Baltimore has had success in lowering crime by providing youth opportunities instead of relying on punitive measures. Why aren’t DC leaders interested in this? We should be learning from Baltimore and trying new approaches.

Your gentle, periodic reminder to not platform people who should not be platformed.

Look, causal inference studies can be good or bad regardless of where the person who produced it works, what field their degree is in, and whether they have a PhD. You have to actually look at what they did. There are no shortcuts. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

New paper from me and Chris Klager. While at the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), one question came up repeatedly: are educational programs differentially effective for different subgroups? The short answer: some subgroup effects may be real, but caution is needed. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Happy DC Emancipation Day!   Today, we honor the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the District and the liberation of more than 3,000 enslaved people.   We also reflect on the ongoing work to build a DC where freedom is fully realized—through equity, opportunity, and dignity for all.

Presidential Essay: @aefpweb.bsky.social's Role in an Evidence-Informed Education Ecosystem via @efpjournal.bsky.social direct.mit.edu/edfp/article...

New RCT findings from MDRC on a program to reenroll stopped-out community college students within 15 credits of a degree The program, REACT, includes outreach, advising, and tuition waivers Early findings show it nearly doubled reenrollment, from 11% to 21% www.mdrc.org/sites/defaul...

DC implemented a new policy for its streeteries that cost restaurants $20,000 to implement. The result: virtually every restaurant eliminated their outdoor dining, many have reduced their hiring, & now a few cars can park more easily. Congrats on the successful policy change, DC government!

I don't remember seeing an image of Earth before that captures the (thin, fragile, tiny layer of) atmosphere so clearly. I mean, look at that.

The pro-business group Opportunity D.C. (which has gotten funding from developers, philanthropist Katherine Bradley, and others) says it will spend $1 million on mailers and TV ads backing @kenyanmcduffie.bsky.social's mayoral campaign. The first ad dropped today: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmA...

"The students who took two math periods saw big gains on 8th grade state tests over similar peers who were in 8th grade math alone, equivalent to almost a full year of additional learning" www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

Delighted to share our revised paper (w/ @juliaturner.bsky.social & @jacobbastian.bsky.social ) showing that Universal Pre-K has broad effects on local labor markets — effects well beyond only mothers. Larger effects for full-day programs. nber.org/papers/w33767 #EconSky #EarlyChildhood #ECE

I agree with this. One of the best things I did last year was talk to journalists. We should do it more often! But it’s also incredibly insulting to place blame on the field for the damage caused by this Administration. People don’t have time to advocate when their basic needs aren’t being met.

An interestingly timed post considering that the Trump administration is trying to remove the 15th Street bike lane in part because it says it causes more traffic for cars.

"What Trump has done to scientific research in the US is a tragedy and a crime, but he isn’t king of the world and thus can’t snuff out innovation or make us forget what we’ve already learned and created." @brianbeutler.bsky.social is good Against Fatalism www.offmessage.net/p/optimism-i...

This morning the House Oversight Committee is expected to advance a bill that would ban D.C. from using traffic cameras or stopping drivers from making right turns at red lights. Twelve of the D.C. Council's 13 members and @mayorbowser.dc.gov have made statements opposing the move.

A stunning (yet unsurprising) graph of who gets identified for special versus gifted education in Oregon. Graph reported by @mattbarnum.bsky.social.

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SREE is inviting 5-page conference proposals due April 1: www.sree.org/2026-confere.... My section is looking for papers that examine: • How policymakers and practitioners use research evidence in real-world settings • The conditions and practices that enable evidence use Think about submitting!

What a great way to spend International Women’s Day with @erinpalmerdc.bsky.social and other women advocates at a tea for @janeese4dc.bsky.social.

My response to the "Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences" report. It didn't have to be this way: betsyjwolf.substack.com/p/reimaginin...

There are some good ideas in here, including things that were already in progress before DOGE cuts. But I don't understand why much of the research workforce had to lose their jobs this past year to implement these changes, and I don't see how some of these changes are possible without researchers.

