Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Chris Saldaña

Jeremy Singer @jeremylsinger.bsky.social · 29d

Come work with us! We’re really excited about our research on attendance and chronic absenteeism. And we’d be really excited to work with you! Reach out if you have any questions.

Detroit-based preferred, but remote might be possible. Start as early as Dec 2025 or later in Spring/Summer 2026.

Sarah W. Lenhoff @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social · 29d

📢 Job Posting! 📢 We are hiring TWO postdocs at Detroit PEER at Wayne State (detroitpeer.org)! We are looking for one quant/mixed methods expert and one qual/mixed expert to work with me & @jeremylsinger.bsky.social on attendance research. Apply by Oct. 10, but flexible on start date! Please share!

Detroit PEER Postdoc Job Description 2025.pdf

drive.google.com

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Nathan Tanner @mnathantanner.bsky.social · 7d

This work is super important! These great scholars’ suggestions for rural schools would also help protect Indian Education in BIE schools by association, which account for approximately 10% of all Native students & are under attack by a 2025 E.O. intent on introducing vouchers for BIE students.

Preston Green @drprestongreen.bsky.social · 8d

Forbes picked up our article explaining how designating rural school districts as "education preserves" can protect them from charter and voucher expansion.

www.forbes.com/sites/peterg...

Do We Need Rural School Preserves?

A new paper argues that rural school districts are facing an existential threat, and proposes a new sort of preserve to safeguard these districts and the students that they serve.

www.forbes.com

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Taylor Odle @taylorodle.bsky.social · 7d

🍎🦡 I'm recruiting a PhD student in Ed Policy (fall '26) at @uwmadison.bsky.social! Come work with me on college access, admissions, & fin aid in our top-ranked, fully-funded program. I’m especially excited for this student to immediately join our direct admissions RCT team.

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Chris Saldaña @cmsaldana.bsky.social · 8d

www.forbes.com/sites/peterg...

Do We Need Rural School Preserves?

A new paper argues that rural school districts are facing an existential threat, and proposes a new sort of preserve to safeguard these districts and the students that they serve.

www.forbes.com

Reposted by Chris Saldaña

National Education Policy Center @nepc.bsky.social · 11d

David Berliner passed away yesterday morning. He was incredibly kind, smart & funny, w/a deep sense of what’s right.

Last month, facing his illness, he told me he really wanted people to read his personal essays abt schls & democracy - a new book that's reviewed here: edrev.asu.edu/index.php/ER...

Review of Public Education for Our Nation’s Democracy: Commentaries on Schooling in America, by David C. Berliner | Education Review

edrev.asu.edu

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Chris Saldaña @cmsaldana.bsky.social · 11d

I've heard that folks use an imputed version and/or replicate Taylor's approach to generate the wage adjustment index. I'll likely rely on the last available year of data until new data is available, with a check to see how much the index has changed historically for LEAs.

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Preston Green @drprestongreen.bsky.social · 20d

This article, which will be published in Idaho Law Review, explains how states can save endangered rural school districts from voucher and charter school expansion.

Specifically, this article argues that states can define rural districts as "education preserves."

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Preserving Rural School Districts from the Threat of Vouchers and Charters

School vouchers and charter schools are primed to grow at a time when public school systems are experiencing a precipitous decline in enrollment. Unfortunately,

papers.ssrn.com

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Chris Saldaña @cmsaldana.bsky.social · 20d

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Preserving Rural School Districts from the Threat of Vouchers and Charters

School vouchers and charter schools are primed to grow at a time when public school systems are experiencing a precipitous decline in enrollment. Unfortunately,

papers.ssrn.com

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Chris Saldaña @cmsaldana.bsky.social · 20d

School choice poses a unique threat to rural schools and districts. In this article (led by Dr. Preston Green and in collaboration with Drs. Bruce Baker and Julie Mead), we offer a potential solution. (Forthcoming in the Idaho law review). @drprestongreen.bsky.social @schoolfinance101.bsky.social

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Chris Saldaña @cmsaldana.bsky.social · 20d

It’s always an honor to learn from Kevin Welner and Robert Kim. In this month’s NEPC Talks Education podcast, Kevin and Robert discuss a (rapidly) changing federal K-12 education policy landscape.

If you have a few minutes, give it a listen! @nepc.bsky.social @edlawcenter.bsky.social

National Education Policy Center @nepc.bsky.social · 20d

This month's NEPC Talks Education podcast is out! Kevin Welner and Robert Kim discuss the recent dramatic shifts in K-12 federal education policy with @cmsaldana.bsky.social.
@edlawcenter.bsky.social bit.ly/469Iba6

NEPC Talks Education: An Interview With Kevin Welner and Robert Kim About Recent Changes to K-12 Federal Education Policy

University of Wisconsin‑Madison Assistant Professor Christopher Saldaña interviews Kevin Welner and Robert Kim about the dramatic shifts in K-12 federal education policy.

nepc.colorado.edu

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Preston Green @drprestongreen.bsky.social · 22d

New publication:

Preserving Rural School Districts from the Threat of Vouchers and Charters (forthcoming, Idaho Law Review)

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Screenshot of the abstract for "Preserving Rural School Districts from the Threat of Vouchers and Charters." This article will appear in Idaho Law Review.

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david i. backer @schooldaves.bsky.social · 26d

Apropos nothing, check out how much debt service and pension contributions have increased as a share of expenditures for NYC schools since 2008.

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Riley Acton @riacton.bsky.social · Jul 29

Excited to announce the call for papers for the inaugural MidSouth Education Policy Workshop, October 16-17, in Lexington, KY!

Send us your abstracts on all things econ of ed & ed policy by 8/27. Grad students & early career folks especially welcome!

