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The second initiative is a re-launch of a “Broader, Bolder Approach to Education,” a group which first started in 2008 and has pushed for more comprehensive, “whole-child” strategies for educating students in poverty that was meant to be a counter-force to the “no-excuses” strategy, which tended to focus on reforms related to the teaching profession. Leaders of the group say there is new momentum for their policy agenda, including passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act which requires states and districts to judge schools’ success on a broader set of metrics than test scores.
Education Week February 25, 2016 -
To put that into perspective, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that the typical three-person household in Longmont, Colorado should set aside $66,000 a year to cover annual necessities, including housing, food, child care, transportation, healthcare, other necessities, and taxes.
Business Insider February 25, 2016 -
The last two years haven’t really fixed that: Overall between 2007 and 2015, low-wage occupations grew as a share of the labor market by 0.6 percent, middle-wage occupations shrank by 4 percent, and high-wage occupations grew by 0.3 percent. And people are still mostly making less money than they were before the recession: Median wages for low and middle-earning occupations sank 1.5 and 1.8 percent respectively, according to a breakdown by the Economic Policy Institute’s Dave Cooper. “We don’t think there’s evidence of any major shifts in the composition of jobs in recent years that’s different from the longer-term trends,” Cooper wrote in an email. “And consequently, changes in the composition of the workforce should not be used to explain the broader wage trends – there’s been poor wage growth across the board due to overall weakness in the labor market.”
The Washington Post February 24, 2016 -
For a number of years, a national campaign called the Broader Bolder Approach to Education has been working to better the conditions that limit many children’s readiness to learn. A project of the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, Broader Bolder has long recognized that the impact of social and economic disadvantage on many schools and students is profound and can’t be alleviated with academic “accountability” systems. Now, with a new K-12 federal education law taking effect, the campaign is relaunching with new leaders and an expanded mission. Here is a post about what 21st Century school reform should look like to really even the education playing field, as reflected in the Broader Bolder Approach’s new mission. It was written by Elaine Weiss, the program’s national coordinator.
The Washington Post February 24, 2016 -
A report from the Economic Policy Institute in 2005 studied the workforce qualifications in early-childhood education and found a decline in the percentage of the field’s teachers and administrators with college degrees—from 43 percent in 1983-1985 to 30 percent in 2002-2004—because of low wages and benefits.
Education Week February 24, 2016 -
“There are a significant number of young people who need opportunities to increase their education levels, gain access to the labor market,” said Valerie Wilson, director of the program on race, ethnicity and the economy at the Economic Policy Institute. “They’re important to the economy, to this country. Demographics are changing, people of color are making up a larger share of the population and labor force. We cannot afford to ignore or overlook this part of the population.”
CNBC February 24, 2016 -
For African-Americans, the unemployment rate was lowest in Virginia (6.7 percent) and highest in Illinois (13.1 percent) during the fourth quarter of 2015, based on an analysis of Labor Department data by the Economic Policy Institute. That meant the lowest black state-level unemployment rate in the country was the same as the highest state jobless rate for white workers (6.7 percent in West Virginia).
CNBC February 24, 2016 -
According to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute, the black unemployment rate was at or below its pre-recession levels in only nine states by the end of last year.
The causes are not explained by educational differences. As another EPI report showed, African-Americans have nearly twice the same unemployment rates for similarly educated whites.
Seattle Times February 24, 2016 -
The lowest state jobless rate for black workers in the country matches the highest rate for white workers in a new analysis. At 6.7%, Virginia’s black unemployment rate was the lowest in the nation in the fourth quarter. That rate happens to be the same as the jobless rate for white workers in West Virginia, the worst in the country, according to a report from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. The report, released this month, found that while unemployment rates have fallen across much of the country and the national unemployment rate is now half of its recession-era peak, only a handful of states have seen meaningful improvement in the labor market for African-American and Latino workers. And conditions vary greatly from state to state.
Wall Street Journal February 23, 2016 -
The Broader, Bolder Approach to Education is re-launching today with new co-chairs, a new advisory board and an expanded mission statement. BBA wanted the refresh and a more expanded policy agenda in the wake of ESSA’s passage. The advocacy group first launched seven years ago with a policy agenda that emphasized poverty as at the root of disparities in education. That agenda was embraced by teachers unions and traditional public school advocates while earning criticism from reformers. The relaunch event starts at 8:30 a.m. ET at the Capitol Visitors Center. More details on the group’s broader policy agenda.
