LinkedIn News is debuting its sixth annual Top Voices list, a collection of hundreds of experts driving today’s professional conversation. As COVID-19 continues to upend our lives, these members are using their voice to help us parse today’s changing world of work, navigate our industries and find balance through it all.

LinkedIn Top Voices 2020: Education

To compile the list, we used a combination of qualitative and quantitative signals, starting with engagement (including reactions, comments and shares across each member’s content). We also took note of posting cadence and follower growth. You can learn more about the methodology at the bottom of this article. You also can check out all of this year’s Top Voices around the world here

Below you will find this year’s standout voices in education. Slightly more than half of this year’s honorees are from the United States, but there’s also representation from Britain, India and Vietnam. Across the board, these experts share thoughtful perspectives on the challenges that a global pandemic is posing to education — as well as tips on how teachers, students and administrators can chart a successful course anyway.

You’ll find Top Voices who focus about everything from grade-school education to MBA programs and the special circumstances of students who’ve chosen to pursue an education abroad. Given the ever-rising role of multimedia in education, it’s only natural that this year’s Top Voices are making robust use of podcasts, short videos and other communications tools that go beyond the printed word.

Check out this year’s #LinkedInTopVoices in Education — and follow them to stay plugged into the conversation.

Photo of Stephanie Espy, No. 1 on Education Top Voices list

What she talks about: Espy writes regularly about initiatives promoting female opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. She shares under-recognized stories of female achievers, ranging from astronaut Ellen Ochoa to 19th century Black doctor Rebecca Lee Crumpler. She’s also the author of STEM Gems, a book that offers girls 44 inspiring stories of female success in technical fields.

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Photo of Adam Geller, No. 2 on Education Top Voices list

What he talks about: Geller revisits long-time topics in K-12 education such as philanthropy’s role, through the new lens of teaching amid a pandemic. Totally serious on matters such as school budgets, he offers a wittier take on the quirks of videoconference classrooms. His bio includes a journalism degree in college and nearly five years with Teach for America. 

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Photo of Elizabeth Leiba, No. 3 on Education Top Voices list

What she talks about: Leiba shares key insights from her podcast on topics ranging from student support to new technology and diversity. She also is a powerful voice in calling out barriers to Black opportunity. She’s an adjunct English professor at Broward College in Florida, as well as an instructional designer well-versed in online platforms.

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Photo of Doug Lederman, No. 4 on LinkedIn's Education Top Voice

What he talks about: Lederman digs deep into the ways that colleges and universities are wrestling with the pandemic-necessitated move to remote learning. As editor-in-chief of a leading source of online news about education, he offers the big picture, plus a friendly willingness to engage with readers in the comments.

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Photo of Monica Kochar, No. 5 on LinkedIn's Top Voices in Education

What she talks about: Writing from India, Kochar shares lots of practical advice — and inspiration — for teachers. Her longer articles address topics such as flexible groupings of students; her shorter posts stir up lively conversations about the limits of rote learning and the best ways of making parent-teacher meetings successful. 

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Photo of Vicki Davis, No. 6 on LinkedIn's list of the Top Voices in Education

What she talks about: Davis isn’t just the director of instructional technology at Georgia’s Sherwood Christian Academy; she also writes the Cool Cat Teacher blog and hosts a weekly podcast. On LinkedIn, she shares motivational tips, as well as advice on everything from teaching gratitude to improving remote learning.

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Photo of Shane Dillon, No. 7 on LinkedIn's list of Top Voices in Education

What he talks about: Based in Vietnam, Dillon focuses on the study-abroad segment of education, addressing topics such as skills gaps and job-search outcomes. His empathy for students who plan to return to their home country after earning degrees can be seen in his company’s name — a sly allusion to “sea turtles,” as such students are known.

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Photo of Jennifer Carolan, No. 8 on the list of LinkedIn's Top Voices in Education

What she talks about: As a top-tier venture capitalist focusing on education, Carolan provides insights on her firm’s investment strategy, as well as big-think essays on the ways that COVID-19 may lead teachers to look for non-traditional ways of being educators. She also shares a rich blend of other leaders’ ideas that have caught her eye. 

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Photo of Barbara Coward, No., 9 on the list of LinkedIn's Top Voices in Education

What she talks about: Coward delivers as many as 20 posts a month on issues that matter for people pursuing MBAs and other business degrees. One big theme: how COVID-19 is disrupting education norms and expanding opportunities. She also shares useful articles and videos about virtual tours, school rankings and interview tips.

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Photo of Ross Morrison McGill, No. 10 on LinkedIn's list of Top Voices in Education

What he talks about: Based in the UK, McGill has been a technology teacher, an assistant head of school — and a very active writer on education topics. On LinkedIn, he shares practical advice for K-12 teachers on everything from school culture to the value of lesson pauses. Wondering how to teach online? McGill has 46 tips to share. 

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You’ve read about the Top Voices in Education this year. Now, check out other interesting articles here.

Source LinkedIn