Aaron Pallas

Class of 2025: graduation rates drop, as pandemic-era graduation standards fade away As New York reinstated standard Regents exam requirements, graduation rates dipped — especially for students with disabilities and English learners.

I comment on the decline in NYC high school graduation rates. It’s too soon to tell whether this drop will persist.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...

Neither. It was the phrase “Madame Secretary,” which the Washington Post edited out of your very first op-ed for them. You had feelings about Margaret Spellings.

Ever read a joint autobiography? Neither had we. But Anna Neumann and I wrote one, and it’s just been published. I guarantee you’ll learn something about us you didn’t already know.

edrev.asu.edu/index.php/ER...

Mayoral control paradox: Zohran Mamdani inherits a school board he doesn’t yet control Here’s why Zohran Mamdani won’t have control over New York City’s school board during his first six months in office.

I comment on a peculiar wrinkle in mayoral control of NYC schools.
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...

Brutal.

National test scores lowest ever for high schoolers in reading and math The data comes from a test given to high school seniors in 2024.

I comment on the implications of the newly-released NAEP scores for New York City.

ny1.com/nyc/all-boro...

We’re hiring! Tenure-track Assistant/Associate. Professor of Sociology & Education at Teachers College, Columbia University! Review of applications begins October 15, 2025. For more info, contact me at amp155@tc.columbia.edu.

employment.tc.columbia.edu/cw/en-us/job...

NYC state tests jump in reading and math. How did your school do? NYC officials claimed credit for a 7 percentage point bump in reading scores, but experts said it’s difficult to draw a link to Mayor Adams’ curriculum overhaul.

I comment on the latest New York City reading and math test scores.

www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Wearing your conference badge to the hotel fitness center is overdoing the status signaling.

What Is Mamdani’s Vision for New York City’s $40 Billion School System?

I comment on Zohran Mamdani’s lack of attention to classroom teaching and learning.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/n...

Peoria rhymes with Astoria.

Is anyone here working with PIAAC 2023 data? I’m unable to replicate published international means with the public use files, but the individual country files line up correctly. Would love to compare notes.

Real progress or noise: As scores inch up, is NYC’s reading curriculum overhaul working? “These results are good news, but it is too early to determine whether this is a useful step towards the intended goal or irrelevant noise,” one literacy expert said.

I caution against using screener test scores as definitive evidence of the effects of curriculum reform in NYC. www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

On Friday, Elon Musk explained his black eye, saying that he told his five-year-old son to punch him.

Maybe he’d be willing to adopt me.

Donald Trump doesn’t like the epithet TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out). But unfortunately, reprehensible retaliation is Trump’s objective (BURRITO).

Vital City | What Does Trump’s Move to Dismantle the Department of Education Mean for NYC? Separating fears from facts

“Do the Trump administration’s efforts to close the Department of Education jeopardize Title I and IDEA funds? Not if the administration follows the law.”

My interpretation of the effects of dismantling the federal Department of Education for NYC.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/wha...

Vital City | What Does Trump’s Move to Dismantle the Department of Education Mean for NYC? Separating fears from facts

Donald Trump is eviscerating the federal Department of Education. What does that mean on the ground for teachers, students and parents in New York City's largest-in-the-nation public school system? @ampallas.bsky.social answers: www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/wha...

Congratulations, Matt!

After a dip in reading scores, NYC offers up a solution: more test prep “It's hard sometimes to distinguish test prep from genuine instruction, but this really looks a lot like test prep,” one expert said.

A disappointing turn in NYC education policy. But I did get to reference Jennifer Jennings on "bubble kids" in talking to the reporter.

www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

We're hiring! The Sociology & Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University is recruiting for a three-year Lecturer appointment. Details at employment.tc.columbia.edu/cw/en-us/job...

Title I Funding in Limbo: What’s at Stake for Black Students A Baltimore judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s DEI ban, but experts warn that federal funding may still be at risk.

In which I call threats to cancel federal funding for public education “a form of domestic terrorism.”

wordinblack.com/2025/02/titl...

You can’t solve poverty by giving it a tax cut.

Trump wants to close the US Education Department. What does that mean for NJ schools? Trump's plan to reduce or shut it would hit NJ's poorest children, students with disabilities, & college students who receive federal grants and loans.

A few comments on the craziness in Washington.

www.northjersey.com/story/news/e...

Sorry, Your Kid Probably Doesn't Read Proficiently Recent test results show most fourth and eighth graders don't read on grade level. That's been true for decades, so what's going on?

A few words about NAEP reading scores and performance gaps.

wordinblack.com/2025/02/sorr...

I worked for Checker at OERI in the mid-80’s. He’s a bit too hard on the regional labs, which have stepped up their game over the past 40 years, but he recognizes the critical value of federally-supported education research.

My affiliation with the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education—as an intern, employee, contractor, Technical Advisory Committee member, proposal and manuscript reviewer, and co-Principal Investigator on research and training grants—spans 45 years. What happened today is sickening.

You know what’s radical and wasteful?

Telling public schools what they can and cannot teach.

NAEP scores show NYC fourth graders rebound in math, as reading holds steady The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress reveal an uneven road to recovery from pandemic learning disruptions.

My annual warning to not over-interpret NAEP scores.

www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

I might edit this to read “potentially impacted,” because nobody knows which grant programs are really covered by the memo.

I’ve just learned of the death of Lee Shulman, one of the most influential scholars of teaching and learning over the past 60 years. And a true mensch. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.