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Reposted by Beth Schueler

Riley Acton @riacton.bsky.social · Sep 8

🚨 New working paper alert! 🚨 #econsky

Emily Cook, Paola Ugalde, and I are thrilled to share "Political Views and College Choices in a Polarized America" — now out with both @iza.org and @annenberginstitute.bsky.social EdWorkingPapers

www.iza.org/publications...

edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1280

Political Views and College Choices in a Polarized America

Riley Acton
Miami University & IZA

Emily Cook
Texas A&M University & CESifo

Paola Ugalde A.
Louisiana State University

We examine the role of students’ political views in shaping college enrollment decisions in the United States. We hypothesize that students derive utility from attending institutions aligned with their political identities, which
could reinforce demographic and regional disparities in educational attainment and reduce ideological diversity on campuses. Using four decades of survey data on college freshmen, we document increasing political
polarization in colleges' student bodies, which is not fully explained by sorting along demographic, socioeconomic, or academic lines. To further explore these patterns, we conduct a series of survey-based choice experiments that quantify the value students place on political alignment relative to factors such as cost and proximity. We find that both liberal and conservative students prefer institutions with more like-minded peers and, especially, with fewer students from the opposite side of the political spectrum. The median student is willing to pay up to $2,617 (12.5%) more to attend a college where the share of students with opposing political views is 10 percentage points lower, suggesting that political identity plays a meaningful role in the college choice process.

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Kirsten Slungaard Mumma @kslungaardmumma.bsky.social · 3d

Prospective PhD Students:

I am planning to accept a PhD student for AY 2026-27 in the economics and education program at Teachers College. Apply if you want to use the economics of education to study immigration or politics/political engagement and public schools. :-)

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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · 4d

Supported by both the Fordham Institute and @wallacefoundation.bsky.social, Michael Hartney and I explored the extent to which U.S. school board members are politically and demographically representative of the communities they serve.

Here's a summary of our main findings:

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Michael Petrilli @michaelpetrilli.bsky.social · 4d

New from Fordham, the Wallace Foundation, @dmhouston.bsky.social & Michael Hartney:

Who’s on Board? School Boards and Political Representation in an Age of Conflict fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...

Who’s on Board? School Boards and Political Representation in an Age of Conflict

School boards have become ground zero for America’s education culture wars, with fiery debates over race, gender, curriculum, and pandemic policies making national headlines. But beyond the noise, how...

fordhaminstitute.org

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · 24d

@vitaebella.bsky.social @uvaehd.bsky.social @stanfordeducation.bsky.social

Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · 24d

New paper now out in @aerj_journal w/ Liz Nigro & John Wang on 4 different models of state-led district turnaround in Mass., providing positive evidence for building in opportunities for local influence over decision-making. Grateful for reactions! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/...

Can States Sustain and Replicate School District Improvement? Evidence from Massachusetts on Multilevel Governance - Beth E. Schueler, Liz Nigro, John Wang, 2025

Limited scholarship has examined school districtwide turnaround reforms beyond the first few years of implementation or efforts to replicate successes in new co...

journals.sagepub.com

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · 25d

edsource.org/2025/califor... @juliemarsh.bsky.social @lsmulfinger.bsky.social

Political tensions and tech shifts complicate roles on school boards, study shows

A USC EdPolicy Hub study found that school board members in California face challenges such as partisan politics, changing technology and uncertain funding, and recommended increased training and comp...

edsource.org

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Aug 20

Thanks for the share out!!

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Reposted by Beth Schueler

David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · Aug 1

While school districts’ initial pandemic-era school re-opening decisions were intensely partisan, subsequent operational decisions were less so

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/...

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Post-COVID-19, is education losing its special status as a policy domain more insulated from partisan politics than other policy areas? Indeed, a community's political makeup influenced its schools’ pandemic learning modality, but did it predict other aspects of educational operations? We studied the role of Republican vote share, race, markets, and public health in predicting a range of operations—from modality to family engagement, to social-emotional support, to teacher professional development—in Virginia. Partisanship and racial composition were similarly predictive of initial in-person offerings, but partisanship was less predictive over time, and school operational decisions were less politicized than modality. Our findings provide optimism for leaders seeking to avoid highly polarized dynamics, especially on issues that have not become nationalized.

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Jul 2

I learned it all from you (no, seriously, I highly recommend the Josh Goodman school of media training)...

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Jul 2

commonwealthbeacon.org/education/as...

As Holyoke schools exit state oversight, new scrutiny for receivership law - CommonWealth Beacon

State takeovers have been employed during the recent era of education reform aimed at closing the achievement gap separating lower-income students and students of color from their better-off, white pe...

commonwealthbeacon.org

Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Jul 2

Thank you, Josh!!

