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Thomas S. Dee

@tomdee.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.1K following 142 posts

Barnett Family Professor, Stanford University 🌲 Senior Fellow, @hooverinstitution.bsky.social & @siepr.bsky.social Research Associate, @nber.org dee.stanford.edu #GoBirds 🦅

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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The new academic year is finally underway at Stanford. Here's a real-time photo of me as I discuss the need for—and feasibility of—preregistering quasi-experimental studies. More here: tom-dee.github.io/files/QED_Pr...
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Annenberg Institute @annenberginstitute.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Thank you to all who joined the EdWorkingPapers webinar with @tomdee.bsky.social and featuring @andrewmcamp.com, Jeremy Singer, and their co-authors. Join our email list to make sure you hear when the next webinar is announced: mailchi.mp/annenbergins...
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
My expectations for tomorrow's Congressional hearing with district superintendents are not high: “Some members of Congress, especially in an election year, would rather talk about anything other than their unrelenting support for an unpopular president and an unpopular war and economic precarity."
kqed.org
Congress to Grill San Francisco Schools Chief Maria Su About Gender, Ethnic Studies | KQED
Republican lawmakers are likely to ask about rules related to parents’ rights, race and sexuality in the city’s K-12 public schools.
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Annenberg Institute @annenberginstitute.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Register now for the June 17 EdWorkingPapers webinar facilitated by tomdee.bsky.social and featuring @andrewmcamp.com, Jeremy Singer, and their co-authors. edworkingpapers.com/webinar-series
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Jeremy Singer @jeremylsinger.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I‘m really excited to talk about our research on attendance with @andrewmcamp.com, @tomdee.bsky.social, and our colleagues!
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Andrew Camp @andrewmcamp.com · 03/06/2026
Looking forward to sharing some of my recent work + learn from some fantastic researchers in just 2 weeks! Check it out, sign up, and join us ⬇️
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
An increase in disciplinary incidents and a decline in self-reported student well-being but they occur only in the first year of a binding phone ban.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Study co-author here just to point out our analysis also focused on disciplinary incidents, attendance, student reports of subjective well-being, classroom attention, & online bullying, and survey data on parent & teacher perspectives. Open access: tom-dee.github.io/files/w35132...
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SIEPR @siepr.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
📵 This just in: results of the first large study of cell phone bans in U.S. schools, from SIEPR's Hunt Allcott, @tomdee.bsky.social and Matthew Gentzkow. Key findings + links to @nytimes.com exclusive + study ⬇️ #EducationPolicy
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Open access to the NBER working paper (www.nber.org/papers/w35132) is available here: tom-dee.github.io/files/w35132....
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
School phone bans are popular with parents, teachers, & policymakers. But are they working? Using national data on the sale of lockable pouches to schools, our new study indicates they sharply reduce phone use but have mixed effects on outcomes. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/u...
nytimes.com
Did School Cellphone Bans Work? New Study Finds Mixed Results.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
I wish I could be as sanguine as Matt & Robert. IMHO, high-quality, causal inference still occupies small, contested spaces in ed schools. The larger field has produced too few evidence-based insights relevant to policy & practice. And other professional schools differ in mixing rigor & advocacy.
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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Quantitative research in education is scandalously bad
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
I'm pleased to be in DC today to speak at a congressional briefing on safe and supportive school environments and particularly to underscore the research on how recent immigration raids are influencing students and schools.
Flyer for "Safe to Learn" congressional briefing
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Yes. A *highly* controversial 2014 reform effectively required all students to wait until 9th grade to take Algebra with the reasoning based on equity concerns and claims about the deleterious effects of acceleration. The results were as you might expect (tom-dee.github.io/files/ER_202...).
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
However, I still see these early results as a cause for some celebration—and an example of the underappreciated power of reforms that raise student expectations and expand access to rich academic content.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
There are multiple challenges ahead as San Francisco moves to scale up 8th grade access to Algebra, particularly with respect to promoting Algebra readiness among historically underserved students.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Students who took Algebra as an additional math class (AMC) experienced substantial learning gains while students at "Algebra for All" sites skipped Math 8 without clear academic harm.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
In the last school year, after years of controversy, San Francisco schools fielded pilots that reintroduced Algebra to 8th grade. A preregistered, quasi-experimental study by Elizabeth Huffaker and me indicates the major pilots were largely successful. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/u...
nytimes.com
San Francisco Killed 8th-Grade Algebra. Now It’s Set to Come Back.
