Austin Slaughter
@austinslaughter.bsky.social
Higher ed researcher at a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization focused on economic mobility. East Texan.
I know Bluesky hates anything related to AI but (a) if you want low tuition prices, the labor intensity of writing instruction is a problem and (b) I'm glad this research center is in responsible hands
MDRC@mdrc-news.bsky.social · 6h agoMDRC to Partner with @ucirvine.bsky.social on National Center for Writing Research to Improve Teaching Effectiveness with Generative #AI www.mdrc.org/news/mdrc-pa...
This is weak sauce from the MAC There was nothing in the replay protocol that said the TV clock has priority There is a principle to not make decisions that will be confusing to the audience based on the video available to them, which one might interpret to mean the TV clock should have been used
Chris Vannini@chrisvannini.com · yesterdayBREAKING: The MAC has reversed its position and is fighting the Big Ten's extra 1 second for Michigan. "The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained."
Me: "often when states order a tuition freeze, they don’t also give more money to colleges to supplement that revenue loss...'[functionally] you are seeing a decrease in the amount of resources available to provide a quality education.'" mirrorindy.org/indiana-tuit...
Indiana public colleges froze tuition. What does that actually mean?
We talked to experts to understand what the tuition freeze means for you.
mirrorindy.org
"ultimate danger remains that, when institutions comply with authoritarian wishes, the govt will just ask for greater and greater concessions. After all, if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk." The anatomy of a coup d’université www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
That Same Ol’ Authoritarian Playbook
Throughout history, autocrats have gone after higher ed finances to control institutions’ culture.
insidehighered.com
Good luck to these states on meeting their workforce development goals
Brendan Cantwell@cantb.bsky.social · yesterdayAlabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and now Florida bar undocumented students from enrolling in public universities. I see this as part of a wider project to resegretgste higher education. www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
The Institute of Education Sciences has 28 days to spend $180 million--a quarter of its annual budget--to avoid violating the Impoundment Control Act I'm placing my bets on most of this money getting spent in legally questionable ways that are not consistent with congressional intent
Education Week@edweek.org · last wk.Ed. Dept. Risks Letting $180 Million for Research Expire as Deadline Looms: Spending by the agency's research arm has lagged most significantly compared with previous years.
In a commentary originally published by the @hechingerreport.org, Meredith Archer Hatch & Alyssa Ratledge make the case for greater investment in rural colleges and for more evidence about how they can best support students and communities. www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
Why Investing in Rural Education Can Bolster Local Economies and Help Students Build a Future Close to Home | MDRC
In this commentary originally published by The Hechinger Report, Meredith Archer Hatch and Alyssa Ratledge make the case for greater investment in rural colleges and for more evidence about how they c...
mdrc.org
***NEWLY ACCEPTED PAPER*** I have a new short paper with Margaret Leighton We use decades of data (HERI) on incoming college freshmen to show that students' life goals have changed dramatically over time. Students really are very different than they were in the past! Here are the key findings:
Fun fact: private tutoring academies like these were banned in South Korea in the '80s and '90s as a strategy to level the playing field for students from lower-income families
Joshua Goodman@joshua-goodman.com · last wk.🚨New working paper alert!🚨 Private tutoring chains like Kumon and Sylvan have grown rapidly. Who uses them? Do they improve kids' skills? BU econ PhD student Samuel Nitkin and I provide answers in: "Kumon Up: Private Tutoring Centers and Student Achievement" www.nber.org/papers/w35671 1/?
🚨New working paper alert!🚨 Private tutoring chains like Kumon and Sylvan have grown rapidly. Who uses them? Do they improve kids' skills? BU econ PhD student Samuel Nitkin and I provide answers in: "Kumon Up: Private Tutoring Centers and Student Achievement" www.nber.org/papers/w35671 1/?
New working paper from the RCT of SUCCESS, a lower-cost approach to student support Lessons are muddled by the pandemic and spotty implementation, but, nonetheless, priors should probably be revised downward about the effectiveness of such lower-intensity approaches www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
Evaluating a Lower-Cost Approach to Comprehensive Student Support | MDRC
In this working paper, MDRC researchers estimate the causal effects of offering a lower-cost alternative to comprehensive student success approaches. The initiative increased enrollment but did not pr...
mdrc.org
More brain drain: “Twenty-one universities in Canada announced on Thursday the hiring of dozens of researchers to join their top academic ranks, poaching the majority of the recruits from the United States. Of the incoming 64 researchers, 48 will leave American campuses…”
Canada Hires U.S. Scholars From Harvard and Other Top Universities (Gift Article)
A crackdown on American academia by the Trump administration has handed Canadian universities a rare opportunity to lure some top researchers north.
nytimes.com
Test-optional policies reduce college admissions of high-achieving, disadvantaged students Under test-optional policies, too few of these applicants submit test scores; they more than double their admission probability (from 2.9% to 7.2 %) by reporting scores. drive.google.com/file/d/10mW5...
