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What does it take to get more Americans across the goal line when it comes to getting a college degree? Both the White House and the nation's governors have taken on this issue, and it's also a major focus at Public Agenda. High school isn't too early to begin thinking about the problem, discussed in a recent speech by Public Agenda president Ruth Wooden at the annual meeting of the American School Counselors Association. Our research shows young adults need a lot more help than they're getting, both in terms of making decisions about higher education and in managing the juggling act between work, school and family responsibilities once they get in.
THE BUCK STOPS WHERE? D.C. INFLUENCERS TALK ABOUT THE NATIONAL DEBT
The "movers and shakers" in Washington are worried about the national debt and believe there are practical solutions for it, but they're just as convinced that partisan politics will block any progress, according to Public Agenda's latest survey, The Buck Stops Where?. At least 85 percent of both policymakers and "opinion elites" surveyed in and around Washington, D.C., agree that "if we do not get the national debt under control, it will overwhelm the federal budget and damage the economy in the long run." Roughly 8 in 10 of these "Beltway influencers" say there are practical policy approaches to the problem, but roughly the same number say pragmatic solutions will be impossible to achieve because of partisan politics. Click here to see the report and see video of a Washington, D.C., panel discussion of the findings of the report. This research was done for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for the Choosing Our Fiscal Future initiative.
ARE OUR KIDS GETTING ENOUGH MATH & SCIENCE EDUCATION?
Americans are convinced that math and science skills are crucial for the future, according to a new Public Agenda survey which found strong majorities who say there will be more jobs and college opportunities for students with those skills, But while there's broad support from parents and the general public for K-12 national standards, over half of parents surveyed say the math and science their child is getting in school is "fine as it is." Those are among the many surprising realities facing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in public schools, according to "Are We Beginning to See the Light?", which surveyed over 1,400 individuals nationwide, including 646 parents of children grades K-12. The study was underwritten by the GE Foundation.
THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE: VOICES & VIEWS TO CONSIDER
Immigration reform is back in the spotlight. As the policy debate heats up, it's worth noting that to craft a policy that works, it helps to hear the voices of the immigrants themselves. In our survey, A Place to Call Home: What Immigrants Say Now About Life In America, immigrants talk about why they're here, the challenges they face, and their views on reform proposals. Majorities told us they adapted quickly to life in the U.S. and made the right choice in coming here. Click here to see our report, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
ABORTIONMore than a generation after the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the U.S., public debate on the subject continues to follow the well-worn path between condemnation and choice. Public attitudes do not.
Where advocates on both sides tend to lay out their arguments in terms of absolute moral rights and wrongs, the public seems to see conflicts and conditions. Solid majorities support a woman's right to choose abortion - if her reasons seem sound and if it's not too late in the pregnancy.
On an individual level, medical technology is making the issue more complex. In some respects, changing technology - such as the "abortion pill" and ultrasound-guided abortions available as early as eight days after conception – have made abortion both easier and more accepted. In other respects, new technology – such as ultrasound photos from the womb and developments making a fetus viable at earlier stages of pregnancy – has sparked new questions.
