Reposted by Rachel M. PereraJen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 01/10/2026stop treating the culture wars as an exogenous shock. political actors made strategic choices to create and weaponize them. they are not a curious weather condition public schools failed to dress appropriately for. 530573
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraBenjamin Riley @benjaminjriley.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Tool of cognitive automation working exactly as intended. 14324
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 16/06/2026Department officials also said that laying off half of ED's civil rights staff wouldn't impact civil rights enforcement & we now know that wasn't true. In 2025, ED's OCR resolved 90% of complaints it received by simply dismissing them & resolved only 112 pending civil rights cases (a record low). 100
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraAnne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 23/04/2026An outstanding, comprehensive rebuke of AI mania in K-12 by @winterjessica.bsky.social that rounds out by highlighting the growing coalition of parents, educators, and other concerned humans that is working fast and hard to tamp it down.newyorker.comWhat Will It Take to Get A.I. Out of Schools?“I find myself speaking with my kids about A.I. in the same terms that we might discuss a creepy neighbor who lives down the block,” Jessica Winter writes. Read her report on the push for A.I. in educ... 10628281
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraCara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · 14/04/2026Reflecting on #AEFP2026: @dbassok.bsky.social, Michal & I talk about the amazing work the @aefpweb.bsky.social community is doing 💗 Many thanks to the @brookings.edu team, especially Jon Valant, @rachelmarisa.bsky.social & Mike Hansen for helpful feedback. www.brookings.edu/articles/reb...brookings.eduRebuilding IES to amplify the impact of education research on student outcomes | BrookingsLeaders of AEFP discuss the state of education policy research and the future of the Institute of Education Sciences. 096
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 01/04/2026"How convenient, then, that the things that make us feel better are all conservative staples! Brooks, Inc., may have changed its advertising, but it has not quite abandoned its old politics." BINGO www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...newyorker.comHow to Measure the Good LifeIn a new book, the conservative pundit Arthur C. Brooks offers tips to “young strivers” on maximizing their daily meaning quotient. 020
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraKatharine Meyer @katharinemeyer.bsky.social · 23/02/2026These pieces add to our "Why we have and need a Department of Education" project, where we've been examining the role of ED in a time of heightened scrutiny and politicization of the department and federal role in education: www.brookings.edu/collection/w...brookings.eduWhy we have and need a US Department of Education | BrookingsThis series considers what the U.S. Department of Education does to shape education policy and practice in the United States. 012
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraKatharine Meyer @katharinemeyer.bsky.social · 23/02/2026I took a look at how higher ed has been shaped by funding cuts and uncertainty - "A coordinated retreat from college access: What TRIO and GEAR UP cuts reveal" www.brookings.edu/articles/a-c...brookings.eduA coordinated retreat from college access: What TRIO and GEAR UP cuts reveal | BrookingsKatharine Meyer discusses how TRIO and GEAR UP programs have been impacted by the first year of the Trump administration. 112
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraKatharine Meyer @katharinemeyer.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Checking in on the Department of Education - a year(ish) into the second Trump administration and ahead of SOTU tomorrow, we looked back at what has happened to ED and what you might expect in the year ahead www.brookings.edu/articles/faq...brookings.eduFAQs: Checking in on the Department of Education | BrookingsA year into the second Trump administration, Brown Center scholars offer a check-in on the Department of Education—what has happened and what might lie ahead. 153
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 23/02/2026In a new Brookings piece, I wrote about how the US Department of Education has turned civil rights enforcement into a tool to promote segregation and discrimination. www.brookings.edu/articles/how...brookings.eduHow the US Department of Education has turned civil rights enforcement into a discriminatory tool | Brookings 012
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraCara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · 20/02/2026FAQs: Checking in on the Department of Education via @brookings.edu www.brookings.edu/articles/faq...brookings.eduFAQs: Checking in on the Department of Education | BrookingsA year into the second Trump administration, Brown Center scholars offer a check-in on the Department of Education—what has happened and what might lie ahead. 033
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 18/02/2026the idea that early grade suspensions are an effective way to "control" the behavior of 5- 7 year olds is absurd. children's brains are not wired to consider the potential threat of suspension before deciding whether to misbehave, undermining the idea of suspensions as an effective deterrent 161
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraVictor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 16/12/2025I wrote about Yglesias “defending liberalism” by joining a right wing moral panic over critical race theory. His vision of liberalism has room for bigots, but no room for scholars concerned about structural racism. 15835218
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 12/12/2025this overview by @kedseconomist.com of the Larry Summers of it all is very good. I knew most of this but this tidbit floored me... Ken Arrows, as is in the Ken Arrows who developed what is arguably one of the most racist concepts in economics (statistical discrimination), is Summers' uncle?!! 110
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 12/11/2025New at Can We Still Govern: The IRS is a key agency and its decline is emblematic of Trump-era mismanagement. @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social & Eliis Chen lay out the questions that Democrats should be asking its new leader. Incredibly informative piece. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/five-quest...donmoynihan.substack.comFive Questions for IRS CEO Frank BisignanoThe IRS has a new leader – maybe he can tell us whats happening 7338112
