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David Houston

@dmhouston.bsky.social
1.9K followers 371 following 434 posts

Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy | George Mason University | Public Education and American Democracy

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Reposted by David Houston
Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Writing something where I will be liberally citing @lilymasonphd.bsky.social's latest and realizing that I can't cite every single thing I would like to because then I'm just reprinting her work. So, I've gotta thread about it instead. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
Screenshot of the article website. Title is: Polarization Is Not the Problem. Author is Lilliana Mason. Journal is the Journal of Democracy, Volume 37, Number 4, October 2026. From Johns Hopkins University Press.
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Colin Brown @colinmbrown.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
May be of interest to some Students:
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
AI survey respondents tend to: A) respond far more confidently than actual humans (less likely to indicate "I don't know" or give neutral response) B) exaggerate the ubiquity of responses that are merely common among racial/ethnic subgroups (Shocking. I know.) www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/20...
pewresearch.org
Can AI Stand In for Human Survey-Takers? Not Really
Synthetic surveys using digital twins do a poor job estimating the public mood and are especially error-prone for some subgroups, including Republicans and Black adults.
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Cara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Dosage Dilemma: Implementation Evidence on the Barriers to High-Dosage Tutoring journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Paul Bruno @paul-bruno.com · 29/09/2026
"Unless [Federal Scholarship Tax Credit] funds are targeted towards low-income areas outside the communities where the money is being donated, we expect the FSTC to become a regressive funding source, even where those funds go to public school students." www.brookings.edu/articles/who...
brookings.edu
Who is likely to benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit? | Brookings
Jon Valant and co-authors assess who will benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit—and why policymakers should be worried.
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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Shot: "We asked 37 top academics and researchers who study education to rate a range of ideas for both effectiveness and cost, on a scale of 1 to 7." Chaser: "The panel included: Dominique Baker..." LOL y'all I read so many papers to complete this survey on k12 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts
Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?
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Andrew Bacher-Hicks @abacherhicks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
K-12 researchers! Take a look at the new Arnold Ventures RFP supporting causal research on the impacts of K-12 school policies. LOIs are due Nov. 13. Please share widely!
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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
And if you want an actual link to the RFP, it's here www.arnoldventures.org/evidence-eva...
arnoldventures.org
Arnold Ventures | Evidence & Evaluation Requests for Proposals
A list of the current Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from Arnold Ventures’ Evidence & Evaluation team.
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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
So excited to be launching this request for proposals on state policies to improve k-12 educational outcomes at Arnold Ventures. I'm stoked to be supporting the team in carrying out this RFP. Take a look, share, and send in an LOI www.arnoldventures.org/stories/what...
arnoldventures.org
Arnold Ventures | What State Policies Improve Student Outcomes in…
With student achievement still below pre-pandemic levels and states poised to remake key education policies, Arnold Ventures is launching a new request…
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Jack Schneider @jackschneider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I don't disagree. But, as I wrote back to these reporters, I am most optimistic about projects that respond to the expressed concerns of students and teachers. These are the people who spend 180 days inside schools each year, and they're the key actors in the process of teaching and learning. 1/n
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026
New @nytimes.com piece ranks 30 education interventions on both effectiveness & costs. For me, the key takeaway is NOT about what academics (including myself) rated as most effective or least costly. It is about the decision making process districts use. 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts
Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?
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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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Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
You don’t gut the country's capacity to measure what's happening in its schools because you care about improving them. Guardian article below.
graph of number of employees at NCES
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A) It would probably be better if folks organized their social lives around something other than party politics And B) If folks do organize their lives around partisanship, a joyful and communal version is clearly preferable to our current bitter and isolated one www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Young Democrats Are Putting the Party Back in Politics. It’s Working.
Fun, free events communicate a larger goal: that everyday people should be able to afford a joyful life.
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Laura Rogers @laurarogers.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Resharing: We are hiring a 9-month tenure track assistant or associate professor in my program, administration & supervision (education leadership) at UVA! If you're one of the 3 people who follows me on here, please share! I'm chairing the search and happy to talk. apply.interfolio.com/190669
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Sean Corcoran @seanpcorcoran.org · 23/09/2026
Our department at Vanderbilt is seeking an assistant/associate professor of higher education policy. The position is intended for a quantitative researcher with a PhD in a social science, public policy, or education. Please circulate and let me know if you have questions! apply.interfolio.com/193891
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 22/09/2026
My department and college are searching for FOUR new tenure-track assistant professor colleagues! Please share, and application reviews begin October 15.