After the collapse of Biden-era mass loan forgiveness and the Trump administration's aggression and neglect, America needs a fresh new approach to college affordability. I explain exactly how in the 2026 @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social College Guide washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/26/a...
A Radically Simple Plan to Fix Higher Education
Voters are clear in their demand for greater affordability, with college costs near the top of their list. Here’s how to deliver it.
washingtonmonthly.com
IES contracts were abruptly terminated by DOGE b/c contracts are legally easier to cancel than grants. Now, they are trying to make it easier to cancel grants as well. This change would further destabilize education research. Submit a public comment! www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Education Department General Administrative Regulations
The Secretary of Education proposes to amend the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) and other provisions in 2 CFR parts 3474 and 3485 to update the regulations and better ...
federalregister.gov
Getting a pumpkin spice latte in August is the adult version of failing the marshmallow test
This graph says to me the strengthening college admissions arms race can be thought of, at least in part, as a rational economic response
Anna Stansbury@annastansbury.bsky.social · 2w ago@zbleemer.bsky.social & @jrothstein.bsky.social : the most selective US universities spend much more per student, and this gap has massively risen over time. They call this the "Meritocratic Consensus" in US higher education...
"Cross’ employees ultimately got paid with university funds for the rest of the week after the cancellation. Eventually they lost their jobs altogether. Two suffered anxiety attacks that landed them in the emergency room. Several no longer work in education." www.edweek.org/policy-polit...
Trump Cut Their Education Grants. Here’s What Happened Next
Grantees whose work ground to a halt last year lament broken promises and abandoned projects.
edweek.org
ED is taking 1-2 years to process PSLF buyback requests Many people feel compelled to remain in public service until their request has been processed due to the uncertainty Does this not effectively turn PSLF into an 11-12 year program, rather than a 10-year-one, violating Congressional intent?
Wow, does the #1 state for higher education ranking from USNWR mean nothing? www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
Florida Responds to McMahon “Call to Action”
Public institutions in Florida have responded en masse to Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s call to answer questions about admissions, academic rigor, affordability and other matters.
insidehighered.com
New- American higher education is designed so that the academically and financially rich get richer through a well-funded education. The startling scope of this unequal structure is documented in a new study by @zbleemer.bsky.social and @jrothst.bsky.social. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/08/18/s...
One of the most puzzling research findings I've ever seen: despite CUNY ASAP's large estimated effects on degree completion, there are no estimated effects on labor market outcomes Read the report for a thorough treatment of possible explanations www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
The 14-Year Effects of CUNY ASAP on Educational and Labor Market Outcomes | MDRC
The City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) is a comprehensive student support program designed to help more students graduate. This report examines ASAP’s long-te...
mdrc.org
Rural community colleges are building pathways and partnerships to help students find sustainable jobs, write Meredith Archer Hatch of @achievingthedream.bsky.social & MDRC's Alyssa Ratledge in @hechingerreport.org. hechingerreport.org/opinion-why-...
OPINION: Why investing in rural education can bolster local economies and help students build a future close to home
Rural community colleges are building pathways and partnerships to help students find sustainable jobs
hechingerreport.org
#AEFP2027 Call for Proposals is out! Submit your paper, poster, Policy Dialogue, or Conversation Group by October 2. Read the full call: aefpweb.org/callforp...
Very exciting to see IES is holding grant competitions again! A noteworthy deviation from past competitions: IES is defining the topic areas Also noteworthy that one of the four topic areas is transitions from high school to the workforce (i.e., not going to college) ies.ed.gov/learn/blog/a...
Announcing IES's Planned FY27 Grantmaking | IES
In this blog, IES announces its plans for Fiscal Year 2027 research grantmaking.
ies.ed.gov
Trump's Education Dept. has "indefinitely frozen" dozens of investigations into civil rights violations - including reports of racist abuse of Black students and sexual assault of female students - so the Office of Civil Rights can instead focus on banning transgender athletes
NEW! An Applied Researchers’ Guide to Estimating Effects from Blocked Cluster Randomized Trials www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
An Applied Researchers’ Guide to Estimating Effects from Blocked Cluster Randomized Trials | MDRC
This working paper provides an applied guide to estimands and estimators for blocked cluster randomized trials, a widely used method to evaluate educational interventions.
mdrc.org
Another clear-eyed look at the research from @mattbarnum.bsky.social: "Who should go to college? More students may benefit than we think." www.chalkbeat.org/2026/08/04/w...
The research on who benefits from college may surprise you
Studies in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Texas point in the same direction: Four-year college often helps students with modest high school records.
chalkbeat.org
"The Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics lost nearly all its employees last year, as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing plans to dismantle the department. NCES shrank from about 100 staff to just four employees last year" #EdResearch h/t @palapid.bsky.social
Scott 🥐🐟📈🦆🏈@fishecon.bsky.social · last mo.