Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsMartha near Seattle, 8647 @marthawt.bsky.social · 13hThat is the major trade-off. My kids had a rough freshman year of college (as did I, after parochial schooling), but they are wonderful human beings—which seemed like the primary goal. And they have been leading successful adult lives. 011
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsMartha near Seattle, 8647 @marthawt.bsky.social · 13hExcellent, thoughtful thread about white parent reaction to that thought-provoking NYT piece on choosing schools for our children. His experience mirrors my own. I do not regret choosing DEI over “academic rigor” for my now-adult children. 011
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 23hOk. I think I have settled on one firmer take here. I've written about my own choices as a (privileged, white) dad sending kids into (public, Title I) D.C. schools. I've thought about—and sometimes presented—it as a part of living values and pushing for ed equity, like NHJ. But... 1143
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsMarnie Kaplan @marniekaplan.bsky.social · 21hI live in a district with an intentional integration program. We moved here because of the intentional integration plan but many people moved here for other reasons and the community has been chipping away at the integration plan. 102
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsMarnie Kaplan @marniekaplan.bsky.social · 20hOne mom voiced to me that she grew up in a homogenous community and didn’t know any people of color growing up. She’s now in a mixed faith marriage and wanted different for her kids. 011
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsBetsy Wolf @betsyjwolf.bsky.social · 21hFor me, it was a both and. How to make things better AND how to raise kids who want to make things better. I also think learning how to love people different than you is not an intellectual exercise, like you actually have to get to know people. 121
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsBill DeBaun @billdebaun.bsky.social · 23hI think "save" is so high a standard that it becomes a trap. Like any other community, if you can help to improve it on the margins or build something positive, *even if those things are temporary*, you should! It might not matter in perpetuity, what does? But it can matter for the impacted kids! 021
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConstantine @ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 23hThe truth is that in many ways, desegregation movements and multicultural/socioeconomically diverse educational environments have had in many ways a greater net benefit for the white middle-class that mostly fight against them than for anyone else 094
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConstantine @ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 23hI was a middle class kid bussed to the post schools in Seattle for my entire education and it made me a better person. We made this same decision for the same reason. Our kid is now a senior at Berkeley and she's a better human for it, too. 1102
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsTracy O’Connell Novick @tracynovick.bsky.social · 23hAgreed, as someone who made similar choices for my kids. 111
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 23hOk. I think I have settled on one firmer take here. I've written about my own choices as a (privileged, white) dad sending kids into (public, Title I) D.C. schools. I've thought about—and sometimes presented—it as a part of living values and pushing for ed equity, like NHJ. But... 1143
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I would say "the defense rests" but I will never rest in defending the region's true boundaries. 010
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Indeed, Schmitt's rake-stepping goes directly to my longstanding case against Missouri's delusional belief that it is part of the Midwest. (Same goes for the Dakotas, but that's another argument for another day,) 341
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Ah man, it's another of those Lightnin' Hopkins kinds of nights. 100
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsYu-Ming Liou @yumingliou.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Missouri isn't much more midwestern than Kentucky 331
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Indeed, Schmitt's rake-stepping goes directly to my longstanding case against Missouri's delusional belief that it is part of the Midwest. (Same goes for the Dakotas, but that's another argument for another day,) 341
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026"A university's obligation to the physical safety of its students is not one commitment among several, to be weighed against reputation or litigation exposure." 020
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026This is a good idea. grijalva.house.gov/sites/evo-su...grijalva.house.gov 001
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Since one of my main issues is how much time my dog takes from the rest of my life, I will never make it to a meeting. But...I wish I could. 110
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsMartin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026NEWS: A federal judge has declared a mistrial in the federal bribery trial of Ward 8 Council member Trayon White. What happens next is the big question: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/trayon...washingtonsun.comJudge Declares a Mistrial in Trayon White’s Bribery CaseThe mistrial means that White, who would have been ineligible for public office in D.C. if convicted, can remain on the D.C. Council — at least for now. 0123
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026As a progressive working in education policy, I've spent years arguing with progressives who tell me that I "hate public education" or that I'm a "corporate, neoliberal shill" because I've supported proposals to overhaul some of the structures of how public education operates. 161
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I was talking to someone today who framed K–12 AI discourse as between 1) hard bans and 2) families worried that schools aren't preparing kids to use AI. I told them I didn't really know many families in camp #2. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...nbcnews.comPoll: Most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schoolsLast year, a slim majority thought schools that integrated AI would be better for students. Now a majority say schools that ban AI are better, according to the NBC News Decision Desk Poll. 2196
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsTess Bernhard @tessbern.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I have been interviewing families about their hopes for children’s tech use (or non-use) in school and can confirm that this second camp hardly exists 1105
