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Matthew A Kraft

@matthewakraft.com
4K followers 574 following 156 posts

Professor of Education and Economics. Former high school humanities teacher. Proud papa & volunteer soccer coach. Reading as much as I can about climate change. www.matthewakraft.com

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Reposted by Matthew A Kraft
Tes magazine @tesmagazine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Building evidence on the effectiveness of different education interventions is great, but what about the question of how easy they will be to implement? @matthewakraft.com warns of a trap that education reform often falls into
tes.com
Why education needs to avoid the implementation feasibility trap
The New York Times surveyed researchers to evaluate 30 education interventions on cost and effectiveness. Matthew Kraft explains the bigger lesson from this analysis
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SustainableED @edsustainable.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
MONDAY 10/5: @joshua-goodman.com will be presenting the first of this year's SustainableED Virtual Seminar Series at 1pm EST. Open to all and hosted on Zoom! Register: tinyurl.com/22jrpect
Top banner advertises the SustainableED 2026-27 Virtual Seminar Series. Below, presentation information for Joshua Goodman's seminar is listed alongside his headshot. The talk title listed is, "Something in the Air - Environmental Conditions, Student Learning, and School Infrastructure." The seminar will be held Monday, October 5, 2027, from 1:00 - 1:45 pm EST.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026
Thanks!
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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...
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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
Yes! Well said. Kind of like making sure you choose a puzzle piece that fits.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026
Great idea for reviewing existing expenditure by asking what are the opportunity costs.
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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 · 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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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
🔥 We've got a banger of a lineup for this year's #SustainableED virtual seminar series. Free & open to the public. Join us and spread the word! Past seminars are available on our YouTube channel. Great teaching resources: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
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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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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Nice write-up from @edweek.org's Sarah Sparks on @matthewakraft.com & my paper on HS education courses in TX www.edweek.org/leadership/h... "lack of higher education support after high school may prevent these prospective teachers of color from ever making it to a classroom of their own"
edweek.org
High School Teacher Academies Work. But There's a Break in the Pipeline
Aspiring teachers of color often hit a wall before making it to the classroom, a new study finds.
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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🚨New NBER Working Paper w/ @matthewakraft.com! 🚨 Can Early Exposure to the Teaching Profession Increase Teacher Supply & Diversity? New Evidence on the Teacher Pipeline www.nber.org/papers/w35776 We examine whether HS ed courses can expand new teacher supply in TX. We find:
nber.org
Can Early Exposure to the Teaching Profession Increase Teacher Supply and Diversity? New Evidence on the Teacher Pipeline
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
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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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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 17/09/2026
New article in NY Times Magazine highlights the challenges district leaders & communities face in the aftermath of extreme weather. This is increasingly our new reality. We need to be prepared. *Bonus mention of findings from the #SustainableED team! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/m...
nytimes.com
After a Tornado, He Rebuilt Schools at Lightning Speed. Then Came the Hard Work. (Gift Article)
One superintendent is trying to apply what he’s learned to other shattered districts — and reckoning with the toll of the disaster on his own life.
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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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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Some of us are also concerned about adults' critical thinking skills if that helps!
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 15/09/2026
I was talking with my 12-year-old yesterday about the growing concerns that AI will undercut students' critical thinking skills. His response . . . "It seems unfair for adults to be criticizing kids for using AI. Kids didn't build it - adults did." Certainly made me think.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 10/09/2026
This is an average effect for all kids in a district - many who did not actually do the tutoring. The implied effect for tutored kids is very large.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 10/09/2026
@mattbarnum.bsky.social out with a thoughtful piece about the arc of high-dosage tutoring that draws on some of my own research with amazing collaborators. Via @chalkbeat.org www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/10/h...
chalkbeat.org
High-dosage tutoring was supposed to transform learning. What happened?
The latest research offers some sobering results. But it would be foolish to write off tutoring too quickly.
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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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Brown University Department of Education @brownedudept.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Lindsay Page as she steps into her new role as Chair of Brown's Department of Education. 👏 education.brown.edu/news/2026-09...
