#Students

A wave of recent research is reshaping how parents and teachers think about grades. Across age groups and subjects, scientists are finding that regular physical activity—ranging from a brisk 20-minute jog to short bursts of movement during class—can boost cognitive function and, in turn, academic performance. Students who previously found it hard to keep up academically often show noticeable improvements in focus, memory, and考试 performance when movement becomes a routine part of their day. The headline is simple, but the implications are broad: exercise may be a practical lever to lift grades, not just a health habit.

Across the United States, a quiet but mounting crisis is reshaping what students study and what colleges offer. In a pattern that reads like a cautionary tale for education systems worldwide, major programs—especially in the humanities and other non-professional fields—are disappearing or being scaled back as universities grapple with tighter budgets, shifting political winds, and enrolling shortfalls. In one coastal Massachusetts program, a Boston University satellite campus on Cape Cod announced it was ending in-person studies, a decision validated by dwindling enrollment and the harsh math of keeping courses viable. The human story behind that closure is stark: students who chose a future in social work, therapy, or other helping professions now face the unsettling prospect of either finishing online, transferring, or walking away from a years-long investment in a local community.

A growing number of young Thai students with ADHD-like traits are reshaping how we think about study spaces. New research shows that deliberate background music can serve as a cognitive aid, helping with attention, mood, and task persistence. The findings invite educators and families to rethink quiet-only study norms and consider controlled music as a supportive tool.

In Thai classrooms and homes, silent study has long been the default. Yet many students benefit from sensory input that supports focus. The recent study involving 434 participants aged 17–30 found that those with ADHD characteristics used background music more frequently across both complex and everyday tasks than their neurotypical peers. They tended to choose stimulating music with strong beats and lively melodies, even for challenging assignments, while neurotypical participants preferred calming sounds for concentration.

A quiet crisis is emerging in classrooms worldwide and now affecting Thai students: emotionally-based school avoidance, or EBSA. New international research shows more children miss school due to anxiety, depression, and other emotional distress. In the United Kingdom, studies indicate a fivefold rise in students missing more than half of their school days over the past decade, reflecting the lingering effects of the Covid-19 era.

EBSA is not simply refusal to attend. It describes students who feel unable to go to school because of overwhelming emotional or physical distress. The key distinction is that “I can’t” reflects a mental health and support challenge, not just discipline. This reframing guides how schools respond and support students.

The number of students skipping school due to emotional distress—termed emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA)—has soared in recent years, raising alarms among educators, healthcare professionals, and parents worldwide. Recent research from the UK highlights a five-fold increase in children missing more than half of their school days over the past decade, with experts pointing to the lingering repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic as a key factor driving this concerning trend (BBC News).

A recent interview with a Google software engineer highlights how starting internships early can pave the way to full-time roles at global tech firms. The engineer, who earned a full-time offer after two summers with Google, notes that first- and second-year programs are often designed for beginners and can be more accessible in today’s competitive tech job market.

For many Thai students, opportunities at multinational tech companies may feel distant, especially as the job market tightens and AI reshapes some coding roles. Yet the engineer’s experience shows that early internship participation can significantly boost prospects. These programs often evaluate foundational knowledge and problem-solving ability rather than advanced coding talent, with references to widely used practice platforms such as LeetCode.

A recent interview with a Google software engineer offers timely and practical advice for computer science students in Thailand and across the globe, emphasizing that securing an internship—even in a student’s first or second year—can be a crucial gateway to landing a future position at a top international tech firm. The engineer, who earned a full-time offer after interning with Google for two summers, reveals that the threshold for getting accepted into early-stage programs is considerably lower, providing an accessible pathway for aspiring students facing today’s competitive technology job market (Business Insider).

Texas has become the latest—and one of the largest—states in the United States to ban students’ use of cell phones in all public K-12 schools, following the signing of House Bill 1481 by the state governor earlier this week (KXAN). The law gives individual districts two options for compliance: either prohibit all student devices on school property outright, or require students to store their phones securely and inaccessible during the school day (KHOU). The ban is set to take effect across the state for the 2025–2026 academic year (Statesman).

A sweeping Texas policy bans student use of cell phones in all public K-12 schools, taking effect in the 2025–2026 academic year. Districts must either prohibit devices on campus or require students to store them securely during the school day. The move follows concerns about digital distractions, student well-being, and classroom discipline, and it has sparked a global debate about technology in education.

For Thai educators and policymakers, the Texas case offers a timely point of reflection. Smartphone use among youth has surged in Thailand and around the world, reshaping how students learn, interact, and manage information. While some studies link unregulated use to lower focus, increased bullying, and mental health challenges, others warn that outright bans may overlook deeper systemic issues and could cut off useful learning tools and communication channels.

A recent breakthrough study has discovered that the eyes, far from being mere passive players during sleep, actively orchestrate how our brains consolidate memories—guarding old knowledge while seamlessly incorporating new information. These findings, published by a Cornell University research team and highlighted in The Brighter Side of News on April 21, 2025, suggest that subtle changes in the pupil during sleep play a pivotal role in preventing memory “mix-ups” and could one day revolutionize how we learn, remember, and perhaps even treat memory disorders (The Brighter Side of News).