Get my new novel COMMUNITY DAY now. The tragic comedy about our time. amazon.com/Community-Day-AND…

Can I possibly sustain this level of fevered patriotism for a month? I'm not sure, but I'm sure willing to try. #USA #IBelieveThatWeWillWin

I was all in before. Now I'm rabid. #USA

One of these things is FALSE about the last time the US played an opening World Cup game on US soil (On June 18, 1994). 1. Ill Communication by Beastie Boys was the #1 album in America, 2. The Flintstones was the #1 movie in America, 3. I did not have a mullet.

No replication crisis here. In the last two years, each Ivy League school has independently discovered that standardized tests predict success in college: 1. Dartmouth (Feb 5, 2024): “Several key findings guided our decision: First, standardized test scores are an important predictor of a student's success in Dartmouth's curriculum, and this is true regardless of a student's background or family income.” “Research shows that standardized test scores can be an important predictor of academic success at a place like Dartmouth and beyond—more so even than just grades or recommendations, for example.” 2. Yale (Feb 22, 2024): “Yale’s research from before and after the pandemic has consistently demonstrated that, among all application components, test scores are the single greatest predictor of a student’s future Yale grades. This is true even after controlling for family income and other demographic variables, and it is true for subject-based exams such as AP and IB, in addition to the ACT and SAT.” 3. Brown (March 5, 2024): “Our analysis made clear that SAT and ACT scores are among the key indicators that help predict a student’s ability to succeed and thrive in Brown’s demanding academic environment.” 4. Harvard (April 11, 2024): “Research by Opportunity Insights has shown that SAT and ACT scores are the single strongest predictors of academic success at selective colleges like Harvard... Standardized tests provide a common benchmark that can help us evaluate applicants’ readiness for the academic challenges at Harvard in a way that is more fair and equitable than high school grades alone.” 5. Cornell (April 22, 2024): “After a multi-year study conducted by the university’s Task Force on Standardized Testing in Admissions, data showed that when reviewed in context with other application materials—such as GPA, academic rigor, extracurricular engagement, essays, and letters of recommendation—test scores help to create a more complete picture of an individual applicant.” 6. Penn (Feb 14, 2025): “Penn’s practice has been, and continues to be, considering a student’s school-based academic record on its own merit, with testing as part of Admission’s broad and comprehensive assessment. With this approach, testing complements a student’s existing accomplishments and can offer additional relevant information in our comprehensive and holistic admission process.” 7. Princeton (Oct 9, 2025): “The decision to resume testing requirements follows a review of five years of data from the test-optional period, which found that academic performance at Princeton was stronger for students who chose to submit test scores than for students who did not.” 8. Columbia (June 11, 2026): “Through a multi-year faculty review, it was determined that test scores, among other factors, were a useful indicator of potential student success.”

you have to respect Cookie Monster's singular focus.

Tears of a Clown: Chapter 13 open.substack.com/pub/commun…

"Pith is the narrator’s best friend. He’s caring and generous. He’s simple and straightforward but wise. He’s down-to-earth and folksy. But he’s also an alcoholic." communityday.substack.com/p/…

I am grateful for the generous book review in @EducationNext, and it is fair to say that throughout my career, I have had a “disinterest in ideology.” I did not see a need to be in public life unless I was trying to accomplish a result, which almost always meant finding a way to compromise with those with whom I did not agree. But that did not mean I did not have strong beliefs. I was a small town, anti-gambling, culturally-conservative, prayer breakfast-sponsoring governor who fought the teachers’ union, twice vetoed photo driver’s licenses for smacking of too much government, and urged President Reagan to get the federal government entirely out of K-12 education. I supported gun rights and opposed abortion. I fought for nuclear power and against giant wind turbines. I ran for president advocating “less from Washington, and more from ourselves.” I said, “Cut their pay and send them home,” arguing for a citizen congress. When I ran for the US Senate, I said, “I have conservative principles and an independent attitude.” For three terms, I voted that way. You can read the full review here: educationnext.org/the-countr… In THE EDUCATION OF A SENATOR: FROM JFK TO TRUMP, I paint portraits of the presidents I worked with, tell stories about what I saw behind the scenes, and recount the lessons I learned about American politics and our country’s future. THE EDUCATION OF A SENATOR is out now from @PostHillPress. You can use this link to order: simonandschuster.com/books/T…

New NAEP results are out and it’s clear the bottom has fallen out for our lowest performing math students: The bottom 10% of students performed worse than any cohort of students on the history of the test going all the way back to the 1970s

"At its best, the book offers a fascinating explanation of how yuppyism came about, revealed itself in the workplace, and changed the Big Apple and culture. Other times, a great story was being shaped to accommodate the modern progressive’s fixation on capitalism, power, and identity." freebeacon.com/culture/when-…

My latest, a review of the new book, Yuppies. freebeacon.com/culture/when-… @FreeBeacon

I wonder if this decade-old paper would help. I remember talking about a PSGF when we were writing about PSMOs. edchoice.org/wp-content/uplo… cc: @JulietSquire @bellwetherorg

"Alexander was raised in a rural area, went off to get a law degree, and eventually returned home to serve. But beneath his gentlemanliness and affability is shrewdness." bit.ly/3S7oISE

"We should recognize that non-ideological presidents are the historical norm. The post-Reagan era is an outlier for its disproportionate number of ideological presidents. We might be returning to the norm—presidents who have agendas not ideologies." governingright.substack.com/…

Texas is making real progress in its bid to challenge Delaware as America's corporate capital. A new business court, a new stock exchange, and corporate law reforms like SB 29 that curb non-meritorious strike suits. Overcoming Delaware's century of case law and its renowned Court of Chancery won't be easy but the Lone Star state is doing the rest of the country a favor by ratcheting up the pressure for reform. Read @ManhattanInst adjunct fellow Robert T Miller in @CityJournal city-journal.org/article/tex…

"That suite of characteristics is what ultimately serves as this book’s throughline and takeaway. It helps the reader understand why Alexander was so successful as a state leader and why his reflections on that time seem so smooth and charming." bit.ly/3S7oISE

"Given their powers over public education, governors are uniquely positioned to take the lead." bit.ly/3QUwuyN

"As a young congressional and White House aide, governor and education secretary, and three-term U.S. Senator, Alexander was pragmatic and results-oriented. He developed a disposition to match; he was understated, accommodating, and diligent." bit.ly/3S7oISE