Public Writing

In addition to my academic writing, I frequently write essays and editorials for broader audiences. My goal in my public writing is to use behavioral science, intervention science, and meta-science insights to analyze contemporary issues in society, and when appropriate, suggest ways to apply those insights to social problems. Links to those essays are below.

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Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2023, January 23). Are standardized tests racist, or are they anti-racist? The Atlantic.

Del Rios, M., Chomilo, N. T., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2022, October 25). Covid-19 is an inverse equity story, not a racial equity success story. STATNews.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2022, June 17). What happens when American children learn about racism? FiveThirtyEight.

Samuels, A., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2022, March 21). How white victimhood fuels Republican politics. FiveThirtyEight. 

Samuels, A., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2022, February 15). Democrats helped build the social safety net. Why are many now against expanding it? FiveThirtyEight.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2021, November 18). Why many Americans underestimate who is most concerned about the environment. FiveThirtyEight.

*Berry, Z., Lewis, N. A., Jr., & Sowden, W. J. (2021, September 21). Are You Too Loyal to Your Organization? Harvard Business Review. 

Matias, J. N., Lewis, N. A., Jr., & Hope, E. (2021, September 7). Universities say they want more diverse faculties. So why is academia still so White? FiveThirtyEight. 

Chomilo, N., Clinton, C., Guzman-Cottrill, J., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2021, August 26). How schools can protect our children and their future when reopening. Brown Center Chalkboard, The Brookings Institution.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2021, June 17). Why many Americans can’t see the wealth gap between White and Black America. FiveThirtyEight.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2021, March 29). COVID-19 reminded us of just how unequal America is. FiveThirtyEight.

Martin, C., Koerth, M., Rothschild, A., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2021, March 10). How to convince people the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is as good as the others. FiveThirtyEight.

Lewis, N. A., Jr., TIME’S UP Health Care Leaders, & TIME’s UP Impact Lab. (2021, February 25). Vaccines are essential for essential STARS. Employers can help. Opportunity@Work.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2020, September 14). Why coming up with effective interventions to address COVID-19 is so hard. FiveThirtyEight.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2020, May 1). How many (and whose) lives would you bet on your theory? The Hardest Science.

Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2019, September 12). On ‘light-touches’ and ‘heavy-hands’: 2 strategies to tackle educational inequities. Brown Center Chalkboard, The Brookings Institution.

Jefferson, H., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2018, April 23). Starbucks won’t have any idea whether its diversity training works. The Washington Post.

Oyserman, D., & Lewis, N. A., Jr. (2017, June 12). Can people ‘like me’ go to college? Inequality and dreams of higher ed. The Conversation.