Also: worth reposting that @alevazquezbaur.bsky.social and I were on this beat several years ago. "[T]heir campaign against these children’s schooling is a trainwreck of moral reasoning." www.the74million.org/article/deny...

They have to troll bc she’s a great candidate.

Today @chmnmendelson.bsky.social announced that the 30-day congressional review period, during which a D.C. bill can be repealed, actually wrapped up last night. That means, per his office, that the D.C. tax decoupling bill is the law of the land, and can't be repealed by Congress.

Per @dchealth.bsky.social , there were several cases of measles in the District. Please check the post to see if you could have been exposed between January 21-February 2. Especially important if you were at the March For Life. dchealth.dc.gov/release/heal...

I’m a proud paying subscriber to The 51st, and if you’re upset about the news about the Post today, you should be too. Democracy dies when the free press dies, and there is no freedom under billionaire ownership. 51st.news/signup

Anyone know how we can reach her?

The House votes tomorrow on overturning our local tax law. This means: 1. Reversing a tax break for working families 2. Wreaking havoc in the middle of tax filing season 3. Destabilizing DC’s economy by clawing back $600 million 4. Undermining local autonomy

The Government Accountability Office found in a Monday report that the Education Department spent $28.5 million to $38 million on nine months of paid leave for employees in its Office for Civil Rights before ultimately reinstating them to their positions. buff.ly/VUw20qC

Ascendium Education Philanthropy is providing support for researchers working in postsecondary education and workforce development to attend #AEFP2026! @aefpweb.bsky.social Details and link to application here: aefpweb.org/ascendium-aw... #EdResearch

Last year Congress blew a $1.1 billion hole in DC's budget. Now they're trying to do it again. Two new bills are attempting to take away nearly $700M of DC's own local tax money. They're anti-democratic, anti-family, and wrong. Here are four ways you can help stop them: freedcproject.org/money

Wow, this is Baldwin County, AL, where 78% of people voted for Trump.

Here we go again DC.

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti. "Please get the truth out about our son."

Curious about what people said in response to the RFI about "re-imagining" the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)? I put the public comments in one file (763 pages) and used AI to analyze the themes and areas of agreement and disagreement (5 pages) by audience ⬇️: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

What’s the plan to keep kids safe, DC?

Good 🧵 from one scientist to others.

Picked this up from @donmoyn.bsky.social Website with links to help people in Minnesota.

Interesting: For all the hate D.C.'s traffic cameras get, there seems to be some evidence drivers are responding by not speeding, running red lights and so on. Below is data on traffic camera tickets from 12/2024 to 12/2025. There was a pretty steady decline for most of 2025.

Follow this starter pack for the best eating and dining recommendations in DC, formerly on the bird app.

Saint Paul schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for optional online learning. I’ve seen schools close for snow, for pandemic, for natural disaster. I’ve never seen schools close because of threat from our own government.

Absolute abuse of authority.

@thehillishome.com/ @popville.bsky.social readers may find this of interest: petition to include a sauna and jacuzzi at the new Rumsey Aquatic Center (rather than the currently proposed “tech lounge” and “business incubator,” odd for a community pool) sign.moveon.org/petitions/wa...

IES is the federal agency with the second largest reduction in staff this year, narrowly behind USAID

Take a survey on celebrity singers rank choice voting style! I must add though that the tool should not let you submit more than one response at each rank.

NEWS: In a report detailing an October public hearing on MPD's cooperation with ICE, @brianneknadeau.bsky.social says that @mayorbowser.dc.gov should rescind the mayoral order that allows local police to work with federal agencies and the D.C. Council should strengthen the sanctuary-city law.

These shootings, and the more aggressive stance that federal agents have taken in many U.S. cities, can create a vicious cycle. Say someone with a record is pulled over. If they're afraid a federal agent is involved, might they be more likely to try and run?

I don’t understand the end goal here. Kill more pedestrians in DC? What if that’s you or your staff?