Opinion and Explainers

(2025, Nov. 3) Trump is changing student loan forgiveness rules – barring some public workers from getting relief, but resuming it for others. The Conversation.

(2025, Sep. 24) Trump isn’t cutting Pell Grants, after all − but other changes could complicate financial aid for some students. The Conversation.

(2025, Aug. 15) Kids need soft skills in the age of AI, but what does this mean for schools?. The Conversation.

(2024, Sep. 6) J.D. Vance knows better. Salon Magazine.

(2023, Oct. 6) Why AI may be like a horror movie for workers. Fast Company.

(2023, Jul. 20) Don’t ban ChatGPT: Teach students to do what it can’t do. The Hill.

(2021, Oct. 15) Focusing on safety can help schools mitigate teacher stress. eSchool News.

(2021, May 26) Relationships are where learning happens. Thomas B. Fordham Institute Wonkathon.

(2020, Mar. 16) The mail: Experimental methods. The New Yorker.

(2019, Aug. 20) Free college is likely to provide an economic boost for middle-class families more than poor students. The Hechinger Report.

(2019, June 17) How countries make higher ed affordable: What the data show. EdSurge.

(2017, Mar. 9) Why the left should work with Betsy DeVos. Education Week.

(2016, Sep. 11) Delaying the school year start is pound-foolish. The Washington Post, C4.

(2014, Aug. 22) Flexibility is key in administration’s call for teacher equity plans. (with John Engberg and Brian M. Stecher) The RAND Blog.

(2014, Apr. 9) Sending prisoners to college will save you money. (with Lois Davis) Newsday.

(2013, Nov. 8) Post-9/11 GI Bill: A good investment in our veterans can be better. The RAND Blog.

(2012, Feb. 6) Colleges can learn from for-profits’ emphasis on the consumer. Military Times, 16.

(2010, Jul. 14) Are public service subsidies good for the public? (with Richard J. Murnane and John B. Willett) Education Week, 29, 30-32.