My 8-year-old on the government shutdown: "Why don't they just do halfway between what the Democrats and Republicans want? ... I bet someone thought of that already. ... But they didn't do it. Must be some pretty unreasonable people in the government."

📣 BUT IS IT ECONOMICS? *New at EJ* “Research Similarity and Women in Academia,” Piera Bello, Alessandra Casarico & @deboranozza.bsky.social, on role of research similarity btw applicants & selection committees for academic promotions, and the implications for gender diversity: tinyurl.com/mrd8cpkf

Wow. This is the paper I have been waiting for. Mobile apps are brain rot, with meaningfully bad economic consequences for those who overuse them.

All of the pilfering, vandalism, and outright death caused by DOGE cuts, and all of the thefts from the future by illegally stopping research grants, didn't save a penny, Trump spent the money and more on corruption and incompetent ICE goons.

So excited to be working with @jrothst.bsky.social and the amazing program committee to make this year's SoLE annual meeting the best ever-don't forget to submit your paper so you can join us there! www.sole-jole.org/2026-program...

Well. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs - Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75% - Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60% - Social Sciences by 50–70% - History by 60% - Biology by 75% - The German department will lose all PhD seats - Sociology from six PhD students to zero

📣 Our paper is out on 12 A/B tests all together showing *big* efficiency gains! So excited about this paper & broader approach. We optimize tutoring programs which are famously effective but hard to scale. Highlights👇 @wwhglobaled.bsky.social @youthimpactorg.bsky.social www.wwhge.org/resources/ch...

Sarah vs. Downy Woodpecker the woodpecker is winning I am going insane

New study on student cellphone bans finds short-term increases in discipline issues but ultimately improvements in both attendance and student achievement. www.nber.org/papers/w3438...

🧵 New working paper! In joint work w/ @jscottclayton.bsky.social, Veronica Minaya, & Joshua Thomas, we use admin data from a large public univ system to examine earnings gaps for high- vs low-SES college grads 5 years out & the role of first jobs in explaining the gaps. 1/ www.nber.org/papers/w34366

Just a reminder to submit your papers to SoLE!!! It will be a great conference, with not-to-be-missed keynotes by Janet Currie, Kerwin Charles, and Jeff Smith! Avoid FOMO and submit! 🥳

I see Harvard is still doing its best to keep NYTimes writers employed

The Educational Policy Studies Department at UW-Madison is hiring an Assistant or Associate Professor with a focus on climate, sustainability, and education. Please share with folks you think would be interested! #climatepolicy #edpolicy #EduSky jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...

Student newspapers, again doing the work @michigandaily.bsky.social specials.michigandaily.com/2025/grant-t...

i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregation

An antisemite shot two kids in Colorado, at least one of whom is Jewish. The White House “fighting antisemitism” doesn’t care, because the shooter was a student radicalized online into far right beliefs, which the regime is cool with, rather than a student verbally criticizing Israeli govt policy.

Nothing like putting on your pants in the morning and having your toddler turn to you and say, "Mama, great job!!!"

Gotta pump those numbers, #EconSky & #NumbersDay. Check it out. If you're supportive, please share it here and encourage others, by email, and any other channels. You'll be in good company.

I have never seen so many public servants protest the mismanagement of a government. Trumpists will point to this as proof of the deep state, but the reality is that these are professionals who are desperately trying to get the public to understand how bad things are.

The letter is ready, thanks to all those who helped out! Starting to gather signature now, please consider signing (link at top of letter) & spread the word. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

My department is searching for two tenure-line positions to start in August 2026. Come join our growing team and make a difference in building the future! Assistant professor of higher education: apply.interfolio.com/172680 Associate/full professor of education policy: apply.interfolio.com/172632

LA Times does a deep dive into the Trump administration's mortgage fraud claims against leading Democrats and finds, guess what, these claims are all fraudulent. This is an authoritarian style attempt to weaponize the criminal justice system against political opponents.

My 8-year-old saw me without glasses and said, "wow, Mom, you look tired." Yes. Also, this is why I wear glasses.

