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Bill DeBaun

@billdebaun.bsky.social

Senior Director of 📊💡at the National College Attainment Network. Jack of some trades, including dot connecting. Devoted FAFSA data dork. The snark is mine; my views could also be yours! Happy to chat, reach out!

253 Posts590 Follower580 Folgt
Christopher Mathias@letsgomathias.bsky.social · 3w ago

Rufo gets to position himself as "respectable." Polite sit-down interview w/ Ezra Klein. Celebrated by Substack as one of platform's "best" writers. Senior fellow at Manhattan Institute. His "Indian Question" podcast is pretty explicitly white nationalist talkingpointsmemo.com/news/chris-r...

Chris Rufo — Known For ‘DEI’ and ‘CRT’ Panics — Tries to Make ‘the Indian Question’ a Thing

To the degree that a “respectable” or “moderate” right exists today in...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Bill DeBaun@billdebaun.bsky.social · 4w ago

Excellent thread that I generally associate my own views with from @conorpwilliams.bsky.social. Minus the being from Michigan part. New Jersey FTW.

Conor P. Williams@conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 4w ago

Ok. I think I have settled on one firmer take here. I've written about my own choices as a (privileged, white) dad sending kids into (public, Title I) D.C. schools. I've thought about—and sometimes presented—it as a part of living values and pushing for ed equity, like NHJ. But...

Bill DeBaun@billdebaun.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Congress simplified the FAFSA ➡️ good. Congress expanded Pell eligibility ➡️ good. Congress funding Pell in a manner inconsistent with those actions ➡️ bad. The Pell Grant faces a $15B funding shortfall. Congress needs to act to fully fund its commitments. www.the74million.org/article/cong...

Congress Made it Easier to Pay for College. It Must Keep That Promise

Cook: A Pell Grant shortfall threatens progress on expanding college access and making it more affordable.

the74million.org

Bill DeBaun@billdebaun.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The high school class of 2026 set a new record by getting to 59.1% FAFSA completion by about June 30. This surpasses the previous record of 54.4% and shows the impact of simplifying the FAFSA! More here from NCAN: www.ncan.org/Web/News/Cla...

Class of 2026 Sets New June 30 FAFSA Completion Record of 59.1%

The high school class of 2026 has done it! With a 59.1% FAFSA completion rate through June 26, graduating seniors have set a new record, exceeding the previous high by nearly five percentage points.

ncan.org

ElieNYC@elienyc.bsky.social · 4mo ago

With this ruling, the birthright issue is not going away. The right hasn't really begun *organizing* around getting rid of the citizenship clause. Like Roe, this will be their fight for a generation. And if the Democrats just say "we won" and ignore it, like Roe, the Republicans will eventually win.

Nate O@nateo.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I think it's a moral abomination for Ezra Klein to have Chris Rufo on his podcast and then get a transcript of it published in The New York Times as if this is a conversation between equals and not a radical centrist and a fascist telling each other 'exaaaaactlyyyy'

Another argument you make in that piece is: “The popular slogan that ‘facts don’t care about your feelings’ betrays similar problems” — the slogan being Ben Shapiro’s. In reality, feelings almost always overpower facts. Reason is a slave of the passions. Yes, that’s true, and we’ll caveat — we love Ben Shapiro. We’re Ben Shapiro fans, of course. But I think that he’s very wrong on that, and I think conservatives have made a fundamental error in latching on to that. And really, what it is — it’s a rationalization for losing. It’s like: Yes, we may have lost the great political question that operates on emotions or passions, but we have the facts on our side, and if only people would read our white paper, our regression analysis or our rigorous logical argumentation, then we would be vindicated. But look, while we should have the facts on our side, and while we should use logic, by itself, it’s insufficient. And, in fact, politics operates on a deeper level, an emotional level. And politics occurs on the field of sentiment and public opinion — much more on the field of abstract argumentation at the top. Then you go on in the same piece to make an argument for “agitprop” — an old Soviet Union term for agitation and propaganda mashed up together. It doesn’t have a great reputation — “agitprop” is usually not a term of endearment. But you say: “Agitprop doesn’t mean sacrificing the truth but, rather, channeling the truth toward victory.”
Adam Kinzinger@adamkinzinger.substack.com · 5mo ago

With the news that Gov Jared Polis of Colorado just granted clemency to Tina Peters, justice has been once again perverted, and this time by a DEMOCRAT desperate for Donald Trumps adoration. Congrats Jared Polis. I bet you get invited to the WH now

Eddy Conroy@econroy.bsky.social · 6mo ago

In truly excellent timing, we found out this week that the class of 2026 has hit a record FAFSA completion rate. @billdebaun.bsky.social has all the details www.ncan.org/Web/News/Cla...

Class of 2026 Sets All-Time High FAFSA Completion Record

The high school class of 2026 has set an all time high FAFSA completion rate, as of May 1. Then only question now is by how much will we break the record.

ncan.org

Eddy Conroy@econroy.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Turns out it is possible to make financial aid simpler for students! The FAFSA is working, more students are applying for and qualifying to college, and qualifying for aid. @donmoyn.bsky.social was nice enough to have me guest author for Can We Still Govern donmoynihan.substack.com/p/good-news-...

jamelle@jamellebouie.net · 6mo ago

it is incredible to see folks complain that good people don't run for office, that lawmaking is a hobby for the rich, that our state legislators are run by car dealership freaks, and then insist that we shouldn't pay lawmakers any more than we do.