James S. Murphy

What states get the biggest benefit from the US Department of Education (@usedgov)

Why would Cornel West, a man who serves on the board of a far right education group with Christopher Rufo, do this?

Just a spectacular headline.

Thoughtful story on colleges adding football programs. While research by Jim Hearn, Alex Monday, Jen May-Trifiletti and me suggests that it isn't a panacea, colleges are doing everything they can to boost enrollment as applications start a long, painful decline. apnews.com/article/coll...

Credit to the @chronicle.com for its continued commitment to long-form journalism that is serious and humane.

"More than 70 percent of the county’s seniors who could not pass the state’s math exam were passing the CLT’s math section. For the English section, that number was more than 30 percent." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...

The College Scorecard just got a major update, including new data on students' earnings seven years after graduation and the return of post-college earnings data for all students receiving financial aid. Minority-serving institution indicators were removed. collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/changel...

Several lawsuits have been filed against @ETSInsights following a security breach that exposed the personal information of millions of California students. www.toeflresources.com/blog/lawsuit...

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s longtime nationalist strongman, conceded defeat Sunday in a general election held after his once-tight grip on power was weakened by nearly two years of student-led protests. nyti.ms/4zegOaY

Rising costs is a real problem and the writer here focuses on a factor that the university has limit control over, which is housing. But the practice of quoting sticker prices misses that most get discounts or tuition waivers for lower income. UC says most in-state students pay zero tuition.

Posting here on the chance that I know someone who knows someone who can use their Pace University login to download and share their Common Data Set for 2025-26. Please DM me if you have access to that super secretive doc that most universities just publish on their websites for the world to see.

Trump has made more stock trades in his second term than all 535 members of Congress combined.

The greatness of "The Lowdown" can't be overstated. Steve Earle. Leon Russell. The Stooges. Uncle Brownie. In one episode.

I love every aspect of this--the beautiful drawings, the pettiness, all of it.

Boston is handsome.

Talarico: "We just found out that [Elon Musk] is almost single-handedly bankrolling this effort to install Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate and defeat this movement...Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas."

when someone announces they got into a phd program

This is Tommy. Tommy had a question about my allegiances. Listen to the end to hear about his.

“That’s actually not your job. Your job is not to design the lessons because, in fact, that’s really hard. And takes a lot of years of trial and error. Your job is to deliver the lessons and focus on the teaching and the students who are in front of you.” –Emily Hanford Disagree. Emphatically.

One of my unpopular opinions is that the business major (aka the most popular major in the US) should also be eliminated.

What could go wrong? Oh, right. Everything. www.washingtonsun.com/administrati...

me giving a paper

Boston area people, please come to what's going to be a really interesting conversation this Friday night! luma.com/el5fbtu4

Why No One Should Trust ACTS Data jamessmurphy.com/2026/10/12/w...

You dont know me

Am I missing something here? The IPEDS glossary created by NCES seems to be suggesting that financial aid offices determine a student's SAI. Is it not FSA that does that, using the FAFSA and tax records?

Ruin a book by adding a word For Whom the Cow Bell Tolls

I'm convinced Newsom isn't running for President at all. Sure, he might have a committee and use it as a slush fund, but he's running to be appointed to corporate boards and fake think tanks and stuff. Just too many examples of him going out of his way to show he's not aligned with the Dem base.

The One Big Beautiful Bill had a budget to "commemorate" the bill? What kind of rinkydink tinpot country do these people want us to become?

Me, when there's a turn-and-talk at the session.

“If you don’t like public executions just don’t watch it” says the crowd trying to ban drag shows and books

I love it when demagogues and conmen find out that some people have and defend their values.

What even is this man talking about?