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December 18 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis

Talent shortage a bigger threat to software industry than the fiscal cliff?

Here in Microsoft’s backyard, we’ve heard this story for a while. Today Investors Business Daily leads with the tale of the tech talent shortage. The big challenge facing the U.S. software industry might not be the economy, looming fiscal cliff or growing competition. First things first — the companies are begging for qualified job candidates. […]

December 18 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis

Gov. Gregoire proposes new taxes in final budget release

Gov. Chris Gregoire offered her final biennial budget proposal this morning. In addition to required “current revenues” proposal – one that doesn’t rely on new taxes – she presents a plan to make the billion-dollar downpayment on the increased public school funding required by the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. From the governor’s press release: […]

November 19 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis

From fiscal cliff to affordable care act, plenty of post-election unfinished business

Remember when elections settled things? OK, I don’t either. But there’s more than the usual clutter of unresolved issues on the agenda this year. The Los Angeles Times has a nice roundup of the states of health care, as more Republican governors opt not to set up the state exchanges prescribed by the Affordable Care […]

November 01 , 2012 - Emily Makings

Charter Schools and Low-Performing Students

In an October 2012 preliminary working paper, Ron Zimmer of Vanderbilt and Cassandra Guarino of Indiana University consider whether public charter schools “push out” low-performing students. The idea is that charter schools might try to improve their performance by “educating fewer challenging students.” But, as the authors say, “the claim of ‘pushing out’ low-achieving students […]

October 19 , 2012 - Emily Makings

Charter Schools: Flexibility, Variety, Accountability

This week Partnership for Learning, along with UW’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, released “Examining Charters: How public charter schools can work in Washington state.” The report should be useful for voters as they decide whether to approve Initiative 1240, which would allow a limited number of public charter schools in Washington. (Our policy brief […]

October 03 , 2012 - Emily Makings

New Brief: Initiative 1240: Improving Education Options with Charter Schools

Initiative 1240, if approved by voters, would allow 40 public charter schools over five years. Charter schools are noncontroversial nationally (41 states allow them), and they would provide parents and students in Washington an additional public school option. Our policy brief on I-1240 is available here.

September 06 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom

How school funding affects state average scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress

In this post I present some charts relating education outcomes to per-student funding for public schools at the state level. The outcome measures I use are statewide average scores on various tests taken by students as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is a program of the U.S. Department of Education’s […]

August 14 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis

"Brainpower is spreading out:" More cities attracting the college educated

In the New Geography, Joel Kotkin reports that America’s college graduates are increasingly found outside the dominant metro areas. …The New York Times recently opined that “college graduates gravitate to places with many other college graduates and the atmosphere that creates.” Yet an analysis of Census data shared with Forbes by demographer Wendell Cox tells a different story. […]

July 17 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis

State budget sustainability and Medicaid … hard times (still) ahead

A new report from the State Budget Crisis Task Force, headed by Richard Ravitch and Paul Volcker, points to deep sustainability problems for state governments long after the economy recovers (may that day come swiftly). From the Wall Street Journal: Rising pension and health-care costs are hampering states’ efforts to improve infrastructure and provide college […]