Is Growth the Best Measure of a Good Economy?
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Monday, April 29th, 2013
A mistake in economists Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart's influential study causes us to take a closer look at the best way to judge growth in the economy.
Can "Race to the Top" Work for Energy Innovation?
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Monday, April 29th, 2013
Improving the nation's power grid is a huge task. Is "Race to the Top" the right model?
The Big Gamble in Health Care: Would Competition Outdo Government in Controlling Costs?
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Thursday, March 28th, 2013
The Obama administration opened talks in Arkansas and Ohio to allow the states to use federal Medicaid money to buy private health insurance for their low-income residents. If it goes through, it will be an unexpected pairing of progressive and conservative ideas -- one pragmatists may find encouraging.
Reviving Manufacturing, Saving Energy: Can We Do Both?
Scott Bittle | Thursday, March 21st, 2013
Over the last half-century, America has shifted from a manufacturing economy to a service economy, and that has had a significant impact on our energy use. But the change from manufacturing jobs to service jobs has come at considerable social cost as well.
Can Accountants Succeed on Climate Where Others Have Failed?
Scott Bittle | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
The Government Accountability Office, the federal government's independent auditor and watchdog agency, added climate change to its list of "high risk" threats to the nation's fiscal health.
Post-Sandy New York: A Model for Collaboration in Problem Solving
Will Friedman, Ph.D. | Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
As the city shapes its future post-Sandy, can it also become a role model for how a community of leaders and citizens can work together to solve complex and potentially volatile public problems?
Lessons Learned From High-Poverty, High-Achieving Schools
Will Friedman, Ph.D. | Thursday, December 20th, 2012
Schools identified as high-poverty or high-needs often pose the biggest challenge to educators. They can also evoke the most pessimism. How can kids learn, people ask, when they lack adequate food, clothing or safety on the way to class?
Let's Pay for Our Priorities
Scott Bittle | Friday, November 16th, 2012
Imagining a positive outcome for a strategy as dumb as the fiscal cliff is a challenge. If all the provisions went into force, the cliff would, in fact, do a lot to put the budget on a sustainable course.
We Must Avoid Austerity on Steroids
Jean Johnson | Thursday, November 15th, 2012
Going over the fiscal cliff is basically austerity on steroids. It means that taxes will rise suddenly for nearly everyone.
Sparking a Conversation to Get the Best Teachers
Ellen Behrstock-Sherratt and Allison Rizzolo | Thursday, November 1st, 2012
Chicago Public Schools teachers recently took to the streets for the first time in a quarter-century to protest the new teacher evaluation system alongside more traditional bread-and-butter issues.
The American Dream
Bob McKinnon | Wednesday, October 24th, 2012
Bob McKinnon, director of the GALEWILL Center for Opportunity & Progress, discusses a national survey of 2,000 Americans as part of a project The Invisible Dream: Creating a New Conversation About the American Dream, done in conjunction with Public Agenda.
One Degree of Separation (Commentary)
Jean Johnson | Sunday, April 15th, 2012
Most young Americans who don't graduate from college come from low-income, less well-educated families. Without more education, they are likely to continue that pattern and remain financially insecure throughout their lives.
On Teacher Evaluations, Teacher's Voices Matter
Ellen Behrstock-Sherratt and Allison Rizzolo | Thursday, March 15th, 2012
We've seen the fallout when teachers are left out of discussions on how they're evaluated: states and school districts have pushed through top-down methods for measuring teacher effectiveness without input from teachers and principals.
The Iceman Goeth
Scott Bittle | Sunday, February 26th, 2012
As the presidential candidates spout on about jobs and the economy, I sometimes wish I could put my late grandfather on the stage during the debates.
12 Myths about America's Jobs Crisis
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Monday, February 6th, 2012
hen Americans head for the polls this fall, a lot of people will be voting on just one issue: jobs. But so far, much of the political rhetoric sounds like it could be coming from one job that's pretty much obsolete - a carnival barker.
Election Year Follies
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
You know how sometimes when you repeat a word over and over again, it starts to lose its meaning? If you listen to our current crop of presidential candidates, they're doing their best to do that with the most important word in this election: Jobs.
Twitter & The Freedom Trail: Citizen Networks For High-Octane Democracy
Francie Grace | Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Social media - Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, foursquare and more - is changing the world in ways previously never even imagined. For Public Agenda, it's a great tool for constructive dialogue on contentious public policy issues, as Francie Grace, vice president, managing editor and director of social media for Public Agenda, explains in this speech delivered at the #140 Characters Conference in Boston.
The Optimism Gap: Are Washington and the Public on the Same Track?
Scott Bittle | Friday, May 13th, 2011
Part of leadership is conveying an air of optimism and confidence. Any management book, any memoir by a general, politician or basketball coach will tell you that. But what does it mean when leaders are more optimistic than the people they're supposed to be leading?
The Only Way to Ruin Social Security
Scott Bittle | Friday, February 25th, 2011
Let's start with the obvious. Social Security is a beloved and vital program that needs changes. Politicians are afraid to touch it, and some its staunchest supporters say we don't need to talk about it now because its problems aren't all that serious. The irony is that not talking about Social Security -- and not touching it -- is the riskiest choice of all.
Would Getting the Economy On Track Give Us A Free Pass Out of the Federal Budget Mess?
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Friday, January 28th, 2011
It looks like the country might finally be gearing up to tackle our massive federal deficits and growing federal debt. If history is any guide, serious debate about unpleasant things like cutting popular programs and raising taxes will be accompanied by plenty of people hawking miracle cures that will take away our pain.
Turning the Clock Back Isn't Enough: The Nasty Surprise Awaiting the GOP on Health Care and the Deficit
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
The Republicans who will take control of the House this January have made it clear there are two things they hate: deficits and President Obama’s healthcare reform. They’ve promised to reduce the first and repeal (or at least hobble) the second.
Making the Connection on College Completion
Ruth Wooden | Monday, July 5th, 2010
In a recent report by Public Agenda, Ruth Wooden, president of Public Agenda, addressed the report's findings at the July 5, 2010, annual meeting of the American School Counselors Association in Boston.