Chris Bennett

One of my favorite parts about learning Latin was discovering the various meanings of a word. For instance, “hope” and “trust” are translations of the same word, which is awfully poetic.

Shoutout to the radio stations still clinging to their tagline “the best of the 80s, 90s, and today”—a phrase that now covers…<checks notes>…five decades

NEW from @PEERResearch.bsky.social: We estimated how #highered programs measure up against the accountability standard in the reconciliation law. Overall, few programs fall short, but low-earning programs are concentrated in some schools, fields. www.american.edu/spa/peer/one...

Here's a fun way to make words out of letters that appear in satellite images science.nasa.gov/specials/you...

She was hilarious! Don't call her Mrs. Bucket! It's Bouquet, accent on the second syllable, dear! 😂

Excellent historic tile content from @chicagovtfloor.bsky.social

🚨The PEER Center is hiring! We currently have two positions posted (details below). We're a #highered research center (led by @srcellini.bsky.social @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social) focused on generating actionable research for state, federal policy. Put your data skills to work for an important purpose!

twenty five years ago today, on September 25, 2000, the United States men's basketball team was playing France in the Sydney Olympics

with sixteen minutes left in the second half and the USA up 69-54, Vince Carter stole the ball

between him and the rim was 7'2" Frederic Weis

then he did this

Have you tried the Data Rescue Project? Not sure if it has what you need, but might be worth a shot at least as a stopgap measure: portal.datarescueproject.org/datasets/com...

ED is requesting public comments on the direction that they should take the Institute of Education Sciences. Feedback is due October 15.

public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-18608.pdf

On 9/16/25, celebrate a date of mathematical beauty Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.

A very happy Pythagorean Triple Square Day to all

www.npr.org/2025/09/16/n...

A line chart showing that 38% of webpages from 2013 were no longer accessible one decade later.

LINK ROT: 38% webpages that existed in 2013 were no longer available 10 years later.

Even among pages that existed in 2021, 22% no longer accessible just two years later. This is often because individual page was deleted or removed on otherwise functional website.

Many implications for knowledge 🧪

New The Effect materials today: introductions to basic coding and data manipulation in R, Stata, and Python. Get the wheels turning on using these languages with data with these intro pages and exercises:
nickchk.com/Coding%20and...
nickchk.com/Coding%20and...
nickchk.com/Coding%20and...

Education Research Analyst GS-1730-14 (MP) <p>There are two positions located in the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Science in Washinton, DC. The&nbsp;Assessment Development Expert and the Assessment Administration Expert is respon...

The National Center for Education Statistics is hiring two researchers to work on NAEP, the first green shoots after DOGE came through back in February. They limit to 150 applications, so move fast if interested.

www.usajobs.gov/job/844948000

www.usajobs.gov/job/844947600

When my family was trying out different churches when I was young, I still remember the whiplash I got when going from “trespasses” at one church to “sins” at a second and “debts” at a third. (It was “trespasses” at the one my family ultimately joined.)

A pika sits on a mossy rock.

Tighter crop of the same pika, focusing on its head.

An even tighter crop, focusing more on the pika's eye.

An extremely tight crop of the pika's eye, emphasizing their reflection of an early morning mountain scene.

"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"

Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.

One Epidemic, Many Estimates (1EME) One Epidemic, Many Estimates (1EME)

📢 Interested in excess mortality methods, and want a challenge? I'm organising the "One Epidemic, Many Estimates" (1EME) project! Register *now* as a many analyst team (submissions due 15 March 2026), and then join us at LSE for a workshop on 21-22 May 2026! (1/n)

www.lse.ac.uk/Economic-His...

OPM will forego FEVS in 2025, despite law requiring it The Office of Personnel Management did not answer questions regarding how the federal government will administer a survey of the 16 core Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey questions, which are spelled ...

“The Office of Personnel Management did not answer questions regarding how the federal government will administer a survey of the 16 core Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey questions, which are spelled out in statute.”

www.govexec.com/oversight/20...

Public Science Call for Papers Special Issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social ScienceThe Public's Science–A New Social Contract for American Research Policy

Call for Papers! 🧵

The Public's Science–A New Social Contract for American Research Policy a Special Issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Editors: Alondra Nelson (IAS) and Jenny Reardon (UC, Santa Cruz)

Abstract Deadline: Sept 19

www.ias.edu/stsv-lab/pub...

How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2026 | KFF This analysis of initial rate filings from all 50 states and DC shows ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 18% for 2026, more than double last year’s 7% median proposed ...

How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2026
www.kff.org/health-costs...

Last year the University of Cincinnati sent Cheatham Middle School in Tennessee a cease-and-desist letter for using UC’s Bearcat mascot, a similar logo and other signage. Officials at the middle school, which had used the contested logo and name for decades, said they tried to strike a compromise by adopting new imagery but keeping the Bearcats moniker (which is used at multiple K–12 schools across the country). But Cincinnati allegedly denied that request. Critics accused Cincinnati of being overly sensitive and unnecessarily litigious, arguing that no one was going to confuse a middle school in Tennessee with a university in Ohio. Ultimately, Cheatham Middle School rebranded as the Musketeers, adopting the same name and a similar logo to the one used by Xavier University, Cincinnati’s cross-town athletic rival.

This example in a piece on colleges suing to protect their brands made me chuckle at 5:00 on a Monday morning. May your workweek start with the same type of joy.

www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...

August 1, 2025 AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Committee on Economic Statistics and Committee on Government Relations Statement from the American Economic Association on the Dismissal of the BLS Commissioner Leaders of the American Economic Association express their grave concern over the dismissal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier today. The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions. Undermining the independence or credibility of these agencies threatens the integrity of the information that markets, institutions, and the public rely on every day. Measuring the vast and dynamic U.S. economy in real time is inherently challenging. It is standard practice for statistical estimates to be revised as more complete and higher-quality data become available. These revisions reflect the commitment of statistical agencies to accuracy, transparency, and methodological rigor-not failure or bias. The BLS has long had a well-deserved reputation for professional excellence and nonpartisan integrity. Safeguarding this tradition is vital for the continued health of the U.S. economy and public trust in our institutions. We call upon elected officials to respect and preserve the independence of the nation's statistical infrastructure. Lawrence Katz President, American Economic Association Katharine Abraham President-Elect, American Economic Association Karen Dynan Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Economic Statistics Kenneth Troske Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Government Relations

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing

As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements

This is a big deal

Today is the final day of work for many dedicated, talented employees at the Institute of Education Sciences. I am thankful for their service, and I hope that they find new roles that continue their mission of supporting education research that serves as a public good.

Over the past ten years, #RIHE has published >80 articles that used NCES data as a primary data source. In this special collection, we highlight key RIHE articles that used NCES data to provide important insights for research, practice, and policy. #highered link.springer.com/collections/...

Missed opportunity to call it wikifeetia

Chart shows dramatic increase in AC adoption in Seattle

Wow, the amount of Seattle-area homes with AC nearly doubled over the past decade.
Really shows the rapid pace of climate change and how it is spurring adaptations by residents of the historically cool Pacific Northwest.

Okay, okay, hear me out. What if all TV shows and movies penned by members of the Writers Guild of America had a line in the credits that assured us the script was “guild-written”?

Free idea for a book/paper title: The Guilded Age. Run with it for all your guild-related endeavors.

And yes, it was just as astounding as it sounds. What a lucky man I am!