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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · 29d

One of the most American headlines I've ever seen

Headline from NPR on the growth of the school shooting industry

Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Sep 3

This is spot on from @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social . It’s soul sucking to constantly frame education as workforce training.

It’s also not clear that going all in on this narrative has or will offer k12 and higher ed more stability and support

Uniform Policy | Jennifer C. Berkshire

Democrats must come up with a defense of public schools that goes beyond bloodless workforce preparation

thebaffler.com

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Aug 29

"Relatively few students say that generative AI has diminished the value of college"

interesting how the loudest voices championing AI in higher ed never seem to be students and faculty 🤔

Survey: College Students’ Views on AI

Key findings from Inside Higher Ed’s student survey on generative AI show that using the evolving technology hasn’t diminished the value of college in their view, but it could affect their critical th...

www.insidehighered.com

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Aug 21

Crazy numbers from US News & World Report survey:

35% of students are thinking about cutting back on their studies
32% about changing degrees
31% about completing school abroad
26% about enlisting in the military for financial support

Majority of college students say they will be affected by Trump’s new tax bill: ‘Honestly, I’m cooked’

Survey shows 60% of students say they would personally feel impact of bill that sets new caps on borrowing

www.theguardian.com

Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Aug 4

Since NYT spends 99% of the time talking about elite colleges, its worth highlighting when they put out a great piece on community colleges.

CCs are already under resourced, and the trump cuts to higher ed will limit opportunities for social mobility thru these institutions

How Trump’s War on Higher Education Is Hitting Community Colleges

www.nytimes.com

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Jun 10

Epic!

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Jun 8

These are the kinds of stats every college and opposition policymaker should be using daily to restore funding and improve public perceptions of higher ed

Edward Doherty PhD. @drtcell.bsky.social · Jun 7

A study finds, US based academic research institutes account for 50% of new medical drugs in the last 4 years. 🧪

www.statnews.com/2025/06/06/u...

#science #savescience #stat

We set out to quantify U.S. academic contributions to medicines. The results stunned even us

From 2020 to 2024, universities contributed patents underpinning 50% of FDA-approved drugs. 87% of those academic breakthroughs came from American institutions.

www.statnews.com

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Jun 2

It’d be cool if Trump threw a curve ball and forgave all student debt thru executive order just to mess w/ SCOTUS

Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Jun 1

For sure. If Knicks could take care of the ball and make fts it would be closer, but pacers are def the better team

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · May 2

Spotted in Philly:

“For JD Vance”

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Mar 27

Attaching a dollar amount to the culture wars at school - another $3 billion that could have gone to actually helping students instead of directing resources to combat "small groups of individuals who used threats and misinformation for political advantages."

Attaching a Dollar Amount to the Culture Wars at School

Culture wars create legal and operational expenses for schools. A recent report tallies up the cost.

nepc.colorado.edu

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Mar 20

Every college is on the list at this point, no sense believing otherwise

More than 50 universities under investigation as part of Trump's anti-DEI crackdown

More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of Trump's campaign to end DEI programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian students.

www.npr.org

Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Mar 10

Austerity comes for private higher ed. Public higher ed might not be too far behind

Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · Mar 10

Is this the first-ever university recession?

Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Mar 7

Welp, there goes my postdoc.. had a feeling our team's research on CTE programs at community colleges would be perceived as too radical

Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · Mar 7

New: The administration—through DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA—says it has canceled ~$400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University.

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Mar 5

Orienting education as a strictly vocational project is dystopic, plain and simple

Secretary McMahon: Our Department's Final Mission

The Department of Education’s role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington.

www.ed.gov

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Feb 26

Welp, it continues to be illegal to try to make things easier for student borrowers

NASFAA | Court Ruling Affirms Blocking of SAVE Plan While Next Steps for the Program Remain Uncertain

www.nasfaa.org

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Feb 19

Philly researchers out protesting funding cuts. Hands off our healthcare, research and jobs @pasenatorsaval.com

Protestors outside of senator dave McCormick’s office in center city Philadelphia

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Dec 10

Maybe let's just start with making sure all schools have certified teachers, air conditioners, and asbestos free walls

Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · Dec 10

Philadelphia wants to be a national AI in education model
https://www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia/2024/12/10/ai-for-educators-school-leaders-coming-to-philly-schools/

Philly schools want to lead the AI education revolution

Beginning in March 2025, the district in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania plans to roll out a new pilot program for AI professional development.

www.chalkbeat.org

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Dec 5

Reviewer 1: your identification strategy is broken

Reviewer 2: “whether or not” is redundant

Reviewer 3: chill paper, enjoyed reading it

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Nov 29

Everyone’s talking about pie for breakfast, but might I also recommend pie for dinner

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Nov 27

Trump admin appears hostile to higher ed, but most in his cabinet are no strangers to elite colleges (and some broad access publics too!):

Scott Bessent: Yale
Marco Rubio: UF (BA), Miami (JD)
Pete Hegseth: Princeton (BA), Harvard (MPP)
Howard Lutnick: Haverford
Linda McMahon: East Carolina

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Reposted by Daniel Sparks

Chloe N East (she/her) @chloeneast.bsky.social · Nov 25

In Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina DACA recipients will lose access to public higher education if DACA goes away.

In Arkansas, Idaho, Maine and Ohio, DACA recipients will lose in-state tuition if DACA goes away.

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Nov 25

Not to brag, but I already know the answer

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/u...

Can Wall Street Billionaires Deliver on Trump’s Blue-Collar Promise?

The president-elect has named wealthy financiers for key economic positions, raising questions about how much they will follow through on promises to help the working class.

www.nytimes.com

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Nov 24

“For the first time ever in 2021-22 Pennsylvania issued more emergency teaching certificates than full certificates”

22% of Philly teachers hold emergency certs

Only 17% wind up becoming fully certified

Suffices to say… this is bad for schools, teachers, students

www.inquirer.com/education/em...

The number of Philly teachers without full certification has more than doubled. It comes at a cost.

One in five Philadelphia students are being taught by an educator who lacks full certification, according to an analysis by Penn State’s Center for Education Policy Analysis.

www.inquirer.com

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Daniel Sparks @jdsparks.bsky.social · Nov 20

Photo-documenting the Education Department in all its glory before the WWE Smackdown begins

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