Info & link to submit here: bit.ly/44TdiGf

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Cara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · Jul 26

In the past 3 weeks, how many hours did state and district leaders spend frantically re-arranging budgets, contracts, and staffing plans to address the budget uncertainty? Did that improve student outcomes?

What a ridiculous waste of scarce resources.

Cara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · Jul 25

“Celebrate today, but keep organizing and keep advocating and using your voice so we can make sure that our students get the services that they need,” said Montserrat Garibay www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Trump Abruptly Unfreezes All of the Education Funds He Had Withheld

More than $5 billion in previously-frozen federal funds will start flowing next week.

www.edweek.org

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National Education Policy Center @nepc.bsky.social · Jul 27

This thoughtful review by @shannapeeples.bsky.social provides a vital reminder of the hope we must recapture -- hope we felt while learning about these wonderful Schools of Opportunity.
@prof-ishimaru.bsky.social @katesomerville.bsky.social
@michellevalladares.bsky.social @wileyke.bsky.social ‪‪

tcrecord.bsky.social @tcrecord.bsky.social · Jul 25

In their new volume the editors "offer “existence proofs” (p. 193) that schools can successfully pursue equity despite formidable obstacles." Read Dr. @shannapeeples.bsky.social's review here: buff.ly/WMnLQLw @nepc.bsky.social @tcpress.bsky.social

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Dr Karen Pinder 🇨🇦 🔬 @drkarenpinder.bsky.social · Jul 26

Come and work in a fantastic department at UBC. 👇

ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcfacultyjo...

Assistant Professor (tenure-track)

Academic Job Category Faculty Bargaining Job Title Assistant Professor (tenure-track) Department Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences | Faculty of Medicine | Provost and VP Academic (Edwi...

ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com

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Preston Green @drprestongreen.bsky.social · Jul 15

Legal experts weigh in on the implications of the 2025 Supreme Court term for K-12 education www.brookings.edu/articles/leg...

Legal experts weigh in on the implications of the 2025 Supreme Court term for K-12 education | Brookings

Brookings scholars focusing on education policy explore the legal implications of the Supreme Court's 2025 term.

www.brookings.edu

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Chris Saldaña @cmsaldana.bsky.social · Jul 14

Head Start programs receive 0.18% of the total federal budget. This translates to $12.3 billion out of a $6.8 trillion federal budget. This isn't about closing federal deficits, it's about being cruel and challenging constitutional precedent protecting undocumented kids.

www.wpr.org/news/new-tru...

New Trump rule bans undocumented immigrant families from Head Start

Immigrant families lacking permanent legal status will no longer qualify for federally funded preschool through the Head Start program, the Trump administration announced this week.

www.wpr.org

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Preston Green @drprestongreen.bsky.social · Jul 12

Chicago Public Schools lays off more than 1,450 staff

www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...

Layoffs hit Chicago schools as leaders work to close $734 million deficit

More than 1,450 staff were laid off Friday, but district officials say many will be rehired. However, a Chalkbeat analysis of school budgets posted online Friday indicates school-based staff will shri...

www.chalkbeat.org

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Danielle Zoe Rivera @danielle-rivera.bsky.social · Jul 12

UC-Berkeley has an open-rank faculty position in our incredible Climate Equity and Environmental Justice (CEEJ) research cluster. It is an extraordinary interdisciplinary group working across multiple colleges and departments at the university! More information here: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04842

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor - Climate Equity and Environmental Justice - Rausser College of Natural Resources

University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!

aprecruit.berkeley.edu

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Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · Jun 16

The current wave of federal immigration raids began in January with a “rogue” operation in California’s Central Valley.

My new study finds these raids increased school absences by 22%—a leading indicator of the resulting family stress & lost learning opportunities👇

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/u...

Immigration Raids Add to Absence Crisis for Schools

www.nytimes.com

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National Education Policy Center @nepc.bsky.social · Jul 1

It’s helpful when a single news story captures so many important lessons about education policy! Congrats to @ceodonovan.bsky.social & @naominix.bsky.social

See the below thread for five of those lessons.
wapo.st/3IpY6HG

The Chan-Zuckerbergs stopped funding social causes. 400 kids lost their school.

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s retreat from funding social issues forced the closure of a school Chan opened for disadvantaged families in Silicon Valley.

wapo.st

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Zahava Stadler @zahavastadler.bsky.social · Jul 1

learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/states-...
From the Learning Policy Institute, showing the impact of the administration's reckless decision to withhold billions of critical education dollars. Vermont and DC are set to see over 20% of their federal school funding yanked. Over 10% in every state.

States Face Uncertainty as an Estimated $6.2 Billion in K–12 Funding Remains Unreleased: Here’s the Fiscal Impact by State

States face uncertainty as $4.8 billion in K–12 federal funding remains unreleased. If the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t distribute these funds by July 1, state educational agencies will need p...

learningpolicyinstitute.org

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Preston Green @drprestongreen.bsky.social · Jul 1

Trump Tells States He’s Holding Back $6.8 Billion for Schools

www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Trump Tells States He's Holding Back $6.8 Billion for Schools

Schools nationwide won't see funding earmarked for English learners, migrant students, professional development, and more.

www.edweek.org

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Just Education Policy Institute @justedpolicy.bsky.social · Jun 23

Thank you @spencerfoundation.bsky.social and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for supporting our DC program this October!

Just Education Policy Institute @justedpolicy.bsky.social · Jun 15

With generous support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Spencer Foundation, we are pleased to be offering the Just Education Policy Institute for doctoral students interested in research to reduce racial inequality in education policy this fall. Applications are open, due June 30.

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