NEWS & OPINIONS
A “bullet-proof” school choice bill
Georgia lawmakers are poised to consider several bills that would make education savings accounts (ESAs) a reality for students in our state. ESAs empower families with the option of leaving their local public school and choosing an educational option that better fits...
Two major school choice bills to keep an eye on for the 2018 legislative session
With much ceremony, the Georgia General Assembly kicked off the 2018 legislative session last week. Thanks to election-year buzz, candidates have fueled talk of big education reforms that could see needed movement. Because this session is expected to fly by, we have...
GCO advice on increasing employment gets hearing in D.C.
In the post below, Executive Vice President Eric Cochling talks about a recent visit with leaders in Washington D.C. and how GCO's work is being noticed on Capitol Hill. I have to admit that last week was a tiring whirlwind of activity, but it turned out to be a...
Another study confirms Georgians want more choice in education
As lawmakers prepare to head back to the Capitol in January, Georgians have now received a glimpse of some issues that might move the needle in the 2018 election cycle. A new study released by the Georgia College Department of Government and Sociology finds that...
Show some love: The Angel Tree program is about more than gifts
The Christmas season is often marked by joy, but for many children with incarcerated parents, the holidays can be a painful reminder of their mom or dad’s absence. The Georgia Center for Opportunity is committed to building healthy family relationships and enabling...
Georgia’s 3 largest counties show need for the Success Sequence
Georgia Center for Opportunity focuses policy reform efforts around the success sequence. Research shows that those who graduate from high school, get a job, get married, and have kids (in that order) are less likely to end up in poverty. In fact, only 2 percent who...
SOLD OUT!
Studies show that couples who spend quality time together stay together. That’s why 75 couples in the Norcross and Peachtree Corners area have decided to take an evening to invest in their relationship by attending the Healthy Family Initiative’s date night event,...
Exploring Healthy Relationships with Online Classes
Many years ago we began laying the groundwork for the Healthy Families Initiative (HFI), and two years ago we kicked off a public campaign to change the hearts and minds of those in the Norcross and Peachtree Corners areas. Your support, partnerships, and prayers have...
Advocating for innovation, Steve Jobs championed school choice
Earlier this month, Apple made waves by introducing the iPhone 10. Since being unveiled, the updated smartphone and several other new products have received praise as the latest credit to Steve Jobs’ tech legacy. Years following his death, Americans still remember the...
Georgia Center for Opportunity announced as finalist for Atlas Network’s prestigious Templeton Freedom Award
Amid growing acknowledgment for efforts to reduce prison recidivism rates in Georgia, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has been named as a finalist for the highly competitive Atlas Network Templeton Freedom Award. The honor recognizes GCO for recent efforts to...
Getting non-working men working again in Georgia
In the coming decades, could so-called “middle skills” jobs be a key factor in reversing the contemporary epidemic of non-working males in the U.S.? There is reason to hope the answer is a resounding yes. A phenomenon thoroughly documented by the American Enterprise...
GCO’s Healthy Families Initiative announces #FatherhoodFriday: Celebrating the joy of being a dad
Being a dad is one of the greatest challenges in life, but it often gets overlooked. Though the everyday joys of being a father are overshadowed in pop culture by fast-paced news and Hollywood gossip, that doesn't mean celebrity dads aren't talking about how their...
MEDIA MENTIONS
New legislation would expand school-choice opportunities for Georgia parents | THE CENTER SQUARE
A Georgia lawmaker has proposed legislation that would provide more education choices for parents by allowing public education funds to be used for private school tuition. The Georgia Educational Scholarship Act, introduced by Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-Woodstock, would...
Private school vouchers back on the state legislative agenda | AJC
Pandemic precautions have set the stage for an unusual legislative session, but one thing hasn’t changed: the years-long feud over public funding of private education in Georgia. For several years, some lawmakers have pushed to spend more state money on private...
Investment’s key to Ga.’s economic mobility | AJC
Over the last decade, Georgia has experienced remarkable progress in developing our transportation and infrastructure network. We stabilized our roads and bridges in 2015 with HB170, regional transit systems in 2018, and invested over $300 million in state money in...
Warnock, Ossoff win: Ga. Democrats flip the U.S. Senate | Rome News-Tribune
ATLANTA — Democrats have captured both of Georgia’s seats in the U.S. Senate for the first time in nearly 20 years, a momentous feat that gives the party control of Congress and the White House. Beyond the cash and cameos, Democratic operatives in Georgia also managed...
Criminal records expungement expansion in Georgia takes effect Jan. 1 | The Moultrie Observer
Millions of Georgians will start the new year with a second chance. A new law that increases the number of criminal records that can be sealed takes effect Friday. The law, the result of Senate Bill 288, allows certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify...
Criminal records expungement expansion in Georgia takes effect Jan. 1 | The Center Square
Millions of Georgians will start the new year with a second chance. A new law that increases the number of criminal records that can be sealed takes effect Friday. The law, the result of Senate Bill 288, allows certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify...
Nonprofit organization offering free job training to Columbus residents | WTVM-9
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - As many continue to deal with unemployment, a local nonprofit has created a program to help people wanting to get back to work. Under the Hiring Well, Doing Good program, the Georgia Center for Opportunity is offering something free...
The Working-Class Welfare Trap: How Policy Penalizes Marriage | NONPERELE
Our tax and welfare policies often penalize marriage, trapping too many people in poverty. ...Not surprisingly, these penalties seem to play a role in fueling working-class Americans’ retreat from marriage that we have seen play out over the past three decades. In...