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Chantal Hailey @chantalahailey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Nikole Hannah Jones article has invoked a lot conversation on race, school choice for Black families. I’ve been researching how black folks choose schools for 17 years, I have a lot of nuanced thoughts. Long thread. 1/
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Maithreyi Gopalan @maithgopalan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Pair this quantitative analysis with this incredible story from Nicole Hannah Jones: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m... to get a fuller picture of the disparities in access to advanced coursework, school discipline, and staffing in our public schools!
nytimes.com
In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? (Gift Article)
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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Erica Frankenberg @efrankenberg.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Today @advancedequity.bsky.social releases a broad overview of what some of the recently released 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) data illustrate in terms of the nature of students' educational experiences, opportunities, and barriers. www.advancedequity.org/briefs/a-sec...
advancedequity.org
A Second Look at the 2023–24 Civil Rights Data Collection: Early Findings on Advanced Coursework, Discipline, and School Staffing — AdvancED Equity
In August 2026 the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the 2023–24 Civil Rights Data Collection , the mandatory biennial survey of all public schools and districts in the United States. It include...
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[Christopher M. Federico] @chrispps.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
you'd never know it from the NYT article @gelliottmorris.com is commenting on here, but there is a very well-known 60+ year old literature in political science documenting the exact point the op-ed presents as a novel insight, which begins with Converse (1964):
tandfonline.com
The nature of belief systems in mass publics (1964)
Published in Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society (Vol. 18, No. 1-3, 2006)
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Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I’m excited to share that The Scarcity Loop: How School Choice Reshapes the Rationing of Public Education is officially out in the world. It seemed important to find a slice.
Scarcity loop book dragging a pizza slice up subway stairs
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Peter Nencka 📊 @peternka.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
🚨 Announcing OpenCensus, a new project with @ezrakarger.bsky.social : We are transcribing the historical US censuses and releasing them as open data 2.6 million people so far in 1940, browse here: opencensus.us
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Lots of good proposals to think about here I'm perhaps a little more skeptical about greater concentrated power at the federal level. In the long run, it will be wielded by both your friends and your enemies. But the specific responsibilities that @kevincarey1.bsky.social highlights are spot on
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Jeremy Singer @jeremylsinger.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Job alert! @harbatkat.bsky.social and I are hiring a postdoc to help lead research on Michigan's Partnership Model of school and district turnaround. We're looking for qualitative or mixed-method researcher, and hoping to hire ASAP. Reach out with any questions! careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...
careers.umich.edu
RESEARCH FELLOW (Hybrid) | U-M Careers
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Wonderful to see this officially published! Great work, @christocleve.bsky.social and Dylan
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Harry Anthony Patrinos @hpatrinos.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
No evidence that the four-day school week improves teacher retention New article by @andrewmcamp.com Anglum, Koedel, Lee, Nguyen journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/...
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Joshua Goodman @joshua-goodman.com · 11/09/2026
Our education policy group at BU Wheelock is accepting PhD applications this cycle. I'm particularly excited about synergies with the economics department that allow our students to do "economics of education" coursework. Spread the word and e-mail me if you're interested in learning more.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 10/09/2026
I’m starting a new substack. My focus will be, as always, on K12 education, but I'll also explore how the education system interacts with our economic system and our earth system. Please help me spread the word. It will always be free. matthewakraft.substack.com/p/introducin...
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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
One of my big academic rules: only write papers you really care about on topics you really care about. I try to follow this rule 99% of the time. This paper is one of the best examples of that, and I’m stoked it’s one step closer to being in the world. We’ve corrected proofs & you’ll have it soon!
First page of article proofs for “The Politics of Black Classification: Sociopolitical Cues and Racial Perception”
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Delighted to see that others share my love of these doorknobs. One led to my first classroom as a teacher.
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Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New: The U.S. has moved up on international test score rankings — generally by falling less swiftly than other countries. I don't think that means oh nothing to worry about. But it does make me question U.S.-specific explanations for these trends. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/08/p...
chalkbeat.org
U.S. students score above average in reading. Here’s why that’s not good news.
PISA international test results show concerning global declines in student learning. U.S. students posted some of their lowest scores ever in math and reading, but other countries are doing worse.
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Jack Schneider @jackschneider.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Our team at @umassamherst.bsky.social built the first standing representative sample of Massachusetts teachers in the state. Here is some coverage of our first release of survey data:
wbur.org
New survey of Mass. teachers show a dislike of statewide exams as a replacement for MCAS
They survey of nearly 1,200 Massachusetts educators by UMass Amherst’s Center for Education Policy also found that teachers consider their biggest challenges in the classroom to be student disinterest...
