Austin Slaughter
@austinslaughter.bsky.social
1.2K followers 440 following 460 posts
Higher ed researcher at a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization focused on economic mobility. East Texan.
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Reposted by Austin Slaughter
zachschermele.bsky.social
NEW: A federal judge today temporarily paused the Education Department's layoffs of nearly everyone in its special ed division.

Judge Susan Illston in the Northern District of California issued the ruling, which applies to thousands of other RIFs, too.

Read more: www.usatoday.com/story/news/e...
Judge temporarily reverses Trump's special education layoffs
The firings were part of a broad swath of shutdown-related terminations issued by the White House on Friday, Oct. 10.
www.usatoday.com
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
donmoyn.bsky.social
Old enough to remember when kids being anti-semitic was the basis for a federal government assault on higher education
austinslaughter.bsky.social
I left my toddler alone for a few minutes the other day and he didn't die, confirming he does not need me and would be fine surviving on his own
zachschermele.bsky.social
Read her full statement here:
austinslaughter.bsky.social
Not my area of expertise at all, but I would be concerned about demoralization for students who lose GT status. Maybe you start by locking in the top 5-7% at a younger age and then expand to the top remaining 5-7% at an older age?
austinslaughter.bsky.social
This is like a dude who gets no matches on a dating app so he just starts swiping right on everyone
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
austinslaughter.bsky.social
A survey of community college students identified their top college disappointments as their social life and meeting new people

There is a lot of room for improving social capital development and sense of belonging at community colleges

www.insidehighered.com/news/student...
Community College Students Want a Social Life
A survey by EAB finds that two-year students have been disappointed by their college experience when it comes to making friends and feeling as though they belong on campus.
www.insidehighered.com
austinslaughter.bsky.social
The Trump administration wants to sell high-performing segments of the federal student loan portfolio to private investors

But they're not allowed to do it at a cost to the federal government

Would this foregone revenue not represent a cost to the federal government?
share.google/qITbJmszqnIF...
Trump officials reportedly consider selling student loan debt to private investors
Experts say the move could eliminate the federal government’s power to cancel educational loans
share.google
austinslaughter.bsky.social
We've known for a long time that income disparities persist through degree attainment

It's a big deal that we now have evidence on the primary mechanism by which that disparity persists
austinslaughter.bsky.social
ED has already been failing to fulfill its legal obligations. Losing 500 more employees will not help.
austinslaughter.bsky.social
Watching the last play of this game
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
alanburdick.bsky.social
A new NYT as-told-to series, "Lost Science," documents the work of researchers who have lost their jobs or funding after cuts by the Trump administration. Share your story with us!

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/c...
Has Your Scientific Work Been Cut? We Want to Hear.
www.nytimes.com
austinslaughter.bsky.social
Me: I'll drop five pounds once I get my running mileage back up

Also me: Now that my running mileage is back up, I can have ice cream every night
austinslaughter.bsky.social
Between 2002 and 2022, the percentage of high school students who expected to get a bachelor's degree decreased from 72% to 44%

www.pellinstitute.org/wp-content/u...
www.pellinstitute.org
austinslaughter.bsky.social
Phillies fans having to watch a 9pm playoff elimination game on a Wednesday has me fully on board with the proposals to eliminate AL/NL and do East/West conferences instead
austinslaughter.bsky.social
I hate to (slightly) defend cosmetology programs--and I suspect most of them would fail the standard regardless of the methodology--BUT I feel compelled to point out over 90% of cosmetology students are women, and their earnings are being compared to the statewide median earnings of men and women
bar graph showing the share of students in the twenty largest fields in programs that fail the standard. cosmetology dramatically stands out, at 64%, while all other programs are below 15%.
austinslaughter.bsky.social
I'm pleasantly surprised to see rural institutions doing okay under the new standard despite the methodology using the statewide median earnings of high school graduates
bar graph showing the share of institutions grouped by the percentage of their students in programs that fail the standard. schools in rural areas do a bit better than schools not in rural areas.
austinslaughter.bsky.social
This is a terrific paper looking at which programs are likely to fail the new earnings threshold established by the OBBA

www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
Bar graph showing the percentage of students in low-earning programs by credential type. Undergrad certificates: 24%; associate's: 3.9%; bachelor's: 0.6%; grad certificates: 3.1%; master's: 2.9%; doctoral: 0.3; professional: 4.7%; total (with undergrad certificates): 3.7%; total (without undergrad certificates): 1.8%.
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
robertkelchen.com
This is a really helpful summary of last week's negotiated rulemaking session on defining professional programs that get higher student loan limits, as well as looking forward to the committee's upcoming discussions.
ED Opens Door to Student Loan Cap Negotiations
The department made some progress toward its student loan overhaul in negotiated rule making, but big questions remain about borrower limitations and repayment plans.
www.insidehighered.com