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David Blazar

@davidblazar.bsky.social

Education researcher and educator

10 Posts99 Follower247 Folgt
David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 4w ago

New #EdWorkingPapers with Nicolas Dominguez-Mel, @wesleytmorris.bsky.social & @smontana.bsky.social: using statewide data from MD, we ask whether "local" teachers are more effective and more likely to stay. Takeaway: local recruitment complements — but doesn't substitute for — quality preparation.

Teacher Localness, Early-Career Effectiveness, and Retention

Recruiting locally connected individuals has gained policy attention under recent “Grow-Your-Own” initiatives, yet evidence linking teacher localness to student achievement and retention is limited. U...

edworkingpapers.com

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The evidence on Black teachers is among the strongest in ed research. Assignment to a Black teacher produces large, lasting gains in test scores, attendance, and self-efficacy — for students of all races. So why does the profession remain largely white? My new piece for @theconversation.com digs in.

Black teachers improve outcomes for all students, but the profession remains largely white

Many Black teachers were pushed out of classrooms from the 1950s through ‘70s. Despite new recruitment programs, the teacher workforce remains mostly white.

theconversation.com

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Grateful to Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity for this conversation about our Nature Communications research on the childhood investment gap. Where government shows up, disparities shrink. Where it doesn't, gaps are large, especially before age five. 🔗 spotlightonpoverty.org/spotlight-ex...

New Study Examines The Investment Gap For Children In Poverty | Spotlight on Poverty

It’s no secret that children from different demographic and socio-economic groups don’t have access to the same resources needed to help them reach their greatest potential. But a new study, led by Un...

spotlightonpoverty.org

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 3mo ago

How much does it cost to raise a child in the U.S.? On average, $502,152 from birth to age 18. But the more important question is who's investing, in what, and when. My coauthor Jennifer King Rice breaks down our findings in this NEPC (@nepc.bsky.social) newsletter.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Raise a Child?

A new analysis attempts to estimate the total public and private cost associated with raising children from 0 to age 18 and in the process, reveals inequities.

nepc.colorado.edu

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Grateful to Clear Sky Science for this summary of our recent Nature Communications paper. The piece does a great job breaking down what we found — including why the early years matter most, and the powerful equalizing role public investment plays.

Disparities in childhood human capital investments in the United States · Clear Sky Science

Disparities in childhood human capital investments in the United States – an accessible explanation based on peer-reviewed research.

clearskyscience.com

Matt Barnum@mattbarnum.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New: There are large gaps in educational outcomes by race and family income. The natural assumption is that schools are vastly unequal. But in fact the largest resources inequalities emerge when kids are out of school, per a new study from @davidblazar.bsky.social. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/04/21/p...

The resources kids get outside school depends on family income, study finds

Public schools do more to level the playing field than many other systems do. A new study shows how uneven the rest of childhood remains.

chalkbeat.org

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Grateful to @mattbarnum.bsky.social and @chalkbeat.org for covering our research. Low-income kids have ~$80K less invested in their development than wealthier peers — and the gap isn't in schools. It's in housing, health care, and nutrition. Kids don't live in silos. Neither should our solutions.

The resources kids get outside school depends on family income, study finds

Public schools do more to level the playing field than many other systems do. A new study shows how uneven the rest of childhood remains.

chalkbeat.org

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Continuing to catch up on work I missed sharing while I was off social media. Out in Educational Researcher: Black teachers have large effects on the self-efficacy and engagement of their Black students — and improve test scores and attendance for all students. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3...

Why Black Teachers Matter - David Blazar, 2024

Black teachers are critical resources for children and schools. In experimental data, I document large effects of Black upper-elementary teachers on the self-ef...

journals.sagepub.com

David Blazar@davidblazar.bsky.social · 4mo ago

My first post here and I'm excited to share some recent work. A team of UMD researchers and I track investments in children to understand who gets left out and when. 1️⃣ Gaps exceed 50% before kindergarten 2️⃣ Public schooling narrows them at age 5 3️⃣ But disparities persist in type of services received

Disparities in childhood human capital investments in the United States - Nature Communications

The authors examine public, private, and family time investments in children in the United States using ten nationally representative surveys between 2010 and 2023.

nature.com