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Conor P. Williams

@conorpwilliams.bsky.social
2.6K followers 1.3K following 1.4K posts

Writer and researcher in DC. Lotta PreK–12 and immigration policy. Dopily pro-America, stridently anti-fascist. Also: Former stay-at-home dad. Primary caregiver. Just my views here.

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Reposted by Conor P. Williams
Martha near Seattle, 8647 @marthawt.bsky.social · 13h
That 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.
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Reposted by Conor P. Williams
Martha near Seattle, 8647 @marthawt.bsky.social · 13h
Excellent, 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 23h
Ok. 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...
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Reposted by Conor P. Williams
Marnie Kaplan @marniekaplan.bsky.social · 21h
I 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.
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Marnie Kaplan @marniekaplan.bsky.social · 20h
One 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.
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Betsy Wolf @betsyjwolf.bsky.social · 21h
For 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.
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Bill DeBaun @billdebaun.bsky.social · 23h
I 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!
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Constantine @ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 23h
The 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
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Constantine @ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 23h
I 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.
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Tracy O’Connell Novick @tracynovick.bsky.social · 23h
Agreed, as someone who made similar choices for my kids.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 23h
Ok. 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...
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I would say "the defense rests" but I will never rest in defending the region's true boundaries.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Indeed, 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,)
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ah man, it's another of those Lightnin' Hopkins kinds of nights.
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Yu-Ming Liou @yumingliou.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Missouri isn't much more midwestern than Kentucky
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Indeed, 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,)
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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."
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is a good idea. grijalva.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
grijalva.house.gov
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Since 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
ceci n'est pas la douleur
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Reposted by Conor P. Williams
Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEWS: 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.com
Judge Declares a Mistrial in Trayon White’s Bribery Case
The 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
As 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I 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.com
Poll: Most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schools
Last 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.
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Tess Bernhard @tessbern.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I 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
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I 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.com
Poll: Most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schools
Last 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
some heroes, no capes, etc
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I 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?
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Listening 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
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
MAGA really didn't think through the consequences of activating—and radicalizing—the North Midwestern Moms cadres.
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Reposted by Conor P. Williams
Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 25/09/2026
Here's an interesting interview on the Middle Eastern influence on modern Mexican food: www.splendidtable.org/story/2013/0...
splendidtable.org
How the flavors of the Middle East ended up in Mexico
Chef Roberto Santibañez shares the history behind Mexican dishes with Middle Eastern influences.
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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.com
We Should All Be Najya Now
Nikole Hannah-Jones shares an intimate and brilliant wake up call
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Unthinkable. www.the74million.org/article/new-...
the74million.org
New York Schools Named in Nearly 2,000 Child Sex Abuse Claims
74 Investigation: A law that opened a window for survivors to seek justice for past abuse also exposed how deeply schools enabled alleged predators.
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Mary Pustejovsky @mpusto.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I’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?
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Lake Michigan! Live! @lake-michigan.live · 22/09/2026
Current* conditions near Manistee, MI:
NW view of 1st Street Beach in Manistee and the inlet to the Manistee River in the foreground and Lake Michigan beyond. // Image captured at (local time): 2026-09-22 11:36:03 EDT (about 1 min. prior to this post) // Image sourced from: manisteemi.gov // Current Temp in Manistee: 57 F | 14 C // Precip: overcast clouds // Wind: S at 1 mph | 2 kph // Humidity: 64%
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Been thinking about this piece since yesterday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
nytimes.com
In 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.
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Alexander Danner @alexanderdanner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Absolutely mind-boggling to me that this hasn't been a top-level dem priority every single time they have any amount of power.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Frustrating 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Been thinking about this piece since yesterday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
nytimes.com
In 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hey 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.
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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.com
From English-only Head Start to a race/ethnicity-free Census
The Trump Administration’s troubling proposals are piling up.
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RedditCFB @redditcfb.com · 19/09/2026
Bowdoin helmets going hard this week.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I...can't help but feel the dread here. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
F.A.A. to Roll Out New A.I. Tool for Washington Airports
The 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.
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Ed Fuller @edfuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
(unless you are white and wealthy is what they were trying to say)
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Newton Cooper @newtoncooper.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Count 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.?
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Stephen Nuñez @socio-steve.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Could 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.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I 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.com
2026 Reagan Institute Summit on Education | Thursday, September 17
YouTube video by Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
If only legacy media outlets had some reporters interested in visiting Heartland America for "MAGA Safaris" about how they're feeling about this.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Got mine (also via bike commute, fwiw) on Monday. Real heads know.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I think we've officially gotten to the "unplug 2026 and plug it back in again" moment to see if it fixes the glitches.
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