NEWS & OPINIONS
Gov’t. check can’t beat work’s dignity | AJC
Jobs provide dignity and purpose to people’s lives and contribute to community flourishing in ways that can’t be measured by monthly employment reports.
Help From Where You Least Expect It
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t find a better job; I might have to go back [to prison].” Two months out of prison, Ray (name changed for anonymity) was explaining to me that he had reached the end of his rope. He had been struggling to find work that...
Origins of the Georgia Center for Opportunity: Why we choose to focus on work
You’ve probably heard that if you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day—but if you teach him to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime. And while the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) mission to alleviate poverty by removing barriers to human flourishing is grounded in...
BETTER WORK adds direct-to-business job applications
Working to more quickly connect our communities to work. In efforts to better address the needs of the unemployed in our communities, we have taken an evolving learning approach to how we support those in need. Not only are we looking to learn from those in need, but...
Connecting the Presence of an Honored Father
Kenneth Braswell of Father’s Incorporated was recently honored on OWN’s Spotlight Celebrating Black Fatherhood. It brought back a positive memory of the dad event (The Dad Factor: Presence) hosted by the Georgia Center for Opportunity, where fathers and father’s to be...
Putting Georgia’s employment numbers in perspective
Is there any reason not to cheer? Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in May. Here are three reasons why this looks good for Georgia. First, the unemployment rate is declining, giving optimism that the economy is bouncing back from the pandemic....
Still celebrating my father!
A celebration of fathers. Since Father’s Day is upon us, I am sure many of you are thinking about the presence or lack thereof your father in your life. Hopefully some of you are thinking about the father that you are or want to become. No matter where you land, take...
5 Ways to Impress an Employer (Soup to Nuts)
5 Ways to Impress an Employer (Soup to Nuts) Let’s pretend you’re getting ready for an interview. You’re probably wondering what you should wear and whether you should prepare to shake hands or fist bump in the post-COVID world. You may even be practicing eye contact...
Origins of the Georgia Center for Opportunity: Why we choose to focus on healthy families
As an organization whose mission is to alleviate poverty in communities across Georgia, we are sometimes asked why we choose to focus on healthy families. After all, some of the most contentious flash points in our culture today center on the divergent views Americans...
Get Buzz’d Heads to Austin for the Heritage Foundation’s Resource Bank Conference
Get Buzz'd in Austin, Texas at the Heritage Foundation Resource Bank Conference Buzz Brockway and Eric Cochling talk about their experience at the Resource Bank Conference.
New Opportunities Open Up For Kids With Special Needs
Helping Marginalized Students Access Quality Education Mountain Area Christian Academy recently celebrated the passage of the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Expansion bill, also known as SB 47. After Governor Kemp signed SB 47 into law, Mountain Area Christian...
Q&A with Hire Dynamics on challenges of hiring in 2021
April’s nonfarm payroll numbers came in at 266,000, well below the 1 million people forecasters estimated would be hired that month. The low number wasn’t because there were a lack of jobs. There were 8.1 million open positions at the end of March. And it wasn’t due...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion
Georgia lawmaker Jodi Lott has a quick and easy answer for why she supports school choice. “Because it already exists,” the Republican state representative told The Lion. “School choice exists every single day for the wealthy. Sadly, most Democrats and some...
Georgia Senate committee advances school-choice bill | The Center Square
The Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee has advanced legislation that would allow Georgians to put taxpayer money toward the cost of private school tuition. Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Educational Freedom Act, would create state-funded Promise Scholarships...
Could guaranteed basic income replace the welfare system? | Daily Citizen News
Georgia is the latest state to experiment with something called a “guaranteed basic income.” It will be interesting to see if these pilot projects can avoid the same pitfalls as the welfare system they’re intended to supplement — and might be better off simply...
Resilience and Equity | Saporta Report
The challenges of the last two year have impacted all of us. From social injustices to racial inequality and COVID, our communities are suffering. We have also seen great acts of heroism with our front-line workers who have continued to serve our communities. A common...
The Water Tower will soon make Gwinnett County a hub for water innovation and research | Gwinnett Daily Post
Gwinnett County’s new center for water-related research and innovation development is close to opening its doors after years of planning and construction. The Water Tower property in Buford is set to welcome tenants in March, and officials from the center and Gwinnett...
Public policy expert explains education voucher bills | Access WDUN
Two bills proposed in the Georgia state legislature, House Bill 60 and 999, would give selected families a $6,000 subsidy to apply towards homeschooling, private school tuition or tutors. However, some parents and educators think that these bills will divert money...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Appreciating Republican response to COVID | Independent Advocate
All Iowans can appreciate the work done by the Republican government in the recovery from the pandemic. As long ago as last September, Iowa had the third quickest rate of recovery from Covid-19 in the United States. Last month, the Georgia Center for Opportunity...
New Research: School Students Lag Behind in Literacy Almost Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic
New research brief shows that elementary school students lag behind in literacy almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic The mid-school-year assessment concluded that students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade are the furthest behind compared to their...
