Robert Gordon

I’m saddened to hear about the death of Bob Mueller. I will always remember him as the new FBI Director who was one week into his job when 9/11 happened. He helped protect our country, re-organize the FBI to fight terrorism, and served our nation well. He was a pleasure to work with. May he rest in peace.

It’s encouraging to see our research on class-size policies and master’s degree premiums get national attention from @nicholas_bagley and @robertmgordon in @nytimes. Policies with intuitive appeal (like reducing class size) can still fail students if they don’t adhere to data. NYC’s universal class size law is a billion-dollar experiment with weak evidence behind it. Student-teacher ratios have been declining for decades with no corresponding gains in achievement. But smaller classes HAVE been shown to benefit students in early grades, in high-poverty schools, and students of color. So why apply the same class size caps to every school regardless of its demographic makeup? That risks funneling more resources into schools with comparatively less need, or increasing hiring competition for teachers that wealthier schools are better positioned to win. And despite mounting evidence that master’s degrees don’t make teachers more effective or improve student outcomes, the vast majority of large districts – including NYDOE – still pay premiums for advanced degrees. @dcpublicschools' IMPACTplus program (that rewards effective teachers with up to $27K) was a strong example to lift up as an alternative here. nytimes.com/2026/02/23/opi…

Some folks who disagree with this piece by @nicholas_bagley & me have said, Just tax the rich. And I'd like to raise taxes on the rich too. But even then, more taxes should pay for better services. There's no escaping tradeoffs, just ignoring them. nytimes.com/2026/02/23/opi…

@emmabgo Excellent choice!

NEW: Today Mayor Mamdani will announce his new commissioner for social services — after weeks when the brutal cold turned deadly for 20 people. Mamdani is bringing in Erin Dalton, who working in Pittsburgh has reduced encampments without the threat of jail nytimes.com/2026/02/25/nyr…

Cynics and defeatists share the same story as authoritarians do: that nothing is worth trying, the conclusion is foregone, hope is naïve, and attempts to resist are too small or futile. Don’t listen to them. Do not give up. Try. A better world is possible. We will win. We must.

On the MN execution: The individuals involved should be held accountable. But responsibility goes to the top of ICE and CBP, and DHS. Their appropriations come up next week in the senate. Not a cent for DHS without pulling ICE and CBP off the streets, in MN and everywhere else.

"As soon as several of the inhabitants of the US have taken up an opinion...which they wish to promote...they look out for mutual assistance; and as soon as they have found each other out, they combine. [Then] they are no longer isolated men, but a power seen from afar, "

"The great irony of the status quo is that a system built to honor merit now favors insiders — those who either have city jobs or know those who can negotiate the alien job titles, erratic exam schedules, and vague interview calls needed to get those jobs."

I love NYC civil servants. My dad was one of them. But a great city needs a sensible way to hire. Thanks to @VitalCityNYC for running this piece.

DC folks! I’ll be at @ThirdWayTweet tomorrow morning, then @amprog tomorrow at noon with @HeidiHeitkamp. RSVP details attached - the CAP event is also online.

Not just generational

Terrific piece by my old Washington colleague @robertmgordon. More Democrats should be focusing on this and showing voters they care more about public service than simply protecting public jobs. nytimes.com/2025/07/22/opi…

The mass starvation & killing of Palestinians in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli gov’t is a chillul hashem, a desecration of God. Jewish leaders who criticized Zohran Mamdani for three words he doesn’t use should raise their voices loudly here as well.forward.com/opinion/757549…

As a longtime humanitarian who has battled famines and hunger crises, I fear that starvation in Gaza has now passed the tipping point and we are going to see mass-scale starvation mortality. A thread on famine momentum, famine response, and what it means for Gaza today.

Wonderful piece by @pahlkadot and @robertmgordon on how state and local governments can improve efficiency by removing outdated rules and retooling their workforce. nytimes.com/2025/07/22/opi…

"The public is already frustrated with government for unkept promises and sluggish services. If our leaders simply manage cuts to avoid upheaval, that frustration will only rise. Now is the time for intelligent disruption." Extremely sharp from @pahlkadot and @robertmgordon.

Today in the Israeli Knesset (sign translation): “Meeting of the Lobby for the Renewal of Jewish Settlement in the Gaza Strip Topic: "The Gaza Riviera – From Vision to Reality" “ It’s not just rhetoric, they mean business. We have to stop the ethnic cleansing. Credit: @peacenowisrael

Great piece by Jen Pahlka and Robert Gordon on some promising reform efforts in cities and states across the country. Leaders are making hard choices to prioritize outcomes for people over broken processes and the status quo. nytimes.com/2025/07/22/opi…

Little-known provision of the Big Beautiful Bill: you can lose your health care because you're looking for work, not enrolled in a government program. More in testimony here: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/how-medicaid…