Politico February 23, 2016 -
Of course, corporate bigwigs have always been handsomely rewarded. But in the past generation, average pay for CEOs at American’s largest companies has leaped nearly six fold, from $2.8 million a year in 1989 to $16.3 million today, according the Economic Policy Institute. Exactly why this has happened is a matter of some debate, even among experts. Arguments range from corporate self-dealing to the just rewards for talent in a free-market system.
But that doesn’t exactly mean boards have turned back the clock. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the typical CEO made about 58 times the average worker in 1989. By 2014 it had climbed to more than 300 times.
Time Magazine February 23, 2016 -
When whites without college degrees look back, they can often remember fathers who were sustained by the booming industrial economy of postwar America. Since then, however, the industrial job market has slowed significantly. The hourly wages of male high school graduates declined by 14 percent from 1973 to 2012, according to analysis of data from the Economic Policy Institute. Although high school educated white women haven’t experienced the same major reversal of the job market, they may look at their husbands—or, if they are single, to the men they choose not to marry—and reason that life was better when they were growing up.
The New York Times February 22, 2016 -
To cope with income loss, most reported falling back on personal savings—and in a sign of how the income erosion has cascading effects for the whole economy, nearly half took on credit-card debt, a quarter borrowed from friends, and 7 percent tapped into public assistance. This is happening in an economy in which regular wage theft for traditional workers is already tremendous; one analysis by the Economic Policy Institute found that more than $930 million were formally recovered for wage-theft victims over the course of 2012 alone, not counting cases of wage disputes that were never legally resolved.
The Nation February 22, 2016 -
David Cooper, an economic analyst for the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., told The Associated Press that while wage increases are generally a good thing, he does have some hesitations about the regional approach included in Oregon’s legislation. “I think any time you create these sorts of somewhat arbitrary geographic districts, that’s when you can create opportunities for some sort of economic disruption,” he said. “I would prefer the whole state got to the same wage level but at a slower pace by region so that everyone is held to the same standard.”
Christian Science Monitor February 22, 2016 -
Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, a union-backed think tank, described the economic situation as a breach of trust where average Americans have languished while wealth continues to be accumulated by the rich. “People have lost faith in government,” he said. “People feel it’s not working for them.”
Los Angeles Times February 22, 2016 -
Since the White House set out to define the challenge two years ago, there’s been little progress in closing the economic divide for American families — let alone the political divide over the government’s role in closing that gap. Never mind a consensus on the impact and effectiveness of specific policy solutions. “There are broad policies that could move things in the right direction because of where people are situated and certain types of jobs — like raising the minimum wage, creating policies that will ensure sustainable employment,” said Valerie Wilson, director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy. “But there are also policies that are being eroded like affirmative action in higher education admissions.”
CNBC February 22, 2016 -
EPI chart cited.
The Week February 22, 2016 -
“It’s surely true that the economy ‘feels’ less healthy to lots of people than a 4.9% unemployment rate suggests,” said Josh Bivens, research and policy director at left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. He pointed out that the Department of Labor has six different measures to figure out how the US labor market is doing. It’s usually the media and the policymakers that focus on that one particular figure, he said. “There is no perfect way to measure the labor market slack and the headline unemployment rate is looking rosier than some other indicators now, but this doesn’t mean it’s a flawed measure or that something else is the ‘real’ rate,” Bivens said.
The Guardian February 22, 2016 -
A new analysis points out that the lowest black jobless rate of any state during the fourth quarter of 2015 – 6.7 percent in Virginia – was equal to the highest white unemployment rate, in West Virginia. In many states, the jobless rate for African Americans is still at or near double digits, and in 20 states, including California, the rate is at least double that for whites, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Sacramento Bee February 22, 2016 -
White U.S. workers have almost five times the wealth in retirement accounts as black workers, the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute said in a post on Thursday. EPI argues that the country’s move to 401(k) retirement accounts is exacerbating that wealth gap because they provide tax shelters for existing savings and don’t necessarily encourage retirement savings. More from EPI’s Monique Morrissey.
Politico February 22, 2016 -
Claims by both Trump and Sanders that free trade has cost millions of American jobs are also misleading. Jobs are lost and jobs are created. The Economic Policy Institute says that our free trade agreement with South Korea has eliminated 75,000 jobs over three years. NAFTA, our agreement with Canada and Mexico, has cost 682,900 American jobs over 20 years, according to the institute.