Some professional news: I'll be starting as a co-editor at the Journal of Development Economics. I'll do my best to be constructive, fair, and fast. Looking forward to reading what you are all up to... as I hope you are looking forward to my future referee requests #EconSky

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements This is a big deal

Dr. Erika McEntarfer has devoted her career to public service. She has conducted herself as BLS Commissioner with great integrity. There is no evidence whatsoever that BLS data are politically biased. #econsky

Today is the final day of work for many dedicated, talented employees at the Institute of Education Sciences. I am thankful for their service, and I hope that they find new roles that continue their mission of supporting education research that serves as a public good.

Want to get back at that prof who gave you an A- on an exam? Or maybe you don't think people of color or women should be professors? Make up a story about antisemitism, plop it into an anonymous student evaluation, and watch as your prof's life is upturned faster than you can spell "fascism."

New: The Trump administration says its education funding freeze is over. Details we still don't have: -WHEN the money will flow to states -WHETHER a rescissions request will follow -WHY the administration is releasing the $$ -HOW schools will recover from the chaos - www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Over the past ten years, #RIHE has published >80 articles that used NCES data as a primary data source. In this special collection, we highlight key RIHE articles that used NCES data to provide important insights for research, practice, and policy. #highered link.springer.com/collections/...

The most important story in the world right now.

Speaking the quiet part out loud

I'm on Cambridge's 87 bus right now, heading to the Royal Sonesta to hear some great Economics of Education talks as part of the #NBER Summer Institute. I'll try to live post as many as possible, so watch this thread! @nber.org #EconSky

Harvard Educational Review spent a year preparing a special issue on education in and about Palestine. In June, contributors were notified that the Harvard Education Publishing Group had abruptly canceled the issue's release. This is censorship and cowardice. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Apropos of nothing just rewatched The Wire “fuck” scene

You can take the girl out of New York but you can’t take New York out of the girl: riding the bus with my 5ft piece of art from the Art Fair

I'm old enough to remember when the prevailing argument against affirmative action was that it failed to consider the "real" form of unfairness, which was income disparity

In light of the incoming dismantling of the Department of Education, one of the most insightful through lines in @swordsjew.bsky.social's Wild Faith is the degree to which multigenerational anti-desegregation animus is upstream of so much of what is happening in the present moment

a disaster for many reasons, but I’m especially livid thinking about countless disabled students whose families who will have even less in the way of recourse when their kids’ educational rights are violated

You will see the impact early and probably deeply. Depending on what your state is doing with vouchers you could see it even more starkly. There’s no big bright line because there’s a lot of variability except that it will do things to people who already have bad things being done to them

What comes next? No one knows for sure but… - students with special needs won’t get services they are entitled to - ED will continue to not produce statistics it is Congressionally required to - financial aid disbursements: 🤷🏻‍♀️ - no oversight of state accountability plans - funding to states ❓❓❓

I wish I could say I was surprised

States, unlike the federal government, cannot have deficits. The massive cost shift from the feds to states for both Medicaid and SNAP, will just lead states to either massively cut, or just abandon altogether, these programs.

In her dissent from today's decision—Mahmoud v. Taylor—Justice Sotomayor says that the court's holding "threatens the very essence of public education," and that its "reverberations" will be felt "for generations." This is a very heartfelt and mournful dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

This is yet another way the Trump administration has sought to undermine efforts specifically meant to help women and girls and students of color.

The US Department of Education is far behind on producing key statistics by @bakerdphd.bsky.social www.brookings.edu/articles/the...

Each time a remotely progressive candidate wins office in the US, the rich declare they're going to leave town. What do they actually do? Nothing. A 2016 study found only 0.04% of millionaires move in a given year due to tax increases. Rich people talk to feel important. Please properly tax them.

I led the Digest at NCES, and I’m so happy to see this getting more coverage. Digest provides nearly all the underlying data for COE and also other reports, like Indicators of School Crime and Safety. It’s used for policy, research, grant making, journalism, and so much more.