Education

The debate over charter schools shows few signs of receding as a central component in the discussion about improving U.S. public education. While proponents see charter schools as a vital source of innovation in public education, opponents feel they are largely ineffective and operate at the expense of large numbers of students. To complicate matters, previous research about the impact of charter schools on student achievement has uncovered mixed results.

In the United States the summer job has long been thought of as a rite of passage for teenagers. However, a 2010 study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests that youth seasonal employment has been steadily declining since 2001, long before the 2007-2008 recession.

Retaining college graduates is widely thought to be an important part of how cities and regions maintain their competitive edge — the theory is that more educated workers means greater human capital, which leads to economic growth. Although data has been compiled on educational attainment by many states and regions, there has not been sustained research on the impact that colleges and universities have.

The issue: Gaps in student achievement often fit familiar patterns. Children from wealthy families generally perform better on tests than students from poorer families; white students tend to do better than black or Hispanic students.