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Jul 1

Glad to see this coverage citing research on Mass. district improvement efforts in collaboration with @vitaebella.bsky.social and John Wang, forthcoming in @aeraedresearch.bsky.social journal AERJ: edworkingpapers.com/ai23-882

Can States Sustain and Replicate School District Improvement? Evidence from Massachusetts

Limited scholarship examines school districtwide turnaround reforms beyond the first few years of implementation or efforts to replicate successes in new contexts. We study Massachusetts, home to a st...

edworkingpapers.com

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Jul 1

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/01/o...

Decade of Holyoke receivership ends with mixed results - The Boston Globe

Test scores are still low, but graduation rates are up.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Cara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · Jun 27

Happy Friday, fellow #EdResearch nerds!

Sharing some @aefpweb.bsky.social Live Handbook chapters - a neat feature is that you can provide feedback (form is at the bottom of each page).

Teacher Preparation: Research Evidence and Policy Implications livehandbook.org/k-12-educati...

Teacher Preparation: Research Evidence and Policy Implications

Explore key findings on teacher education: the impact of cooperating teachers, field placements, and coursework on teacher effectiveness.

livehandbook.org

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Jun 25

commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/an-a...

An argument for how to engage students and narrow achievement gaps: Let them debate - CommonWealth Beacon

Many potential initiatives have been tried and have failed to close the achievement gap between lower-income students and students of color with their white and more well-off peers. That makes a prove...

commonwealthbeacon.org

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · May 27

Please nominate for AEFP Board candidates TODAY if you haven't already and thanks to those who already have!

Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · May 20

Help needed! Please provide us with nominations (including self-nominations) for the AEFP Board of Directors by 5/27. We're looking for potential at-large members, governmental affiliates, teacher org affiliates, & president-elects. Submit here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

AEFP Board Nomination Form

Please complete the form below if you are potentially interested in being a candidate or if you know someone who you believe could be a good fit for the AEFP Board of Directors. Board terms are three ...

docs.google.com

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · May 20

Help needed! Please provide us with nominations (including self-nominations) for the AEFP Board of Directors by 5/27. We're looking for potential at-large members, governmental affiliates, teacher org affiliates, & president-elects. Submit here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

AEFP Board Nomination Form

Please complete the form below if you are potentially interested in being a candidate or if you know someone who you believe could be a good fit for the AEFP Board of Directors. Board terms are three ...

docs.google.com

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · May 20

www.star-telegram.com/news/local/e...

TEA takeover led to academic gains but also turmoil in Houston. Is Fort Worth next?

Two years in, the state takeover of Houston ISD has been something of a mixed bag.

www.star-telegram.com

Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Apr 29

...The bear speaks english and says "Professor Schueler, I challenge you to a fight but I will let you choose 3 of your students to help you out". Professor, who in our class are you choosing?”

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Apr 29

Compelling response to my call for undergrads to share any burning questions they might have at the end of the last reading quiz of the semester:

"Lets say we decided to host our last class outside... and a grizzly bear comes to interrupt our lecture....and they are ready to fight... 1/2

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Jesse Rothstein @jrothst.bsky.social · Apr 12

Here’s the position I posted a few days ago, for an education researcher:

bsky.app/profile/capo...

The California Policy Lab @capolicylab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Researcher focused on education? Join our team! The Center for Studies in Higher Education and the California Policy Lab are hiring a Researcher for the California College Data and Policy Project: capolicylab.org/careers/rese...
@berkeleycshe.bsky.social

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Apr 7

UVA students: check out the democracy course guide for fall 2025 registration
karshinstitute.virginia.edu/democracy-co...

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David Houston @dmhouston.bsky.social · Apr 1

I’m writing my first book!

“The Long Division: How the Politics of Education Became Partisan” is now officially under contract with Oxford University Press

I’m excited for this opportunity—although I’ve discovered that it can be a grim satisfaction when your research becomes relevant

(1/13)

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Andrew Ho @andrewdeanho.bsky.social · Mar 18

Want to help save research using NCES restricted-use data? Here is a gdrive with actions, background, and context from my colleague sean reardon (sharing with permission):
1) actions
2) background
3) list of data files: drive.google.com/drive/folder...

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Beth Schueler @bethschueler.bsky.social · Mar 17

www.the74million.org/article/the-...

The Case for Doubling Down on Tutoring, a Proven Solution We Can’t Afford to Lose

Huffman and Jefferson: Tutoring isn’t just an investment in students – it’s an investment in our country’s future.

www.the74million.org

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