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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026

Bonus - a quick write up of these ideas on my Substack, 📘The Blue Book📘. matthewakraft.substack.com/p/the-implem...

Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026

📣 The first official post on my Substack, 📘The Blue Book📘, is up. I hope you'll read it, share it, and—if you like it—subscribe. I argue there is a bigger insight from the New York Times article ranking education reforms. matthewakraft.substack.com/p/the-implem...

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026

Districts would be well served to make decisions based on all 3 of these dimensions: 1️⃣ Effectiveness 2️⃣ Costs 3️⃣ Implementation Feasibility We're often seeking the BIG fix, when we need a collection of high-value ROIs where successful implementation is within reach. END

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026

Second, and most importantly, the article highlights that there is a third critical dimension in this decision making matrix: *Feasibility of Implementation* If you can't replicate it or scale it without a reasonable degree of success then the ROI doesn't tell us much. /3

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026

First, it combines effectiveness with costs to illustrate that sometimes smaller reforms with modest payoffs may be really attractive because they have a high return on investment (e.g. leveraging detailed student attendance data to reduce absenteeism). /2

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 23/09/2026

Excited to present brand new work with @sbkane.bsky.social on the hidden ways that time is eroded from the school calendar. Join us on Thursday at #SREE2026 in Harbor B for a great panel that also features @ehutt.bsky.social @michael-gottfried.bsky.social @elaineallensworth.bsky.social & more!

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 22/09/2026

Companion @pnas.org podcast just dropped for our paper, "US schools’ proximity to environmental hazard sites: A national analysis" #SustainableED Listen in here 🔊🎧🎤 www.pnas.org/post/podcast... Paper link: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Open access: edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1384

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 17/09/2026

Really looking forward to this discussion today organized by the @shankerinst.bsky.social . Join us!

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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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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026

The likelihood that K12 schools are near a known hazard differs substantially across states in ways that are not entirely driven by population density or site prevalence. This suggests an important role for local and state regulations in mitigating potential exposure. /5

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026

Risks are borne disproportionately by Native, Black, Hispanic, and low-income students who are 124%, 86%, 43%, and 40% more likely to attend schools within a quarter mile of a hazardous site. Proximity to multiple hazards and higher-risk sites is also highly inequitable. /4

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026

Proximity to known environmental hazards is nearly identical across public & private schools, possibly because the advantages in financial resources & siting flexibility private schools often enjoy are offset by their elevated presence in urban areas where hazard density is greatest. /3

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026

A shocking 44% of all US K12 schools are located within a 1 mile distance from a known environmental hazard (Superfund, brownfield, or Toxic Release Inventory facility). Work by @claudiapersico.bsky.social & many others documents clear negative effects on health and learning at this distance. /2

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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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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 06/08/2026

Brown just opened a cluster hire for two tenure-track positions in Education Policy. Come join our vibrant community of scholars at @brownedudept.bsky.social & @annenberginstitute.bsky.social! apply.interfolio.com/190527 Please help spread the word.

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 04/08/2026

I hope state & district leaders will find the guidance in @joshbleiberg.bsky.social & my policy brief helpful for minimizing the harm of teacher layoffs "The Inequitable Effects of Teacher Layoffs: What We Know and Can Do" @aefpweb.bsky.social @efpjournal.bsky.social direct.mit.edu/edfp/article...

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 30/07/2026

5) Dynamic Effects This is a great example of how policy effects can be dynamic (e.g. on discipline) and why point-in-time evaluations can be misleading. This can be a major advantage of event studies with admin data over RCTs with costly original outcome data collection.

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 30/07/2026

1) Policy Relevance It is such an amazing example of social science research that is timely and can directly inform policy and practice. We are in the midst of a major national reckoning about how to create schools that are environments where kids are engaged and socializing in healthy ways.

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 30/07/2026

Brian Jacob gave a great presentation on the effect of schools adopting Yonder pouches to restrict cell phone use at #NBERSI2026. The paper has generated lots of 🔥 takes. I think it provides a window into the value & challenges of social science research. Full paper www.nber.org/papers/w35132

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 24/06/2026

🚨 I'm hiring for a (Senior) Research Associate position to work with me on a broad research agenda focused on teacher labor markets. Great opportunity to be a part of the vibrant @annenberginstitute.bsky.social community of researchers at Brown University. Links in reply Please spread the word

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/06/2026

What about programs that were larger but did not stray from best practices in an effort to serve more students on a fixed budget? The evidence is promising! Maintaining "high-dosage/high-impact" features partially inoculates programs from this attenuation at scale. 9/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/06/2026

We sought to refine our meta-analytic sample to have greater external validity for the large tutoring programs that districts and states have attempted to build post-COVID. Effects with stronger target-equivalence are 0.16 to 0.22 SD, relative to an overall pooled effect of 0.40 SD. 6/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/06/2026

And most RCTs focus on literacy in elementary schools where there are larger gains to be had by helping students learn the alphabet, phonics, and core preliteracy skills. 5/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/06/2026

Focusing on RCTs strengthens the internal validity of meta-analytic estimates, but does not automatically produce estimates that generalize to broader efforts to scale tutoring across grades and subjects. It turns out that most RCTs evaluate relatively small programs. 4/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/06/2026

Several prior meta-analyses had found pooled effect sizes of eye-popping 0.3-0.4 SDs. Pooling across multiple studies affords stronger external validity across variable contexts. But we made inferences about LARGE tutoring programs across MANY grades & subjects. 3/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/06/2026

🚨Our tutoring meta-analysis is now online at RER. @bethschueler.bsky.social, Grace Falken & I analyzed 263 RCTs. What we learned has important implications for the future of tutoring and the use of meta-analyses to inform policy. Open access: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/... 🧵

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 09/06/2026

So excited to visit the University of Stavanger in Norway and present at the Synapse Lab tomorrow!

