role in building a healthier Toronto.

His career journey: “When I was 18, an earthquake in Algeria killed thousands, yet I was unharmed. I wanted to understand why that building remained standing when so many others had fallen. It led me to specialize in high-performance materials, including a durable form of concrete.”

Follow Mohamed Lachemi

What she talks about: Opportunities for girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Some posts salute role models such as astronaut Mae Jemison. Other posts keep people up-to-date on her book “STEM Gems.” 

Why she writes on LinkedIn: “I love sharing stories of women in STEM changing the world and inspiring my LinkedIn community to break down barriers and overcome stereotypes. I love empowering them to push and helping them to see that they are never alone.”

Follow Stephanie Espy

What he talks about: The Australian educator shares teaching resources to support less-affluent countries. His post on a Nepali school initiative attracted wide interest. So did this post on children’s differences, drawing upbeat comments from as far away as Iran, Canada and India. 

Favorite scholar: British philosopher Alan Watts. “He talks about the real you and how to do what you truly love. From that point onwards your passion will become your profession. Because you love what you do, you will become a master at it and thus, the money will come.”

Follow Gavin McCormack

You’ve read about the Top Voices in education this year. Now, check out the #LinkedInTopVoices in finance, job search & careers, retail and more.

How we compiled the Top Voices list

First, our editors partnered with the LinkedIn Data Science team to measure the actions a member is able to generate when engaging on the platform. Specifically, we looked at the volume of responses a person’s contributions sparked and the secondary spread of those responses. These signals are proxies for conversation and community development. That said, engagement metrics aren’t enough. Our next filter was qualitative. Editors in each market and for specific industries refined the list by looking at the member’s body of work: Are the contributions insightful, conversational and timely? Do they seek to give and get help vs being self-promotional? Finally, does this list reflect the world we work in today? 

All sharing activity measured took place over a 12-month period, from September 2018 to September 2019. As with all LinkedIn Lists, we excluded LinkedIn and Microsoft employees from consideration.?