Is Your State Shortchanging Public Schools? @schoolfinance101.bsky.social @mattdicarlo.bsky.social @jerseyjazzman.bsky.social bit.ly/4t2t5M7

In this month's NEPC Talks Education podcast, @cmsaldana.bsky.social speaks with Ain Grooms, @jaycee43public.bsky.social, and April Peters about building and sustaining equity-centered principal pipelines. bit.ly/4dvI4tr

NEPC Fellow @drshaunharper.bsky.social argues that changes to NCAA rules have given college athletes more power to speak out against social injustices. bit.ly/4upTfdc

New NEPC Review: @brookings.edu report will help readers wrap their minds around issues concerning generative AI in education, but it provides little help in selecting and evaluating options for ensuring that AI is used to benefit rather than harm young people’s well-being. bit.ly/3Np7qyq

New/Update for 2026 www.schoolfinancedata.org/the-adequacy...

A Q&A with NEPC Fellow Michael Barbour, an expert in digital learning, provides perspective on what AI-enabled edtech tools can—and cannot—deliver when it comes to personalized learning. bit.ly/4swulHk

Just released: The Cycle of Disinvestment in Public Schools: How Public-School Criticism Drives Policy and Disinvestment bit.ly/4rhKWO4

Milton Friedman argued parents, if given govt $ to spend on education, would invest in kids' human capital. His model excluded pets. Drawn from multiple ESA accounts, some of my favorite pet expenditures. Did you know they make wrinkle cream for bulldogs & frenchies? Or that dog DNA kits exist?

I'm writing the wildest code of my life for a project on Arizona taxpayer funded ESAs (vouchers). gen sexystuff=strpos(vendor_key, "insane words for public ed") Purchases below are drawn from multiple ESA accounts. I'm not going to write them here bc my post will get blocked, but see ⬇️

I just found a 2024 charge for $1,348.03 to French Laundry - the 3 Michelin star restaurant in California - in Arizona ESA reimbursements.

Arizona Education Savings Accounts, Unity Edition: I feel like even a divided public could agree: If you have the resources to take your kids to Paris, perhaps you don't need to ask Arizona taxpayers to pay for your Louvre & Musée d’Orsay tickets?

If we say Arizona is flushing taxpayer money with its ESA program, it turns out that’s not a metaphor. An electric bidet, purchased with ESA funds. After spending the day in these data, I’m beyond frustrated. Public dollars meant for kids’ educations, literally down the drain.

How will we get Zazzee Extra Strength Horse Chestnut 10:1 Extract & menopause treatments like micronized Estriol for the "children"? Your local school district won't pay for that. But Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts have been.

ESA Account Holder, Barista Pool Edition ($7127.09): I can print your face on a latte, edit it on an M4 iPad Pro & fix my hair with a Dyson Airwrap. Coach ring goes w my custom linen drapery. Two in-pool chaise lounges & AirJordans for dad & kid. This family respects symmetry and espresso foam.

One huge problem here is that the child, or children who were deprived of education (because this is how the money was spent) have no legal recourse for those damages - quantifiable, life long damages due to deprivation of education. All in the name of "parent empowerment"

BF for Ms. Coach ESA: If we’re leaving the house, we’re leaving correctly. Bright white Michael Kors backpack. Ray-Bans. Armani sweater. Commitment to white footwear is a choice. 1200 cucumber-scented baby wipes are for elite post-gym hygiene. I smell date-night seductive, Azzaro & Paco Rabanne.

Baller ESA account: By day, I girlboss in an executive chair. By night, I’m wrapped in faux-fur blankets, mood-lit by a jellyfish lamp & hydrating from 1 of 2 Stanleys. I carry my life in a series of increasingly expensive black leather bags. With a Coach charm, obv. I own a neck air conditioner.

One Arizona ESA account bought: a chicken coop, trampoline, raised garden beds, foam cannon, metal chicken run, paddle board pumps, & balloon lights I have q's: Is this kid being educated? Do the chickens jump on the trampoline? Where does the foam cannon come in? Did the state recoup these $?

What makes the data recently obtained by AZ 12 News’ Craig Harris a new chapter in the ESA debate is the presence of unique IDs. Earlier data allowed statements about overall purchases; now you can see the set tied to a single account. This account holder bought estrogen, progesterone & a pool.

I’m just a simple AZ ESA parent building a minor theme park in my backyard. I own 3 industrial-strength bounce houses. 2 have water slides. 1 has a basketball hoop. Powering the festivities? A 4800-watt generator. Security cameras are 130°; if you’re cannonballing, I want footage *Real data, folks

The Bluesky feed of @jenjennings.bsky.social is always worth following. But this week she has been on fire, just going to work on the ESA-spending dataset that Phoenix's NBC station obtained through an open records act request. Join me as I repost some favorites...

