“The only limit is the speed at which we learn.”-@sama | @ns C1 | @gauntletai C2 Grad | Prev Ranger Medic | building for @alphaschool
Austin, Texas
Joined August 2009
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Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
I used to be the person companies called after they got hacked.
And I noticed something early on.
The hack almost never sank them. The cover-up did.
Every time, the team’s instinct was the same: wait until we know more, wait until we're sure, wait until we have the perfect statement, etc.
And some of the biggest companies in the world have learned what that waiting costs.
In 2016, Uber got hacked. Instead of telling anyone, it paid the hackers $100K to delete the data and stay quiet, and labeled it a bug bounty. The truth came out a year later. Uber paid $148M to settle with all 50 states, and its former security chief was criminally convicted.
That same year, Yahoo revealed that a 2014 breach had exposed 500M accounts. The news landed in the middle of Verizon buying the company. Verizon cut $350M off the price.
And in 2017, Equifax discovered a breach affecting over 140M Americans, then waited 40 days to tell the public. During that window, an executive who'd figured out what happened sold nearly $1M in stock. He went to prison for insider trading.
Meanwhile, hackers don't wait. They post your data. They email your customers directly. And when customers hear it from a stranger first, that trust is gone for good.
Telling customers early doesn't mean admitting fault. It can be as simple as: "We found suspicious activity. We're investigating. Here's what you should do right now. We'll update you as we learn more."
On Tuesday, I'm sharing the exact framework I'd use to write that email if I were in your shoes. Follow and turn on notifications so it's there when you need it.
Customers will forgive you for getting hacked. Most of them expect it by now.
What they won't forgive is finding out you knew and said nothing.
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
Everyone wants to talk about the AI @Alphaschool, and it’s understandable, because the software is impressive and continuously improving…but my daughter went from hitting her learning goal 0 days a week to all 5 a week in a month, and the difference came from her guide. 🧵
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
“I have seen the MAP data, so I know Alpha students are legitimately performing well ahead of the pack. How much are the results to date selection effects? Chattering classes want to know…
To me, the better question is: can the world’s best learning scientists create a comprehensive, cohesive curriculum, instruction, and assessment system that can deliver breakthrough outcomes regardless of the student population?
On that question, based on what I’ve observed, I’ve voted with my feet to join Alpha.
My fervent hope—and belief—is that Alpha will soon move from startup to pace setter, at a moment when K-12 education desperately needs one.”
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
Update - I'm getting distracted.
Unrelated: Marcy Stein is my co-author in Teach Your Child Foundational Math in 100 Easy Lessons.
This is the answer to getting your child engaging in math before school starts teaching them mis-rules through random exposures to toys.
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
The year is 1897, horseless carriages are denied permission to be on roads by Washington D.C.
The year is 2026, people are trying to deny driverless carriages on the roads of Washington D.C.
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
we’re so back
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
Some mistakes you might be making:
Your effort level is too high
Your skills are too long
You're not aligning before you start work
You're aligning too often, and too hard
Your automated checks are too lax
Your custom tooling is too token-inefficient
You aren't doing enough automated review
You aren't reviewing previous coding sessions (with an agent)
You're doing too much human review
You aren't vibe coding enough prototypes
Your agent can't verify its own work
You're babysitting the agent too much
You've overloaded your global steering files
Your codebase is hard to navigate
You aren't building a shared language
Your codebase architecture allows bad tests to be written
You aren't thinking strategically enough
You aren't thinking enough
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
Even if subject knowledge was easily imparted across a system of teachers (it’s not) there is only a tenuous connection between knowing your subject and being able to decompose, sequence, and assess it effectively. This is why the field needs to embrace well-designed materials.
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
A few days ago, I posted that “EdTech has had a cataclysmic shift, but companies haven’t noticed it yet.”
This video is a great overview of that shift and why software companies need to rethink their business strategy as soon as possible.
In education, I envision systems that aggregate the coming flood of options and build an individualized learning path for each student.
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
gm
Montessorium has an open house on the first Friday of every month btw (incl. today)
3:30p in north Austin
Come see students show off the work they do in the greatest elementary classroom on earth
DM me for details
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
kinda crazy how much public backlash @Alphaschool gets
it incorrectly gets labeled as an “AI school” when in fact it’s arguably way more human centered than the traditional public school system
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
@ScribbleDotApp's welcome kits are in the mail! As students progess through the curriculum, we send journals, stationary, and other writing rewards to help inspire kids to put their newly acquired skills to use in the real world
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
First batch is out! ✏️📝
We teach on iPad because it’s simply better for instruction and feedback.
The goal is for students to write on any medium they love, including good old pen and paper.
@ScribbleDotApp's welcome kits are in the mail! As students progess through the curriculum, we send journals, stationary, and other writing rewards to help inspire kids to put their newly acquired skills to use in the real world
Patrick Skinner - edu/acc retweeted
Anyone who believes we don’t need GT programs should look up processing speed and the other components of a full scale IQ test to understand how gifted students’ brains function differently.
That being said. Most gifted programs in traditional schools are ineffective and consist only of busy word or one pull out time a week.
Truly gifted students need acceleration.
They also need time to focus on a passion project. Gifted students often develop an intense interest in a topic. The area of interest will change over time. Typically once the student is satisfied that they have learned all they need to know about the topic, they move on to something else.
We desperately need more educators who understand giftedness and have experienced it themselves or as a parent of a gifted child. And we need schools willing to be the outliers and develop actual gifted programs that benefit students, rather than creating a program simply so they can say they have one.
Many schools today hold smart kids back.
They’ve eliminated gifted classes to address “historical inequity.”
“This is so misguided,” says @MichaelPetrilli, of @educationgadfly.
We show how that hurts ALL kids: