NEWS & OPINIONS
Will Work for Happiness
America was founded on the principle that people should have the opportunity to flourish, to live out their dreams - to be happy. Our country’s forefathers cherished this important truth so much they included it in the United States’ Declaration of Independence....
Georgia’s Failing Future
“Children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and education is a very important weapon to prepare children for their future roles as leaders of the community.” – Nelson Mandela The Georgia Department of Labor recently released a list of the state’s chronically...
Was Trump and Clinton’s Campaign Silence Regarding Family Fragmentation Golden?
In a recent project spearheaded by the Center of the American Experiment, Georgia Center for Opportunity's President and CEO, Randy Hicks, tackled the one topic even politicians and religious leaders are shying away from - family fragmentation. The written symposium...
It’s the End of Session, Will Legislators Help Struggling Students?
A large majority of Georgians support expanding school choice in the state, including more than 80 percent of African-Americans and Latinos. The numbers are astounding, and for good reasons. Georgia’s students continue to struggle in national measures of academic...
ESAs Could Ease Overcrowding in Georgia Public Schools
Education savings accounts could help Georgia lawmakers ease overcrowding in public schools, an ongoing challenge for some school districts. Legislators are considering bills that would allow students to use an account to choose how and where they learn, modeled after...
Choosing Between Family or Welfare Benefits
We know that to avoid poverty, it is essential to get a high school diploma, maintain a steady job, and marry before having children (see research from the Brookings Institution and Harvard University on these points). Not only are they key to avoiding poverty, upward...
Disappearing Act: How an Entire Class is Fading From America
While lower, middle and upperclass can be defined in various ways, a State of the States report, defined lower class as those who did not complete high school; middle class (or moderately-educated, as referred to in the report) as those who graduated high school but...
National Marriage Week – Celebrating the Indispensable Institution
National Marriage Week will be celebrated next week, just in time for Valentine's Day. The celebration is now in its eighth year and seeks to foster collaboration around the country to "strengthen individual marriages, reduce the divorce rate, and build a culture that...
Trending Today USA with Rusty Humphries: GCO’s Jamie Lord Discusses School Choice
GCO's Director of Government Affairs discusses school choice in Georgia with Rusty Humphries, host of Trending Today USA. For more information visit Georgia Parents Alliance or learn more through the GCO website.
New Report From Mississippi Finds High Levels of Satisfaction for ESA Families
Research evidence loves company. Consistent findings from different populations mean the results are less likely to be an accident and more likely to demonstrate a trend. A new report from Mississippi finds that parents using education savings accounts report high...
Private School Scholarships Save Money for Georgia Taxpayers
New research from EdChoice finds that Georgia’s scholarships for K-12 private school students have saved the state between $12 million and $85 million since 2011. Nearly two-dozen states have similar tax credit scholarship programs that allow individuals or businesses...
Be Careful What You Ask For
In 1952, Patrick Skene Catling wrote The Chocolate Touch, a retelling of the King Midas fable that reminds us we can have too much of a good thing. In Catling’s story, the main character finds that everything he eats turns to chocolate (with King Midas, everything he...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Georgia groups push Kemp for virtual-learning microgrants | WALKER COUNTY MESSENGER
ATLANTA - Several groups are pressing Gov. Brian Kemp to start divvying out small federal grant funds aimed at helping families pay for school supplies, child care and other expenses while their children are taking online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In...
Georgia groups push Kemp for virtual-learning microgrants | MDJ ONLINE
ATLANTA - Several groups are pressing Gov. Brian Kemp to start divvying out small federal grant funds aimed at helping families pay for school supplies, child care and other expenses while their children are taking online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In...
Less than half of Georgians approve of how Trump, Kemp have responded to COVID-19 | 11 Alive News
A new, exclusive 11Alive News/SurveyUSA Poll finds that if a coronavirus vaccine is developed, a full one-third of Georgians are not likely to take it. While there is a consensus across the state that the nation has done a poor job at controlling the spread of the...
Nonprofits face funding shortages, increase demands amid COVID-19 | The Center Square
Nonprofit organizations in Georgia are facing higher demands for services but decreases in revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey found. According to a June survey by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN), 90 percent of nonprofit organizations that...
Leaders React to Passing of Georgia Congressman John Lewis | All On Georgia
Civil rights icon and Georgia Congressman John Lewis passed away Friday at the age of 80. He was the last of the Big Six civil rights activists led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and so congressional congressional colleagues, civil rights leaders, and individuals...
City of Savannah creates new task force to help formerly incarcerated community members | WJCL
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s newest task force is focusing on welcoming those who have previously been in prison back into the Savannah community and helping them become productive members of society. It’s called Advocates for Restorative Communities...
Criminal record expungement bill clears Georgia House | The Center Square
A bill that would increase the number of criminal records that can be sealed was approved unanimously Wednesday by the Georgia House. Senate Bill 288 would allow certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify for expungement. The legislation is "an important...
Criminal record expungement bill clears Georgia House | Marietta Daily Journal
A bill that would increase the number of criminal records that can be sealed was approved unanimously Wednesday by the Georgia House. Senate Bill 288 would allow certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify for expungement. The legislation is "an important...