This truly is an important new report from Huriya Jabbar and Daniel Espinoza at @uscrossier.bsky.social!

New policy brief: Are “school crisis” narratives grounded in evidence — or politics? @nepc.bsky.social greatlakescenter.org/docs/Policy_... #PublicEducation

A letter from the National Academy of Education draws upon research evidence to explain the harms of ICE agents conducting enforcement activities in and around schools. bit.ly/4lgkEKJ

Thank you for this, David -- so clearly explained!

New NEPC Review: Methodological errors and flawed assumptions undermine claims by EdChoice about the long-term economic benefits of ESAs. @dsknight99.bsky.social bit.ly/4tMrMC9

Just released: New report describes crucial changes that address funding, equity, accountability, and cross-system collaboration to better serve California’s high-needs students. @michellevalladares.bsky.social @jonsawyer.org bit.ly/46cK4m1

February's NEPC Talks Education podcast is here! @cmsaldana.bsky.social interviews @ericaoturner.bsky.social and @bryanmann.bsky.social about how demographic change is reshaping American schools and how current policy responses can promote equity and integration. bit.ly/3OjNEEO

A new report describes the impact of the Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts on U.S. schools. bit.ly/4kwx3JK

As California rolls out universal pre-K for four-year-olds, unintended consequences are arising. bit.ly/4aFU7m2

A new report on temporary pandemic-era changes to the earned income and child tax credits finds that the shifts reduced child poverty by more than 50%. bit.ly/4r3wEkG

Despite some claims to the contrary, the new federal private school choice program is not “free money.” bit.ly/4bzC9mo

New NEPC Review: @newamerica.org report offers a helpful starting point for policy discussions focused on redistricting to address fiscal and demographic inequities across districts. @christocleve.bsky.social bit.ly/49YimKH

An upcoming webinar and a new report offer practical advice on implementing “balanced assessment,” a research-based approach designed to improve testing in K-12 education. @nciea.bsky.social bit.ly/4bgGpqF

New NEPC Review: CRPE’s proposed systemwide reforms rest on limited evidence and offer little concrete guidance for protecting students with disabilities. @federicowaitoller.bsky.social @crpe.bsky.social bit.ly/4a5SDRP

NEPC’s Most Popular Newsletters of 2025 bit.ly/4k8Cr61

New NEPC Review: @bellwetherorg.bsky.social report promotes AI’s inevitability while overlooking contextual complexity and potential harms. bit.ly/4sF8VbG

In this month's NEPC Talks Education podcast: An interview with Roseann Liu and David Backer about their unique approaches to K-12 school finance research @schooldaves.bsky.social @cmsaldana.bsky.social bit.ly/49kRTbp

Does Florida law even provide for a wheel for someone to be asleep at?

Decades of fraud, waste and abuse in the charter-school sector, but very little awareness of this has broken through. The vast majority of people in the U.S. have little or no idea of what's happening. In fact, among state legislators, what portion really know?

The ways that many charters shape their enrollment should be big news. (And it's not just kids seen as behavioral problems. See www.tcpress.com/school%E2%80...) Excellent work from @newskag.bsky.social. @wagma.bsky.social @carolburris.bsky.social www.inquirer.com/education/ph...

When voters repeatedly vote down voucher initiatives but their governor invites them in... Welner & Gebhardt do the easy lifting of explaining why that's not a good thing. coloradosun.com/2025/12/16/o...

New NEPC Talks Education podcast: Jarvis Givens highlights the experiences of Black and Native Americans in the origin story of American education @cmsaldana.bsky.social bit.ly/4afqzft

Yup. Or heavily stratifying opportunities (which is the equivalent of excluding children).

Opinion: Take note, Gov. Polis: Coloradans have repeatedly said no to school vouchers coloradosun.com/2025/12/16/o...

“Meta’s use of algorithms in core operations conceals the extent to which it profits from business decisions that prioritize engagement over protecting the psychological health of young people.” @nepc.bsky.social progressive.org/public-schoo...

New NEPC Review: Despite strong research evidence that increased school funding improves student outcomes, this @brookings.edu report relies on simplistic statewide comparisons that obscure the true effects of investment in education. @jerseyjazzman.bsky.social bit.ly/3MDO3Rv

This has been true for well over a decade. nepc.colorado.edu/publication/...

Making the Grade 2025: In an Uncertain Federal Policy Landscape, States Must Prioritize Fair School Funding edlawcenter.org/making-the-g...

A recent essay proposes using “responsible innovation” to design the AI-enabled edtech of the future. bit.ly/4iLtheX