Recent articles
May 21, 2026
LLMs and the Library Card Fallacy
the LLM tutor story is the Khan Academy story is the MOOCs story
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 19, 2026
One More Time: The Average American K-12 Student is Doing Fine Relative to the International Baseline
and problems relative to the historical baseline are happening around the world
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 18, 2026
You Can't Defend a Policy By Getting Angry at the Suggestion That It's Benefitted People
progressive diversity programs are caught in a hellish hall of mirrors
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 13, 2026
Subscriber Writing, May 2026
Hello folks!
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 11, 2026
The Vicious, Potentially Fatal Anti-Public School Propaganda Cycle
The New York Times discusses the enrollment crisis that’s hitting American public schools.
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 7, 2026
It's Time For Some People to Let Me Go
set it free, guys, set it free
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 6, 2026
Call for Subscriber Writing, May 2026
NEW SUBMISSION FORM AND NEW LINK, PLEASE READ
freddiedeboer.substack.com
May 4, 2026
Please Stop Making Reductive Claims About Economic Hardship and Mental Health
it doesn't help poor people and it doesn't help the mentally ill
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 30, 2026
The Consensus Draft Board Debate is Sports Culture War at Its Worst
the loud and uniformed vs the overconfident and aggravating
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 28, 2026
On Shoplifting as Radical Praxis
by request from many readers
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 23, 2026
We Are (Still) Living in the Long Boring
the "bits are easy, atoms are hard" barrier has not been breached
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 18, 2026
The School Reformer "Accountability Era" Narrative Simply Does Not Add Up
neither history nor international data supports their theories of decline
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 16, 2026
Why People Hate Lena Dunham
it's irrational, entirely unfair, and deeply human
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 13, 2026
What is Left of "Believe Women"?
from Rolling Stone's Jackie to Sam Altman's sister, the rules shift and definitions strain
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 9, 2026
Young Adult Novels, Starring Various Pundits, That I Made Up
Matt Yglesias & the Legend of Big Muggy. Everyone’s favorite contrarian blogger searches for a mythical giant turtle in the Amazon, risking life and limb in his quest to bring sensible centrism...
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 6, 2026
Real Feelings for Fake Beauty
the desire to live in a beautiful built environment can't be snarked away
freddiedeboer.substack.com
April 2, 2026
Perhaps There Are Options Other Than "Toxic Confidence" and Insecurity-as-Identity
everything that is not forbidden is compulsory
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 30, 2026
We Have to Hold the Line Against the Cruel Pseudoscience of Facilitated Communication
the New York Times seems hellbent on restoring public faith in the comprehensively discredited practice
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 27, 2026
Stephen Policoff's "A Ribbon For Your Hair"
not for the faint of heart
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 25, 2026
Subscriber Writing, March 2026
Hello folks!
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 24, 2026
When People Say They Want to Send Their Kid to a Good School, They Usually Mean Schools Without "Bad Kids"
parents intuitively understand that a school's "quality" is a product of how its student body was selected
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 23, 2026
Stat Inflation is Bigger Than Any of the NBA's (Many) Other Problems
who cares about a triple double anymore? who is thrilled by a 50 point game?
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 20, 2026
Great Writers "Tell" All the Time
there is no alternative, really
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 17, 2026
Overlearning
I largely agree with this piece by Maarten Boudry called “The Fallacy Fallacy.” The central insight is quite correct: the kind of fallacy hunting that’s become popular in the era of online forums a...
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 14, 2026
There Are Many Different Ways to Commodify Black Culture
white praise is still the white gaze
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 12, 2026
What People Want From Our Schools Has Never Been Accomplished, Anywhere, Ever
educating an entire society into prosperity is a radical modern fantasy, not "getting things back to normal"
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 11, 2026
Call For Subscriber Writing, March 2026
It’s that time again!
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 7, 2026
The NFL Media is Structurally Anti-Player
even though the people within it generally aren't
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 6, 2026
The Incel's Veto and Other Observations
why have those with the least exposure to sex and romance become so influential in our public debates about them?
freddiedeboer.substack.com
March 4, 2026
Twice-Annual Subscription Drive
I am still trying my best, and it's still $5
freddiedeboer.substack.com