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I was talking to someone today who framed K–12 AI discourse as between 1) hard bans and 2) families worried that schools aren't preparing kids to use AI. I told them I didn't really know many families in camp #2. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...nbcnews.comPoll: Most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schoolsLast year, a slim majority thought schools that integrated AI would be better for students. Now a majority say schools that ban AI are better, according to the NBC News Decision Desk Poll. 2196
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I shared a few thoughts in a thread—and a story by @citizenstewart.bsky.social—but I'm kind of amazed at how quickly so many people in education blasted out with instant, firm takes on Nikole Hannah-Jones' piece from last weekend. 111
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I was thinking about this the other day in the context of conservatives' "hard man make good times, good times make soft men" chest-thump meme. Like, fascinating to discover that conservative toughness rests so precariously on...*checks notes*...cheap fuel? 272
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Listening to @wwozneworleans.bsky.social and, boyos, if any of you are also listeners and haven't donated...get in there. secure3.convio.net/wwoz/site/Do...secure3.convio.net Support WWOZ - WWOZ 000
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026MAGA really didn't think through the consequences of activating—and radicalizing—the North Midwestern Moms cadres. 050
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsFaine Greenwood @faineg.com · 25/09/2026Here's an interesting interview on the Middle Eastern influence on modern Mexican food: www.splendidtable.org/story/2013/0...splendidtable.orgHow the flavors of the Middle East ended up in MexicoChef Roberto Santibañez shares the history behind Mexican dishes with Middle Eastern influences. 68817
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026"We have too many examples of self-educating with high standards against huge odds to feel like beggars in policy circles." citizen.substack.com/p/we-should-...citizen.substack.comWe Should All Be Najya NowNikole Hannah-Jones shares an intimate and brilliant wake up call 011
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Unthinkable. www.the74million.org/article/new-...the74million.orgNew York Schools Named in Nearly 2,000 Child Sex Abuse Claims74 Investigation: A law that opened a window for survivors to seek justice for past abuse also exposed how deeply schools enabled alleged predators. 010
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsMary Pustejovsky @mpusto.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I’ve been thinking about this too. What do we owe our children? If I have the money to buy them a car, should I? If I have the money to send them to a fancy summer camp, am I obligated to? Just because I *can* get them better things, should I? 101
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsLake Michigan! Live! @lake-michigan.live · 22/09/2026Current* conditions near Manistee, MI: 071
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsConor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Been thinking about this piece since yesterday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...nytimes.comIn Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice. 161
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsAlexander Danner @alexanderdanner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Absolutely mind-boggling to me that this hasn't been a top-level dem priority every single time they have any amount of power. 2347
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Frustrating to name our stadium after 1) the Tigers' most likely finishing spot in the AL Central and 2) the Tigers' best-case AL Central ceiling spot. 010
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Been thinking about this piece since yesterday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...nytimes.comIn Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice. 161
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Hey my ppl in the DMV we are part of a region that is part of a country that is part of the world and people travel all over the place so, ehhh, get your flu shot *BEFORE* you see a note like this for our neighborhood. 020
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026"[T]hese examples underscore just how extreme the Trump Administration’s language proposal is, even after a long history of nativist policymaking in the United States." taragarciam.substack.com/p/from-engli...taragarciam.substack.comFrom English-only Head Start to a race/ethnicity-free CensusThe Trump Administration’s troubling proposals are piling up. 021
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsRedditCFB @redditcfb.com · 19/09/2026Bowdoin helmets going hard this week. 721349
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I...can't help but feel the dread here. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...nytimes.comF.A.A. to Roll Out New A.I. Tool for Washington AirportsThe tool, called SMART, will crunch scheduling and weather data to predict and avoid delays. It will be deployed in the Washington region’s three major airports next week. 110
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsEd Fuller @edfuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026(unless you are white and wealthy is what they were trying to say) 011
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsNewton Cooper @newtoncooper.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Count me in the wholly disagree camp, though no shade intended for you. I find the people who say it shouldn’t be easy are often folks who never experienced real hardship. Sure, they may have worked hard, but did they have to experience racism, or poverty, or a toxic environment, etc.? 011
Reposted by Conor P. WilliamsStephen Nuñez @socio-steve.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Could we regulate the market, circumscribe it such that it does not infest areas of society where the magic of the market doesn't work and public provision is superior, and then maybe provide the sort of safety net that not only helps foks but makes the market part work better? No? Ok, beret time. 36411
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 18/09/2026I went to an education policy event yesterday where the Trump administration's Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler said, "It shouldn't be an easy pathway to achieve the American Dream." www.youtube.com/live/HZGXaER...youtube.com2026 Reagan Institute Summit on Education | Thursday, September 17YouTube video by Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute 230
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 18/09/2026If only legacy media outlets had some reporters interested in visiting Heartland America for "MAGA Safaris" about how they're feeling about this. 010
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Got mine (also via bike commute, fwiw) on Monday. Real heads know. 030
Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 17/09/2026I think we've officially gotten to the "unplug 2026 and plug it back in again" moment to see if it fixes the glitches. 000