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraProf Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · 10/11/2025New evidence on how ICE is affecting student learning drive.google.com/file/d/1erU5Oe0vJY… 2202100
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraMichael W. Kraus @mwkraus.bsky.social · 10/11/2025We are doing a pilot survey about how prospective PhD students in PSYCHOLOGY make decisions about applying to grad programs. If you are thinking of applying to a program in the future, and have 2-5 minutes to spare, could you take this survey? 🫶 northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... 32432
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraIlana Horn @ilanahorn.bsky.social · 29/10/2025[GIFT LINK] Lots of folks are sharing this incisive commentary from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social on the Nazi tattoo candidate and the Democrats' insistence that we have to tolerate a smidge of racism to appeal to the working class. She, of course takes, that apart. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...nytimes.comOpinion | A Nazi Tattoo Exposes Democrats’ Greatest Weakness 98036
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 08/10/2025For context, 87% of school-aged kids are enrolled in public schools in the US.* (* a statistic we only know because of work the US Dept of ED used to do to collect vital data on our nation's schools) 084
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraChris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Those influencing Trump education policy aren't shy about wanting to eradicate public schools. Asked what % of kids she imagines should be in public schools, Tiffany Justice -- Moms for Liberty cofounder, now with Heritage Foundation -- told @propublica.org “I hope zero. I hope to get to zero.”propublica.orgThese Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ... 15302159
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraACLU @aclu.org · 29/09/2025Becky Pepper-Jackson is the only transgender girl in school sports in the entire state of West Virginia. Soon, she'll be at the Supreme Court defending the freedom of all trans kids to be themselves on and off the playing field.aclu.orgWhat’s at Stake as the Supreme Court Takes Up Transgender Sports Bans | ACLUHow one West Virginia teenager could shape the future of Title IX and civil rights protections for transgender youth. 11637125
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 24/09/2025More evidence that the wealthiest communities accrue the most benefits from universal private school choice programs. www.brookings.edu/articles/uni...brookings.eduUniversal school choice programs mostly benefit the wealthy unless policymakers act to prevent it | BrookingsAuthors analyze six states’ universal school choice programs, showing how income rules shape who benefits most. 083
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraNicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 23/09/2025the most important thing to remember when you see eugenicists who don’t believe that autistic people should exist rambling about “the autism epidemic” is not that they’re wrong about the “cause” (although they are absolutely wrong about it); it’s that they are eugenicists 81933601
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraVanessa Williamson @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social · 19/09/2025Are you a recent IRS civil servant? I would like to interview you! Details below, including my contact info -- or reach out via Bsky! 03416
Reposted by Rachel M. Pererajamelle @jamellebouie.net · 15/09/2025i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregationthecrimson.comHarvard Ends Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program as Trump Targets Race in Admissions | News | The Harvard CrimsonBy ending the minority recruitment program in May, Harvard shuttered a more than 50-year-old initiative to encourage minority high school students to apply. 127104472986
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraVictor Cadilla @victorcadilla.bsky.social · 11/09/2025This is a great resource! @rachelmarisa.bsky.social @brookings.edu 151
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraPeter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 11/09/2025“awful people don’t deserve to be killed, but they don’t deserve to be praised, either” is apparently a thought too complex for the pundit mind 601446888377
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 09/09/2025🚨Our new @brookings.edu data tool tracking ongoing litigation against the Trump admin's K-12 education agenda is now live! The tracker, to be updated monthly, provides up-to-date info on the status of lawsuits challenging Trump's K-12 related executive actions. www.brookings.edu/articles/tra...brookings.eduTracking lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s K-12 education agenda | BrookingsEducation scholars track ongoing litigation resulting from the Trump administration’s executive actions related to K-12 education. 141
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraCara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · 09/09/2025This looks really interesting! Also check out the lawsuit tracker - Lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s K-12 education agenda www.brookings.edu/articles/tra...brookings.eduTracking lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s K-12 education agenda | BrookingsEducation scholars track ongoing litigation resulting from the Trump administration’s executive actions related to K-12 education. 0125
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraNicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 03/09/2025please help us spread the word about this mentorship opportunity for writers of color & share it with anyone you think might be interested! 1127194
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 03/09/2025Join us for an online @brookings.edu event Mon 9/15 @ 4PM, ET to discuss the state of the Trump administration's K-12 education agenda with education & legal scholars & civil rights attorneys. Submit questions in advance via email or the registration form! www.brookings.edu/events/what-...brookings.eduWhat the Trump administration legally can and can’t do to implement its agenda in public schools | BrookingsJoin Brookings for an online discussion on litigation challenging the Trump administration’s executive actions related to K-12 education. 043
