Paul Bruno
@paul-bruno.com
Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Former middle school science teacher in Oakland and Los Angeles.
https://www.paul-bruno.com/
https://www.last.fm/user/pabruno
https://www.paul-bruno.com/
https://www.last.fm/user/pabruno
Guess we took care of it. trends.google.com/trends/explo...
November 25, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Guess we took care of it. trends.google.com/trends/explo...
So here's the interesting thing (imo). The teaching force (public + private) grew from 1.3M to 3.7M between 1955 and 2021. With a bit less rounding, it's an increase of 188%. And if you look at the change in total nonfarm payroll in the U.S. from October 1955 to October 2021 it's...189%.
November 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
So here's the interesting thing (imo). The teaching force (public + private) grew from 1.3M to 3.7M between 1955 and 2021. With a bit less rounding, it's an increase of 188%. And if you look at the change in total nonfarm payroll in the U.S. from October 1955 to October 2021 it's...189%.
My first "key finding" is about the aggregate size of the teaching force, and how it's grown both a lot in absolute terms and much faster than student enrollment. OK, sure, so the workforce grew faster than the student population, fine, whatever.
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
My first "key finding" is about the aggregate size of the teaching force, and how it's grown both a lot in absolute terms and much faster than student enrollment. OK, sure, so the workforce grew faster than the student population, fine, whatever.
If you want to use one you should first have to be able to explain what a random effect is.
November 3, 2025 at 12:36 PM
If you want to use one you should first have to be able to explain what a random effect is.
Weiss is obviously not serious but I have my doubts about the claims i keep seeing in this...screenshot. ABL: Always Be Linking, etc.
October 28, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Weiss is obviously not serious but I have my doubts about the claims i keep seeing in this...screenshot. ABL: Always Be Linking, etc.
Once you acknowledge that growth makes sense in there I think it's even harder to see why you'd want proficiency. www.isbe.net/Documents/Ac...
October 28, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Once you acknowledge that growth makes sense in there I think it's even harder to see why you'd want proficiency. www.isbe.net/Documents/Ac...
One of the players on the women's soccer team invited Colleen to last night's game as an "MVP professor" and it comes with some fun swag.
October 10, 2025 at 12:59 PM
One of the players on the women's soccer team invited Colleen to last night's game as an "MVP professor" and it comes with some fun swag.
We have some informed speculation about what might explain some of this lack-of-impact. I might crudely summarize these as involving a disconnect between how light-touch the policies are and how large and complicated the intended effects are (e.g., what to study in college/what job to pursue).
October 2, 2025 at 9:29 PM
We have some informed speculation about what might explain some of this lack-of-impact. I might crudely summarize these as involving a disconnect between how light-touch the policies are and how large and complicated the intended effects are (e.g., what to study in college/what job to pursue).
We find even less when looking for impacts on CS teacher production, even for the most licensure-related policies.
October 2, 2025 at 9:26 PM
We find even less when looking for impacts on CS teacher production, even for the most licensure-related policies.
What do we find?
Not much.
For example, let's look at the earning of undergraduate CS degrees post-policy. The pre-trends look mostly reasonable; the effect estimates are mostly statistically & substantively insignificant. Maybe suggestive exceptions for state plans or funding for teacher PD.
Not much.
For example, let's look at the earning of undergraduate CS degrees post-policy. The pre-trends look mostly reasonable; the effect estimates are mostly statistically & substantively insignificant. Maybe suggestive exceptions for state plans or funding for teacher PD.
October 2, 2025 at 9:24 PM
What do we find?
Not much.
For example, let's look at the earning of undergraduate CS degrees post-policy. The pre-trends look mostly reasonable; the effect estimates are mostly statistically & substantively insignificant. Maybe suggestive exceptions for state plans or funding for teacher PD.
Not much.
For example, let's look at the earning of undergraduate CS degrees post-policy. The pre-trends look mostly reasonable; the effect estimates are mostly statistically & substantively insignificant. Maybe suggestive exceptions for state plans or funding for teacher PD.
To find out, we put together a dataset of adoption & implementation dates for 9 of those policies over 20+ years. Code dot org helpfully provided some info for recent years, but we dug through state legislative and regulatory histories and conducted multiple validation exercises for earlier years.
October 2, 2025 at 9:15 PM
To find out, we put together a dataset of adoption & implementation dates for 9 of those policies over 20+ years. Code dot org helpfully provided some info for recent years, but we dug through state legislative and regulatory histories and conducted multiple validation exercises for earlier years.
And states have adopted these policies at fairly high rates! For example, the CAC credits 35 states with creating statewide K-12 CS education plans, 44 with adopting CS content standards, and all 50 states allow CS to count toward core (rather than elective) graduation requirements.
October 2, 2025 at 8:15 PM
And states have adopted these policies at fairly high rates! For example, the CAC credits 35 states with creating statewide K-12 CS education plans, 44 with adopting CS content standards, and all 50 states allow CS to count toward core (rather than elective) graduation requirements.
Much is at least plausibly related to efforts by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition (CAC) to get states to adopt 10 specific policies, like requiring high schools to offer CS courses. advocacy.code.org/stateofcs/
October 2, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Much is at least plausibly related to efforts by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition (CAC) to get states to adopt 10 specific policies, like requiring high schools to offer CS courses. advocacy.code.org/stateofcs/
You love to see it. Got mine today.
October 1, 2025 at 11:12 PM
You love to see it. Got mine today.
My favorite thing about the hotel I stay at when I teach in the Chicagoland area is the magnet on the freezer that makes it sound like there's a beloved but deceased pet inside.
September 27, 2025 at 1:27 AM
My favorite thing about the hotel I stay at when I teach in the Chicagoland area is the magnet on the freezer that makes it sound like there's a beloved but deceased pet inside.
I can't emphasize enough how much I love central Illinois local news. www.wcia.com/news/champai...
September 13, 2025 at 12:16 AM
I can't emphasize enough how much I love central Illinois local news. www.wcia.com/news/champai...
I see what you did there. thevirginia.showare.com/eventperform...
September 10, 2025 at 1:40 PM
I see what you did there. thevirginia.showare.com/eventperform...
Also, the implicit argument that if EBF was fully funded everybody would suddenly think of themselves as adequately funded continues to be very funny to me. I can't tell whether people really believe this.
August 31, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Also, the implicit argument that if EBF was fully funded everybody would suddenly think of themselves as adequately funded continues to be very funny to me. I can't tell whether people really believe this.
By my count no fewer than three of the quoted experts operate businesses involved here?
August 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
By my count no fewer than three of the quoted experts operate businesses involved here?
Hmm, "more than a third of provosts reported higher-than-usual turnover last year, in a survey by Hanover Research and the industry publication Inside Higher Ed"? www.interfolio.com/resources/re....
August 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Hmm, "more than a third of provosts reported higher-than-usual turnover last year, in a survey by Hanover Research and the industry publication Inside Higher Ed"? www.interfolio.com/resources/re....
Hear me out: The Last Airbender, but UIUC. Aang is basically already in the colors.
August 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Hear me out: The Last Airbender, but UIUC. Aang is basically already in the colors.
FYI, apparently we have established a Hello Kitty partnership here at UIUC. bookstore.illinois.edu/search_index...
August 17, 2025 at 3:41 PM
FYI, apparently we have established a Hello Kitty partnership here at UIUC. bookstore.illinois.edu/search_index...