
ON THE AGENDA | JUNE 30TH, 2017 | PUBLIC AGENDA
Every week we curate stories and reports on complex issues. This week: Calls for a national dialogue amid politically dividing language and deeds. Clearly measuring income inequality and what to do about it. How to get teenagers involved in civic engagement. The plans, hopes and dreams of graduating seniors who are not going to college. How health reform can cross party lines.
A Call
to Revive America's Political Center (Real Clear Politics)
Before our savagely polarized country rips itself apart with violent language
and violent deeds, it’s time for the nation’s adult leaders to rally and
fortify the political center.
Working
Toward the Same Ends for Different Reasons (The Atlantic)
A better understanding of moral reasoning could help Americans cooperate on
improving the country even amid deep disagreements.
America
needs a national dialogue to heal our political battle wounds (The
Hill)
The horrible and indiscriminate attack on a group of House Republican members
of Congress at their early morning baseball practice for a charity baseball
game may prove to be a watershed moment in our country: the day Democrats and
Republicans realized they had to change the direction of American politics to
take our democracy off the downward spiral it was on.
It's
Time To Measure Inequality (Forbes)
Amazingly, no one can point to a clear measurement of inequality that puts
flesh and blood on the statistics. Yet most Americans know about it intimately.
They live it. They don’t need government statistics. They face it every day
Could
You Help Rewire Income Disparity? (NPR)
The growth of income disparity across the world has now become so
well-documented that even some rich people see it as a danger to society. But
the scale of the problem makes it seem like there's not much ordinary,
not-so-rich folks can do about it in their ordinary, not-so-rich lives. If new
research from network science is right, though, there may be something easy and
simple almost anyone can do to help bring more economic equality into the
world.
A civic
minded conversation (Daily Journal)
How can we engage teenagers in the civic process? How can government leaders
connect with young people in the classroom? And what, exactly, is fake news?
These were some of the questions a panel of civic leaders discussed at Kankakee
Community College as part of the 2017 Illinois Civics Academy for Teachers, a
regional conference for teachers looking for innovative ways to implement the
Illinois civic education requirements.
Students' Sense of
Belonging Starts With Teachers (Education Week)
Educators believe students need to feel welcome at school to be successful, but
some say they struggle to address barriers to belonging.
Study: Chicago Students
Outperform Kids in Rest of Illinois (WBEZ)
A new study from the University of Illinois at
Chicago’s Center for Urban Education Leadership finds that Chicago students on
average outperform similarly situated students outside the city. The findings
are big news for Chicago Public Schools, a district which was called the
"worst in the nation" 30 years ago by former U.S. Secretary of
Education William Bennett. But the reasons for Chicago's improvement as
compared to the rest of the state are complicated. For instance, the study
found a major shift in low-income students from Chicago to suburban and
downstate areas. According to WBEZ's coverage of the study, "While most
low-income children in the state were at one time enrolled in Chicago schools,
two-thirds now live outside the city — and that number is growing."
From
Frenzied to Focused: How School Staffing Models Can Support Principals as
Instructional Leaders (New America)
A new report from Melissa Tooley explores approaches to school staffing by
examining three public school districts which employ promising, yet varied,
“new school leadership” (NSL) models. Each is designed to bolster principals’
ability to focus on instructional leadership.
Out of
High School, Into Real Life (The New York Times)
This graduation season, The New York Times talked with seniors across the
country who are not headed to college about their plans, hopes and dreams.
Report:
Early Millennials: The Sophomore Class of 2002 a Decade Later
(National Center for Education Statistics)
Many members of the sophomore class of 2002 had made the transition to postsecondary education (84 percent). As of 2012, about one-half of cohort members had earned a postsecondary certificate or degree. One-third of all cohort members had earned a bachelor’s or higher degree by 2012.
Report:
Aligning Aid with Enrollment: Interim Findings on Aid Like A Paycheck
(MDRC)
Most colleges distribute financial aid refund amounts to students in one or two
lump sums during the term. Aid Like A Paycheck is a study of an alternative
approach, in which financial aid refunds are disbursed biweekly, with the goal
of helping students stretch their financial aid (including federal Pell Grants,
state aid, and loans) to cover expenses throughout the term. MDRC is conducting
a mixed-methods study of biweekly disbursements at two community colleges in
the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas. The study includes qualitative
research on the program’s implementation and a randomized controlled trial to rigorously
estimate the impacts of the policy on students’ academic and financial
outcomes.
Looking
Under the Hood (New America)
In the latest post in a blog series about inequalities in higher education,
Kelly Rosinger discusses how colleges might mitigate educational inequity and
promote upward mobility.
Health-Reform
Principles That Can Cross Party Lines (Wall Street Journal)
Experts don’t always agree—but eight found common ground despite other differences. They write: "While we have differing perspectives about the level and
structure of Medicaid funding, we all believe that carefully developed state
testing can be a primary engine for reforming Medicaid and providing care to
low-income families. The improved use of waivers, for example, can help states
develop fiscally sound and affordable coverage options for their most
vulnerable citizens."
What's
a better forum for making health policy: Congress or reality TV? (Iowa
City Press-Citizen)
When asked last week to present a “brave idea” about health policy, University
of Iowa Provost Sue Curry decided to cross the line from straight analysis into
satire. “Let’s have a reality TV show — ‘Write that Bill!’ — to craft health
legislation: emphasis on health and not just on insurance and sick care,” she
said.
Exploring
Quality Measures Under Value-Based Purchasing Models
(RevCycle Intelligence)
At Xtelligent Media’s Value-Based Care Summit, an industry expert addressed the
key components of quality measures for value-based purchasing success.