education.brown.edu
Leading Brown’s Department of Education: A Conversation with New Chair Lindsay Page
Dr. Page discusses her new role as Department Chair, the colleagues who shaped her first five years at Brown, and the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning.
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Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES) @brown-ibes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
IBES affiliate, @edsustainable.bsky.social director & @brownedudept.bsky.social prof @matthewakraft.com discussed the impact of natural disasters on school attendance. Read @anya1anya.bsky.social's full article:
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 31/08/2026
Excited to read it!
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 31/08/2026
ICYMI - my hot takes on the changing nature of the tutoring marketplace after new providers rushed in to meet the spike in district demand for tutoring services. It will be interesting to see the new post-federal-recovery-aid equilibrium. marketbrief.edweek.org/education-ma...
marketbrief.edweek.org
Varsity Tutors for Schools' Exit Hints at Shift in Tutoring Market
The company is ending its district services to refocus on parent and college student customers.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 31/08/2026
I really enjoyed seeing Josh present this paper at #NBERSI2026 Although the paper is about private tutoring, I think it has huge implications for public school accountability systems and how families make residential choices based on school ratings such as those from Great Schools.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 31/08/2026
Thanks for sharing!! We are doing work on the expansion of solar in schools!
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Walt Ecton @waltecton.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education @ Michigan is hiring for an associate or full professor of higher education policy, with expertise in quantitative methods! careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...
careers.umich.edu
Associate or Full Professor of Higher Education with Tenure | U-M Careers
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Josh Cowen @joshcowenmi.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
NEW: Dr. @matthewakraft.com is a Brown education economist who served in the White House. His team just released a shocking new report showing huge numbers of US schools are located near toxic waste sites.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 17/08/2026
Really enjoyed my conversation with Josh Cowen. We discuss #SustainableED's new paper showing how shockingly common it is for K12 schools to be located near toxic sites. @edsustainable.bsky.social joshcowen.substack.com/p/is-your-sc...
joshcowen.substack.com
Is your school near a toxic hazard site?
Sitting down with Brown University's Dr. Matthew Kraft, whose team has just released a shocking new report showing that thousands of American schools are located near environmental hazard sites.
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026
Thanks so much, Kim. We are so grateful for your support!
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026
Perhaps of interest? ⬆️ @kimcobb.bsky.social @annenberginstitute.bsky.social @brown-ibes.bsky.social @brownedudept.bsky.social @climatelab.bsky.social @jeffcolgan.bsky.social
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Mary Laski @marylaski.com · 11/08/2026
🚨⬇️🚨 New working paper out!!! 🚨⬇️🚨 caldercenter.org/publications... Pleased to share this paper with Calen Clifton and @cedr.bsky.social on the impact of Next Education Workforce team-based teaching models in Arizona. We find interesting variation in impacts across grades and subjects... (1/6)
caldercenter.org
Evidence on Team-Based Teaching Models in Arizona | CALDER Center
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026
Perhaps of interest? ⬆️ @grist.org @insideclimatenews.org @heatmap.news @carbonbrief.org @vox.com @hirokotabuchi.bsky.social @olliemilman.bsky.social @dwallacewells.bsky.social @katharinehayhoe.com @ayanaeliza.bsky.social
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Matthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 11/08/2026
This is the first of many studies coming from @edsustainable.bsky.social. annenberg.brown.edu/sustainableED Published paper pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Open access preprint edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1384 If you are also doing research in the edXclimate space please get in touch to join our community
annenberg.brown.edu
SustainableED - Sustainable Education Research Initiative | Annenberg Institute at Brown
Research for climate-smart schools
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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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Joshua Goodman @joshua-goodman.com · 04/08/2026
Want to see in real time what's been happening to public school enrollment in your school district? Through @wheelockpolicybu.bsky.social, we've just released a school enrollment tracker for Massachusetts, allowing you to explore the data yourself. wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality...
wheelockpolicycenter.org
Massachusetts School Enrollment Dashboard
This interactive dashboard examines the gap between the predicted and actual enrollment in Massachusetts public, private, charter, and home schools.
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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 · 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
6) Evidence and Values Evidence-based policy making is important, but we can't ignore values either. It think this paper and the broader debate about cell phones in school raises important questions about balancing efficacy and ideals when policy makers have to make judgement calls. END
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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
4) Treatment-Control Contrasts are Central The authors provide rich data characterizing the cell phone policies and ~ cell phone use in both the treatment and control conditions. Too often we focus all our energy on the treatment and mention a Business As Usual control condition in passing.
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