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Jack Schneider @jackschneider.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
umass.edu
As the School Year Starts, New Annual Massachusetts Educator Survey Finds Teachers Concerned Over the Direction of Public K-12 Education in Both the U.S. and Commonwealth | UMass Amherst
Conducted by the UMass Amherst Center for Education Policy and the UMass Amherst Poll, the survey asked nearly 1,200 Bay State public school teachers about issues facing education, challenges in the c...
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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New open-access research from my team! We use representative survey data to understand Americans' views on race-related topics in the school curriculum. We explore how views vary across demographic groups and based on the specific topics under consideration. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/...
journals.sagepub.com
What Explains Support for Race-Related Topics in the Curriculum? Evidence From the Understanding America Study - Morgan S. Polikoff, Jacob F. S. Rowley, Daniel Silver, Anna R. Saavedra, Amie Rapaport,...
Race-related content in the school curriculum is a subject of renewed political and policy attention. But what racial topics do Americans support students learn...
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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Times are tough in education research and academia. With that context in mind, what should prospective PhD applicants be thinking about? My latest, at the EdPolicy Hub Substack edpolicyhub.substack.com/p/curiosity-...
edpolicyhub.substack.com
Curiosity is King: What I Wish Applicants Thought About Before Starting a PhD
Morgan Polikoff
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David Wallace-Wells @dwallacewells.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The most important thing about the data center backlash is that, in a time of intense polarization and micro-movements, it is astonishingly large—such a big tent mass politics that any time you try and an atomize or explain it you end up diminishing it. nytimes.com/2026/08/31/opi…
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
On the one hand: The English lit major in me is incensed that my decades-long love of em dashes and oxford commas is now maligned as AI On the other: I'm delighted that more of the internet now uses my beloved punctuation On the other other: Whelp. This sucks. We're doomed.
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Conor P. Williams @conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Perhaps the best part was that her charity sent all kids in DC under 5 a book every month...so 12x a year we'd get to tell him that Dolly Parton sent him another book. He'd talk about her with reverence, like she was some kind of far-off gift-bestowing deity.
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Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com
imaginationlibrary.com
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.
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Gema Zamarro @gzamarro.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
We’re hiring! The University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Education Policy. Come and work with us! uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UAF_Ex...
uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Assistant Professor of Education Policy
Current University of Arkansas System employees, including student employees and graduate assistants, need to log in to Workday via MyApps.Microsoft.com, then access Find Jobs from the Workday search ...
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Lucy Sorensen @lucy-sorensen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Racial Status Threat and Anti-DEI Efforts in Local School Districts edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1528
edworkingpapers.com
Racial Status Threat and Anti-DEI Efforts in Local School Districts
This study draws on political science theory to analyze how perceived status threats to White social dominance influence local educational politics. We examine the relationship between racial status t...
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chrishawn @chrishawn.net · 20/08/2026
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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I regularly miss New York. Now I'm missing New York *as a parent*? Ugh. Thanks Mamdani. Thanks a lot. Psst: @janeese4dc.bsky.social, check this out!
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Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Young kids can handle hard truths about race // edpolicyhub.substack.com/p/young-kids...
edpolicyhub.substack.com
Young Kids Can Handle Hard Truths About Race
Huriya Jabbar and Jessica Toste
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Alex Freidus @alexfreidus.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Friends, all books published by NYU Press are 50% off until 8/31. So if you ever considered picking up my book - or assigning it for the fall semester - now is a great time. Shop and enjoy! nyupress.org/978147982781...
nyupress.org
Unequal Lessons
Diversity and racial integration efforts are not sufficient to address educational inequalityNew York City schools are among the most segregated in the natio...
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Paul Bruno @paul-bruno.com · 17/08/2026
"districts highly exposed to choice decreased expenditures and could not commensurately counteract shrinking revenues through local property tax referenda. Furthermore, short-term achievement gains reversed and became substantially negative over time." journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
So what if the listed title is incorrect? It has an Amazon page.
amazon.com
The Scarcity Loop: Reshapes the Rationing of Public Education
Buy The Scarcity Loop: Reshapes the Rationing of Public Education: Read Kindle Store Reviews - Amazon.com
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Ian Callen @iancallen.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
New paper! w/ @edizonross.bsky.social, @cedr.bsky.social, Tom Kane, Andrew McEachin, and @ermorton.bsky.social. We know the pandemic hit student test scores hard. But what happened to attendance, discipline, and grades? Did ESSER-funded intervention programs affect students on these measures?
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026
The #SustainableED team's first publication is out in @pnas.org. We document the scale of potential pollutant & carcinogen exposure across US K12 schools. 8% of all schools are within a few blocks of EPA registered hazard sites. Exposure risk is highly inequitable. 🧵
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