by Georgia Center for Opportunity | May 4, 2017
“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 failing public schools, which are schools that have received an F for three consecutive years on the College and Career Ready Performance Index.
More than 87,000 Georgia students are currently impacted by one of the 153 failing schools on the list. Failing schools equal failing students, and Georgia’s children deserve much better.
Georgia’s overall education data doesn’t provide much of a silver lining. Sixty-six percent of Georgia’s fourth graders are reading below proficiency, which means they cannot read at grade level. The data only gets more grim as grade levels increase – among eighth graders 70 percent are below proficiency in reading. In math, fourth graders are 65 percent below proficiency and eighth graders are 82 percent below proficiency.
A quality education is paramount to success as an adult. Research from the Brookings Institution shows that “those who finish high school, work full time, and marry before having children are virtually guaranteed a place in the middle class.” The report goes on to say that “only about two percent of this group ends up in poverty. Conversely, about three-fourths of those who have done none of these three things are poor in any given year.” Statistics like these also affect the future of our state and nation’s economy, as students today are in the military and workforce tomorrow.
Georgia Center for Opportunity recognizes this crisis and injustice to our students and continues to fight for expanded school choice options for students. Empowering parents with the opportunity to choose the high-quality education that best fits their children’s learning needs is the only way to get children away from failing schools immediately.
For more information about school choice options and educational savings account, which are currently being considered by the Georgia legislature, visit foropportunity.org/esa/.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 24, 2017
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 “Was Trump and Clinton’s Campaign Silence Regarding Family Fragmentation Golden?” is a collaboration of thirty writers answering two questions.
1. “Was Trump and Clinton’s campaign silence regarding family fragmentation golden?
2. Or was it leaden, especially when it comes to reducing poverty, improving education, and reversing crime?”
Click here to see the full essay.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jan 25, 2017
Jamie Lord, GCO’s Director of Government Affairs, has been on the air waves discussing the benefits of school choice with the team at The Morning Show with Bill and Joel.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Dec 1, 2015
I hope you will take a few minutes to watch the video below and learn more about Georgia’s founding and how it relates to our work at Georgia Center for Opportunity.
General James Edward Oglethorpe and the original Colonial Trustees founded the colony of Georgia with a commitment to opportunity and human dignity and even adopted the motto “Non sibi sed aliis” – “Not for self, but for others.” The history of Georgia, this land we call home, is rooted in that commitment. It arose out of a vision that was noble, inspired and inspiring.
At Georgia Center for Opportunity, our work is grounded in a similar vision – in our commitment to human dignity and opportunity, to the well-being of our neighbor. And while we want all Georgians to do well, we have focused much of our efforts on what Oglethorpe called “the distressed” – those Georgians whose prospects for social and economic well-being are sparse.
We’re committed to breaking through social and economic barriers so that Georgia children and families have a real chance to prosper. We want to see people moved from dependency to self-sufficiency, which we believe to be the key to living a life that can be rightly described as “flourishing.”
That’s why we work on the issues of education, employment, and family stability. We’ve found, and research shows, that when people are successful in these three areas, they are much more likely to avoid poverty, lead fulfilling lives and realize their full potential.
If you share our commitment to human dignity and opportunity, please consider investing in our mission today.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jul 1, 2015
Thank you to the generous donors who helped us reach our most recent fundraising goal of $80,000, unlocking an additional $80,000 in matching funds to support Georgia Center for Opportunity. These funds are already being used to promote family stability, access to quality education, and steady employment.
As we close out our fiscal year and look to the year ahead, we count our blessings for all who choose to invest in our work. With your support, GCO is influencing the key pillars to the well-being of Georgians – education, employment, and family stability. We’re focused on the “success cycle,” where these three pillars work together to dramatically increase the odds that an individual will lead a fulfilling life, avoid poverty and government dependency, and raise children who will follow the same path.
When we’re successful, fewer Georgians will be living in a condition of dependence, a higher percentage will be enjoying earned success and the fruits of their labor, more children will be ready for college and a career, and more families will have the economic and relational resources to thrive.
We look forward your continued partnership in the year ahead. You can stay informed on the impact of your gifts by subscribing to GCO email updates and following us on Facebook.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 20, 2015
The John Jay Institute and Georgia Center for Opportunity co-hosted a lecture held at Whitefield Academy in Mableton, GA, last Thursday titled “C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Great War.” The lecture was given by Dr. Joseph Loconte, an Associate Professor of History at The King’s College in New York.
In his lecture, Dr. Loconte brilliantly demonstrates how the Great War (WWI) shaped both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien’s outlook on the world, who were both soldiers in the war and experienced the horror of the deadliest conflict known to man up to that era. He reveals how the war’s impact can be seen in these author’s extraordinary works of literature, drawing from examples in the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings to highlight ways in which the authors weave in themes of friendship, noble sacrifice, the corruption of power, and the necessity of grace to overcome the power of evil.
Of special interest is the way in which these two men’s close friendship impacted their writing and set them apart from other writers and poets of their day, a number of whom became disillusioned by the evils they saw in the world. Lewis and Tolkien’s works provide an air of hope amid the sad reality of war and suffering, which stemmed from their belief in the redemption that is still to come.
Watch the lecture here:
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Great War – Part I
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Great War – Part II
Image credit:
https://www.gospelherald.com/articles/51973/20140721/j-r-r-tolkien-and-c-s-lewis-friendship-documented-in-new-easter-film.htm (featured image)
https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/CS_Lewis_and_JRR_Tolkien_page2 (in the post)