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/05/2026

I would camp out overnight to buy a book-length sociological treatise about the broader influence of Bloom's 2-sigma paper on research, culture, education and technology. Someone please write this book!

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 05/05/2026

In honor of teacher appreciation day, I want to highlight the large but often hidden impact that teachers have on students through their informal mentorship. Students who have a teacher as their primary mentor are substantially more likely to go to college. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 30/04/2026

One of my undergraduate RAs/advisees gave me the best thank you note a professor could ever ask for. This is the way.

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 14/04/2026

What a privilege to be among the amazing artists, scientists, and scholars named as 2026 Guggenheim Fellows. Feeling inspired and extremely grateful for all the wonderful people in my life. @guggfellows.bsky.social www.gf.org/stories/anno... 1/2

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 09/04/2026

So honored to be inducted as an AERA Fellow this morning. @aeraedresearch.bsky.social #AERA2026

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 09/04/2026

Join me at @aeraedresearch.bsky.social #AERA2026 for an amazing panel on "Schooling in the Anthropocene: Research Perspectives and Policy Priorities" Today @ 4:15 to 5:45pm PDT Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 306B I'll present our recent working paper: edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1238

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 02/04/2026

A great read from @nymag.com about time in school. A few lines made me LOL! Determining which religious holidays to observe is challenging—but the bigger picture about how limited time in school affects student learning & working families cannot be ignored. nymag.com/intelligence...

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 26/03/2026

When asked about AI and the future of K-12 teaching during a panel at #AEFP2026, I responded that I thought very little of what teachers do on a day-to-day basis *in classrooms* would change in the next 10 years. The reaction I got suggested this is a heterodox view. Am I wrong?

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 21/03/2026

The #SustainableED team is finishing strong at @aefpweb.bsky.social with two presentations as part of a panel on "The Educational Impacts of Pollution" along w/ @joshua-goodman.com & others. Join us at 11:45 in St. Gallen 3. #AEFP2026 @edsustainable.bsky.social

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 21/03/2026

Join us on Saturday morning for an amazing panel on Teacher Effectiveness. 10 am in Vevey 2 @aefpweb.bsky.social #AEFP2026 I'll be presenting our new working paper: edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1405

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 20/03/2026

Hey @aefpweb.bsky.social friends, Come join the discussion on the future of the teaching profession today at 1 pm in Vevey 1. #AEFP2026 We've got an all-star panel w/ Ellen Goldring @cedr.bsky.social @drconstance.bsky.social Erika Hunt and @nctq.bsky.social's Hannah Putman

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 20/03/2026

So excited for this @aefpweb.bsky.social session on the teacher pipeline @ 8:15 am on Friday in Vevey 2 w/ @carlyrobinson.bsky.social @susannaloeb.bsky.social @brendanbartanen.bsky.social Don't miss @drdsedwards.bsky.social presenting new work on CTE education courses. #AEFP2026 Join us!

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 19/03/2026

Happening today! An entire @aefpweb.bsky.social panel on "Climate Change and Education" #AEFP2026 Don't miss @emilykpenner.bsky.social @andrewpenner.bsky.social & many others at session 3.10 in St. Gallen 3. Grace will be presenting our WP: edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1238

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 10/03/2026

Out today, a short and accessible policy and practice summary of our new working paper "Is Teacher Effectiveness Fully Portable?" Via the @annenberginstitute.bsky.social edworkingpapers.com/policy-pract...

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 05/03/2026

So much fun to visit @tamu.bsky.social and meet the amazing faculty and students at the College of Ed and Dept. of Economics. I think I might open all my future seminars with a rousing "HOWDY!" Everything really is bigger in Texas.

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 27/02/2026

Such a joy to visit NC State College of Ed for their Research Celebration to talk about the past, present, and future of the teaching profession. A big highlight was the poster session with all the really impressive & important research students are doing. Thx @lamdspham.bsky.social for having me!

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/02/2026

More formal DiD estimates comparing changes in VAM pre vs. post transfer for incentivized teachers in treatment teams relative to teachers filling vacancies on control teams point to significant declines in performance, w/ a partial rebound in the second year post-transfer. 4/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/02/2026

Simple time-series evidence points to meaningful declines in high-performing, incentivized-transfer teachers' performance relative to teachers who filled vacancies on control-group teams through the natural labor market process. 3/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/02/2026

We leverage a well-known RCT of transfer incentives & find that prior VAM of high-performing incentivized-transfer teachers is only moderately predictive of their effects on achievement in struggling schools. This is consistent w/ potential bias OR true changes in performance. /2

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 18/02/2026

🚨Thrilled to share our new @nber.org WP. Research and policy often assume teacher effectiveness is essentially fixed. We revisit this question by studying what happens when high-performing teachers are incentivized to transfer to struggling schools. 🧵 nber.org/papers/w34845

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 10/02/2026

Care about schools? Concerned about climate change? I hope you'll take 4 minutes to listen to the newest “Possibly" podcast from @brown-ibes.bsky.social. We talk about the origins of #SustainableED & how education systems can adapt to & address climate change. thepublicsradio.org/possibly-pod...

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 26/01/2026

There are also meaningful differences in school proximity to hazardous sites by state. Even among states with similar site and population densities, the share of sites located near schools varies, suggesting the influence of local policy and land-use decisions. 5/

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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 26/01/2026

School proximity to hazardous sites is highly inequitable, with students of color and those participating in FRPL, English learning programming, and students with disabilities facing far greater potential risks than their white peers and those not enrolled in these programs. 4/

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