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 28/08/2025New, from me: America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism. This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...donmoynihan.substack.comThe authoritarian checklistIt is time to admit that America is no longer a functioning democracy 19346771833
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraDavid Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 21/08/2025Fascinating work by Deven Carlson, @t-h-a-d.bsky.social, James Carter, @rachelmarisa.bsky.social, Vitali Radsky, and Andrew McEachin on both the potential of school choice for the purpose of desegregation and the disappointing reality that most school choice systems tend to exacerbate segregation 01511
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 20/08/2025I cannot stop shouting about how much I loved AUGUST LANE by Regina Black. One of my favorite romances I've read this year. (I've been reading a lot of romance novels this year...) 020
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraMaris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 05/08/2025I bet that reading Andrea Long Chu on Thomas Chatteron Williams will brighten up my day. www.vulture.com/article/post...vulture.comZero ToleranceFive years after the George Floyd protests, many liberals blame “wokeness” for stifling open debate. So why can’t they handle being disagreed with? 518140
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraVictor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 31/07/2025Columbia and Brown, by settling, have encouraged this tactic. Authoritarians are emboldened by capitulation, and they won't stop until the cost outweighs the benefits. 8716239
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 25/07/2025"Higher education policy in the United States is now being developed through ad hoc deals, a mode of regulation that is not only inimical to the ideal of the university as a site of critical thinking but also corrosive to the democratic order and to law itself." balkin.blogspot.com/2025/07/regu...balkin.blogspot.comBalkinization: Regulation by Deal Comes to Higher EdA group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics 000
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraMaya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 25/07/2025In this piece I specifically call out academics happy with the policy changes mandated by the administration Government coercion can be used in a number of ways - be careful for what you wish for! 414059
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraMarisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 24/07/2025I think it’s worth noting this piece generated the most unsubscribes I’ve seen in a while, and the newsletter version had the lowest open rate in many months. These horrors persist in part because too many people go to great pains to avoid them. 24196803029
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 21/07/2025Important piece from @brookings.edu out this AM on what's at stake for the unhoused student population under the president's proposed FY2026 budget. www.brookings.edu/articles/bud...brookings.eduBudget cuts threaten federal protections for homeless students | BrookingsOver 1.4 million homeless students rely on federal protections that could disappear under the president’s proposed budget. 021
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraProf Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · 18/07/2025Whose fault is it that race and ethnicity are inseparable from socioeconomic status, conservative group? 522746
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraEmily Moin @emilymoin.com · 18/07/2025These are some of the most odious people alive. 642422400
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraVictor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 18/07/2025So-called colorblind policy was used by conservatives (with lots of liberal support) to ensure that the racial make-up of America power barely changed following the Civil Rights Movement. Now, when colorblind policy is used to promote equality they drop the ruse in favor of open segregation. 17829
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraBrookings Institution @brookings.edu · 15/07/2025"At a time when schools are in dire need of more resources and support, the Court has added only more challenges to their plate," says @rachelmarisa.bsky.social. Experts on education law and policy share their reactions to some of the Supreme Court’s decisions this term.brookings.eduLegal experts weigh in on the implications of the 2025 Supreme Court term for K-12 education | BrookingsBrookings scholars focusing on education policy explore the legal implications of the Supreme Court's 2025 term. 156
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraLauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 14/07/2025I think it's fair to say that Department of Education expenditures are off-track. #ED 132
Rachel M. Perera @rachelmarisa.bsky.social · 14/07/2025It is wild to sign this dissent with "respectfully" 250
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraDominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 14/07/2025The president can't close down ED by fiat but Congress and SCOTUS sure can facilitate it 0245
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraThe New York Times @nytimes.com · 14/07/2025Breaking News: The Supreme Court agreed to allow the Trump administration to proceed with dismantling the Education Department by firing thousands of workers.trib.alSupreme Court Clears the Way for Trump’s Cuts to the Education DepartmentLawyers for the Trump administration had asked the justices to block a lower court order that directed officials to reinstate thousands of fired employees. 4910446
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraJonathan Ladd @jonathanmladd.com · 14/07/2025In an unsigned order (with no explanation at all), the Supreme Court majority in effect overturns the Department of Education Organization Act, a law passed in 1979. Justice Sotomayor writes a long dissent, but doesn't violate the taboo of never attacking the majority for partisanship or corruption. 27225
Reposted by Rachel M. PereraSteve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 14/07/2025Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice Sotomayor (joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson), #SCOTUS, with no explanation, grants a stay in the Department of Education RIFs case—effectively clearing the way for the Trump administration to dismantle much of the agency:supremecourt.gov 67956283