Progressive state and local governments strive to build economies that create jobs, boost incomes, foster educational opportunity and strengthen government’s fiscal base. With continued congressional gridlock, the progressive agenda for these laboratories of democracy is more important than ever. Maryland Governor and former Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley discusses how states can secure the middle class and promote new and shared prosperity.
Read MoreHow can New York sustain and build on positive changes in public education while fixing what isn’t working in our schools? Council Speaker Quinn discusses her views on building a 21st century school system, including innovations for educational improvement to make sure every child graduates high school ready for college and a good job.
Read MoreNew York City’s system of high school choice is the largest in the nation, with students bidding for placement among hundreds of schools. The goal was to let students escape low-performing neighborhood schools, allowing them to compete for a spot in up to 12 schools anywhere in the city. Today, 80 percent of participating students get one of their top five picks. But placement of the city’s most vulnerable students remains controversial.
Read MoreA conversation with Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, on turning around struggling public schools and boosting community collaboration. How will educators, parents and the city respond to the state fiscal crisis? And what is the future of school accountability in New York City?
Read MoreThe Bloomberg administration has introduced a radical new system of school management, giving principals more freedom in exchange for the promise of better test scores and graduation rates. Crucial to this are new test-based accountability systems, which focus attention on struggling learners. But the traditional oversight by superintendents is gone. Does this strategy build better schools?
Read MoreAccording to advocates, families of at least 1 in 5 New York City children still rely on soup kitchens and food pantries, despite free school breakfast and subsidized school lunches. President Obama pledged to end child hunger in the US by 2015, and the reauthorization of the federal Child Nutrition Act is expected by September.
Read MoreLike New York, most states face deepening budget gaps and are slashing education and human services. Nationwide, states pour $50 billion a year into incarceration. New York led the way in expanding its prison system more than 25 years ago; should it lead the way in the other direction today? Will the federal government take a new approach to criminal justice in an Obama administration?
Read MoreNew York City’s public schools are held accountable for their students’ educational progress. But what happens when problems at home hold students back, or when young children aren’t coming to school? Could the city create a school-based safety net in the lowest-income neighborhoods?
Read MoreWhen Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office one of his top priorities was to repair the city’s ailing public schools. The state gave him control of the school system five years ago and must soon decide whether to extend that power to future administrations. Are the schools more accountable today? Students and teachers more successful?
Read MoreA fast-growing number of people receiving government-funded developmental disabilities services in New York are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. And in city schools, the number of pupils with autism has increased 72 percent in only five years. How are government, service providers, schools and parents responding?
Read MoreThe office of the governor is about to change hands for the first time in 12 years, likely representing a seismic shift—not just in ideology, but in management approaches, leadership styles and appointments. An in-depth discussion of the challenges facing New York in the areas of health care, affordable housing, public education and government reform.
Read MoreNew Yorkers' demand for low-cost English classes vastly outstrips supply. There are far fewer subsidized English classes for adults offered in New York City today than 16 years ago-despite the massive increase in the immigrant population and the fact that English speakers are much more likely to earn a living wage. What are the cultural and economic implications?
Read MoreHIV infection rates have declined in other high-risk populations, yet new HIV and AIDS cases among black women and Latinas in New York State have more than tripled in the last 15 years. Women of color now account for 85 percent of women in the state living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly half of the females newly infected with HIV are teens and most of the rest are women aged 20 to 24.
Read MoreNew York City has begun to revamp sex education in the public schools, creating a new health curriculum as well as an HIV/AIDS education program. Are the city schools doing all they can to prepare young New Yorkers for safe sexual lives? What do parents, students and teachers think of the changes? How is our city’s experience in keeping with national trends while bucking others?
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