School transportation seems like one of those obvious resources that is essential to making public school work, yet it often gets short shrift. I was glad to work with Sam to summarize what we know about school transit usage, offerings, and effects in this @aefplivehandbook.bsky.social chapter.

Supported by both the Fordham Institute and @wallacefoundation.bsky.social, Michael Hartney and I explored the extent to which U.S. school board members are politically and demographically representative of the communities they serve. Here's a summary of our main findings: 1/12

Reminder to apply for our postdoc positions at Detroit PEER! Deadline is Friday and we'll be interviewing candidates within the next few weeks!

Come work with us! We’re really excited about our research on attendance and chronic absenteeism. And we’d be really excited to work with you! Reach out if you have any questions. Detroit-based preferred, but remote might be possible. Start as early as Dec 2025 or later in Spring/Summer 2026.

📢 Job Posting! 📢 We are hiring TWO postdocs at Detroit PEER at Wayne State (detroitpeer.org)! We are looking for one quant/mixed methods expert and one qual/mixed expert to work with me & @jeremylsinger.bsky.social on attendance research. Apply by Oct. 10, but flexible on start date! Please share!

Check out our new report on how Michigan schools are addressing the persistent problem of chronic absenteeism. @jeremylsinger.bsky.social has a great thread on our key findings. Please reach out with feedback or ideas for potential collaboration on future work!

Detroit's @cityofdetroit.bsky.social city government can play a bigger role in improving the conditions for educational success for our city's young people. Detroit PEER has released four fact sheets focused on the areas our next mayor should address. detroitpeer.org/resources/

Thanks to the folks @edpolicyinca.org for giving us a chance to apply our research findings on chronic absenteeism to the CA context.

In a new PACE commentary, @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social & @jeremylsinger.bsky.social of WSU COE conclude that schools cannot be expected to solve chronic absenteeism alone but need community & state support to address systemic barriers for students and families. edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/ret... (1/3)

Using data from Michigan, we find that third grade retention for struggling readers may be a much less important component of the benefits of literacy reforms than previously understood. (Thx, @annenberginstitute.bsky.social, for the dissemination bump!)

The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants. www.spencer.org/grant_types/...

So much time and money spent on testing, accountability, charters, vouchers—really what we need to do is fix the buildings, but there’s never money for it. www.freep.com/story/news/e...

It has been really rewarding to finally have my & @jeremylsinger.bsky.social's book out in the world! We're finding that many school & community leaders intuitively "get" our premise but are struggling with how to move beyond the common school-centered toolbox. hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961...

In our book, @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social & I recommend policymakers promote a coordinated and cross-sector approach to chronic absenteeism. I was thrilled to learn from @edalliesmn.bsky.social about exciting steps in that direction happening in MN! Some highlights: www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily...

Our book is now published! You can order it here: hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961... @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and I would be very happy to talk to anyone who's interested in learning more, or who'd like to discuss some of what they've read.

This statement is nearing 1600 signatories. Have you signed? Have you sent to your friends & colleagues? Your department or university list-serve? Your alumni network? if not, can you? bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEd or to go right to signing bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEdSign

This news, arriving the day before the "abolish USED" order, captures the fundamental contradiction in this admin's approach to ed policy: A) We will eliminate the fed role and "send educ back to the states" B) We will aggressively wield USED against states to enforce our vision for social policy

I've got a paper w/ Kess Ballentine focused on how work policies (e.g., benefits, flexibility, discipline, etc.) & school policies intersect to create opps or challenges for parents' involvement in their children's schooling. Anyone have a panel we could join for @appam.bsky.social #2025APPAM?

I've learned so much from @efrankenberg.bsky.social's scholarship and was lucky enough to work with her on my first publication when I was in grad school. No less important, she is also a wonderful human being. This is so well deserved!

On Monday, 3/31 at 12 PM ET, join @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and @jeremylsinger.bsky.social for a virtual talk on their book, RETHINKING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM. This event is hosted by the Monroe C. Gutman Library, moderated by @ehutt.bsky.social, and is free to attend! https://bit.ly/4k1uuyI

If you have research dependent on these data here is my suggestion 1/N Big picture: Create a dataset of cell means (cells must be big enough to pass disclosure) - load these cell means into many, many tables & put through review -These cell means can then be used in OLS - which runs on means

AERA has just learned that all restricted-use NCES data licenses will be cancelled, possibly as early as March 20. We urgently request that all AERA members and others in the research community with restricted-use licenses take these two actions: www.aera.net/Research-Pol...

My 9yo daughter just described me as a “chronic absence scientist.”

There are so many excellent chapters in the Handbook! I'm thrilled to have this resource to share w/ students, policymakers, incl. @ksfinnigan.bsky.social on Research Use; @pacomartorell.bsky.social & I. McFarlin on Physical Capital; James Bridgeforth & @drrachelswhite.bsky.social on School Boards.

Amidst all the chaos and upheaval in the education policy world, @annenberginstitute.bsky.social will be hiring several senior research associates in the coming months. Hopefully this helps some of the stellar education policy people find their footing again!

Me right now.... hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961...

I was really glad to be able to contribute a chapter w/ Sam Speroni on the evidence on school transportation to the new AEFP Live Handbook. This awesome resource - relevant now more than ever - seeks to break down the existing research evidence on key ed issues for policymakers.

On Monday, 3/31 at 12 PM ET, HEP authors @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and @jeremylsinger.bsky.social will give a free, virtual talk on their new book, RETHINKING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM. This event is hosted by the Monroe C. Gutman Library and moderated by @ehutt.bsky.social. https://bit.ly/4k1uuyI

Some highlights from our conversation about our forthcoming book "Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism" hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961... @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social on the main takeaways: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ws... Me on recommendations for policy and practice: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKmf...

FANTASTIC ICPSR at U Mich is coordinating the archiving of at-risk federal data (all of it?) You can upload data you have & search for data you don’t have www.datalumos.org/datalumos/

HEP author @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social sat down for an interview with @wdet.bsky.social and spoke about chronic absenteeism and what we can do about it. Listen to the conversation here: https://bit.ly/4gsqHHG

We're excited about all of our new and upcoming books! Learn about RETHINKING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM by Sarah Winchell Lenhoff and @jeremylsinger.bsky.social, HOW WE SEE US by Michaela M. Leslie-Rule, and other 2025 releases here: https://bit.ly/49Pqehq

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE ALL THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IS AT A CRISIS POINT PEOPLE ARE NOW

🚨 New article alert! Super excited that "Advantaged Families' Opportunity Hoarding in U.S. K-12 Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature" is finally published in Review of Educational Research! Loved working with this amazing team! doi.org/10.3102/0034... @aeraedresearch.bsky.social

Who has taken really good PD or training on being a leader or mentor? Any particular programs or people that have really helped you develop your leadership skills, especially in supporting junior scholars? This is such a big part of my job now and I would love to get better at it!

New report from Detroit PEER by @jeremylsinger.bsky.social highlights persistent higher rates of chronic absence in Mich., despite significant progress since the peak of the pandemic. All but the most high-absenteeism schools still have 10-20pp higher chronic absenteeism than prior to COVID. #EduSky

How it started / How it’s going @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and I recently got page proofs for our book on chronic absenteeism! We’re very excited for it to come out in March. More info (and preorder) here: hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961...

Hi! We just got the proofs back on our new book! @jeremylsinger.bsky.social are so excited to share Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism with our colleagues, educators, and policymakers - in education and beyond. Preorder available now! hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961...