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SIEPR @siepr.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The steep ⬇️ in U.S. public school enrollment during the pandemic has not reversed, SIEPR's @tomdee.bsky.social tells @theguardian.com in a fascinating story about the difficult. choices cash-strapped schools now face. "There are no free lunches," Dee says. Link 👇 #PublicEducation #EduSky
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I had to read this from the state superintendent twice: “Well, it’s not fraud. Most of it is just mistakes” Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I spoke with The Minnesota Star Tribune about the research evidence, mine and others, which indicates the many ways in which aggressive immigration enforcement harms children, schools, and communities. www.startribune.com/coronavirus-...
startribune.com
Perry: The learning loss from the ‘ICE pandemic’
"As Trump’s virus lurked around Minnesota schools looking to kidnap children and their parents, many children quite reasonably went into hiding," David M. Perry writes.
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Margaret Thornton @maggiethornton.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Glad to see @tomdee.bsky.social and Elizabeth Huffaker's work on accelerating opportunity in Algebra I out of the working papers and into @aeraedresearch.bsky.social! doi.org/10.3102/0002...
doi.org
Accelerating Opportunity: The Effects of Instructionally Supported Detracking - Thomas S. Dee, Elizabeth Huffaker, 2026
The pivotal role of algebra in the educational trajectories of U.S. students continues to motivate high-profile policies focused on when students access the cou...
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
FWIW, the detracking debate makes me crave a deeper discussion about the modal "college for all" design of high schools and the potential for design-forward alternatives that provide flexible, equitable access to different college & career pathways.
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Ludger Woessmann @woessmann.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
📢 Call for papers: CESifo Area Conference on Economics of Education co-organized w/ Eric Hanushek (Stanford) 🏛️ 11-12 Sept 2026, Munich 🧑‍🏫 Keynote: John List (Chicago) @johnlist.bsky.social 👉 www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/ev... ⏰ Deadline: 11 May 2026 🖼️ Past programs: sites.google.com/view/woessma...
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Jeremy Singer @jeremylsinger.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
For context, this drop in attendance rates related to the measles outbreak (about 93% to 90%) is almost as large as the initial drop in TX attendance rates from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic (95% in 2018-19 to 91% in 2021-22). (TX attendance trends over time here: www.aei.org/research-pro...)
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Sofía Wilson @sofia-wilson.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
In 2000, measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. Today, declining child-vaccination rates are driving the largest measles resurgence we've seen in 3+ decades. How do these outbreaks impact schooling? @tomdee.bsky.social and I examine this question in West Texas, the country's largest outbreak.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Our preregistered study of mental-health co-responders—now out in Nature Human Behaviour (doi.org/10.1038/s415...) —finds positive benefits in terms of significant reductions in psychiatric detentions and future mental-health crises relative to police-only responses.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Thanks. FYI, my study came out last week in @pnas.org and is open access: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Open access is available here: doi.org/10.1073/pnas....
doi.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
The aggressive immigration raids we now see across the nation began 10 months ago in California's Central Valley. Their impact on children, families, and communities is an important & active area of research I'm pleased my study of the initial raid's early impact on students is now out in @pnas.org
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
👍 but I think it's far less difficult (and constraining of discovery) than some people think. For example, it's simple enough to preregister a "decision tree" of research designs to be informed by robustness checks. The key thing is to create transparency to support sense-making of study results
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Empirical evidence and conceptual reasoning suggest quasi-experimental studies—the most common form of studies making causal claims—have a "p-hacking" problem. My essay on this and the case for adapting & adopting QED preregistration is now published in Evaluation Review. doi.org/10.1177/0193...
doi.org
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Such a warm, engaging, and informative visit! My thanks to the @annenberginstitute.bsky.social at Brown University for inviting me to give the Annenberg 2025 Distinguished Lecture.