Albuquerque Journal February 22, 2016 -
Note to conservatives: Want to know the best way to find savings in government assistance programs? Here’s a hint—it’s not by cutting nutrition assistance to working people who are struggling. It’s by paying them fairly for their labor. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute indicates that raising the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020 would lift wages for more than 35 million workers nationwide and generate about $17 billion annually in savings to government assistance programs. This report shouldn’t come as a surprise. In contrast to the stereotypes and lies about people with low incomes, the reality is that a majority of public-assistance recipients either have a job or have an immediate family member who is working. In fact, 41.2 million working Americans—or 30 percent of the workforce—receive means-tested public assistance. Nearly half of them work full-time.
The Nation February 19, 2016 -
From 1992 to 2014, compensation per executive in the limited-deductibility categories rose more rapidly—by about 650 percent, to $8.2 million from $1.1 million—than compensation in categories such as stock options and incentive pay that aren’t subject to deductibility limits. The latter rose by about 350 percent, to $4.4 million from $970,000. “That’s powerful,” Steven Balsam, a leading academic expert on executive compensation practices, said when told what our study showed. Balsam is a professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business who published a 2012 study on the deduction cap for the Economic Policy Institute. “At best, 162(m) has had a marginal effect,” he said. “It hasn’t had a major impact.”
Pacific Standard February 19, 2016 -
Those minimums would dethrone Massachusetts – where the statewide rate will climb to $11 an hour next year – from the top spot, according to D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute, which has been tracking wage increases across the nation.
David Cooper, an economic analyst the Economic Policy Institute, said he applauds the Oregon Legislature for its creative tiered approach, but did express hesitation. “I think any time you create these sorts of somewhat arbitrary geographic districts, that’s when you can create opportunities for some sort of economic disruption,” he said. “I would prefer the whole state got to the same wage level but at a slower pace by region so that everyone is held to the same standard.”
Associated Press February 18, 2016 -
He said repeatedly that he decided to run only after lobbying Florida’s congressional delegation to vote against fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a corporate-friendly free trade agreement that the Economic Policy Institute argues will depress wages and accelerate the decline in U.S. manufacturing.
Al Jazeera America February 17, 2016 -
That gap grew significantly as the economy recovered in the four years after the Great Recession, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, which said the highest earning taxpayers captured an “alarming share of the economic growth” over that time. Between 2009 and 2012 in New Jersey, the top 1 percent had a 26.4 percent boost in pay while the remaining 99 percent saw their income increase 1.4 percent. Although the percentages varied from state to state, the report shows a “rapid growth” of the 1 percent in those years.
NJ.com February 17, 2016 -
To help us, The Fix caught up with Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. Rothstein and his colleague, Leila Morsy, a lecturer at the University of New South Wales in New Zealand, released a report in June that really should sit on some kind of recommended national reading list. The report compressed down decades of research on the short- and long-term effects of lead exposure. And there is really only way to summarize it: The truth is both alarming and extremely revealing. This is not joyful reading, folks. But it is important.
The Washington Post February 16, 2016 -
In Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Assn., many court watchers had expected Scalia to deliver the deciding vote against unions, limiting their ability to collect membership dues and other fees. Without Scalia, a 4-4 split is considered likely. That would maintain the status quo — a huge win for unions, at least for now. Though union opponents could mount a new case, that would probably take at least another year, said Jeffrey H. Keefe, a research associate at the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute. “So the conflict shifts to President Obama’s ability to appoint a replacement or who will win the presidential election,” Keefe said.
Los Angeles Times February 16, 2016 -
The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute last year found that 51.3% of black and 36.1% Hispanic high school graduates, age 17 to 20, were underemployed. That means they either don’t have a job, aren’t working as many hours as they would like or aren’t currently looking for work but would like a job.
CNN February 16, 2016 -
While the U.S. labor market showed healthy gains in 2015, jobs didn’t sprout equally across states, while among Americans some groups benefited more than others from the decline in unemployment. In the final quarter of 2015, the lowest unemployment rate for African-Americans, 6.7 percent in Virginia, was equal to the highest white unemployment rate (6.7 percent in West Virginia), according to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
CBS Moneywatch February 16, 2016