Lecture photo, credit: Eric Patashnik
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Not sure but always happy to connect! I plan to stress some of the aligned ideas in this recent @edweek.org #K12BigIdeas essay👇 and your recent book! (www.amazon.com/rethinking-c...). www.edweek.org/leadership/o...
edweek.org
High Quality Research Rarely Informs Classroom Practice. Why? (Opinion)
The connection between education research, policy, and practice is broken. Here’s what it would take to fix it.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
I'm honored to give the Annenberg 2025 Distinguished Lecture next week and looking forward to being in conversation with this outstanding community.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Know any aspiring PhD students interested in quant studies in education? Please direct them to our programs in ed policy, econ of ed, or ed data science! I hope to welcome an energetic & ambitious student to join me in our new building 🌴☀️ Applications due November 17 ed.stanford.edu/admissions/a...
ed.stanford.edu
Apply for Admission | Stanford Graduate School of Education
As you prepare your application, familiarize yourself with the admission process and timeline for your desired program below. Note that the application for 2026-2027 entry is not yet available.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
🚨Do you know a school, system, or network doing amazing work in support of student success in high school, particularly through a continuous-improvement approach? Let's recognize them! Encourage them to apply for the Carnegie Award for Impact (cfdn.at/4o4gp58). Applications due on November 10.
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Paige Kowalski @paigekowalski.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
I have watched states delay releasing test scores for months as they work to message results and hope no one is paying attention.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
It's gratifying to see my recent immigration-raid research actually being used. wapo.st/42mWdTn
wapo.st
Teachers sue over Trump's immigration crackdown, saying students are staying home
Labor unions representing educators and school employees are suing President Donald Trump’s administration over its immigration crackdown
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Margaret Thornton @maggiethornton.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
"Educators should also understand the limitations of research evidence. Rigorous impact evaluations...can only tell us what has worked someplace at some time—not what will work universally for educators facing specific challenges." - @tomdee.bsky.social www.edweek.org/leadership/o...
edweek.org
High Quality Research Rarely Informs Classroom Practice. Why? (Opinion)
The connection between education research, policy, and practice is broken. Here’s what it would take to fix it.
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Dan Willingham @dtwuva.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Why aren't practices based on research implemented in schools? @tomdee.bsky.social has insights, and ideas for change. www.edweek.org/leadership/o...
edweek.org
High Quality Research Rarely Informs Classroom Practice. Why? (Opinion)
The connection between education research, policy, and practice is broken. Here’s what it would take to fix it.
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Cara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
"...embrace opportunities for quick and meaningful wins. These are the common-sense education initiatives that share three critical features: evidentiary support, low financial costs, and scalability." - @tomdee.bsky.social www.edweek.org/leadership/o...
edweek.org
High Quality Research Rarely Informs Classroom Practice. Why? (Opinion)
The connection between education research, policy, and practice is broken. Here’s what it would take to fix it.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Just out in @edweek.org's #K12BigIdeas, I criticize the quality & connectedness of education research, policy, & practice and discuss what it would take to do better. www.edweek.org/leadership/o...
edweek.org
High Quality Research Rarely Informs Classroom Practice. Why? (Opinion)
The connection between education research, policy, and practice is broken. Here’s what it would take to fix it.
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Thanks for flagging that. There seems to be some agreement on the role of post Great Recession spending declines?
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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
I'm curious how people view hypotheses about these achievement declines. I incline towards (1) the failure to refine & sustain school accountability & (2) the rise of smart phones & social media. But that's conjectural without better evidence.
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Eric Dearing @ericdearing.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Have we given too much "credit" to the pandemic for learning losses? Almost 50% of the post-pandemic decline in achievement on 8th grade NAEP was to be expected (without the pandemic!), simply using the same rate of declining achievement that began unfolding starting in 2013!
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Annenberg Institute @annenberginstitute.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
The @nytimes.com spotlighted a new study from #EdWorkingPapers that examines the profound impact of immigration raids on attendance in California's Central Valley. Read the NYT article below.
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EdSource @edsource.org · 20/06/2025
Immigration raids in January and February increased absences by 22% in five school districts, according to a newly released Stanford study.
edsource.org
‘There was a lot of fear’: Central Valley immigration raids drive up absences in schools, study finds
Immigration raids in January and February increased absences by 22% in five school districts, according to a newly released Stanford study.
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SIEPR @siepr.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
🚨New research from SIEPR Senior Fellow @tomdee.bsky.social finds that student absences rose amid intensified immigration enforcement, indicating lost learning opportunities. 👇 bit.ly/3I1vGDJ
bit.ly
Student absences increased under threat of deportation efforts, study finds
New research by SIEPR Senior Fellow Thomas Dee finds a 22 percent jump in student absences in California school districts facing intensified immigration enforcement.
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