Research Archive

April 3, 2024

School Absenteeism Has Become A Big Problem. But We Can Do Something About It.

Chronic absenteeism has become a pressing challenge for the nation’s schools. The stories are ubiquitous, featuring headlines like last week’s New York Times’s front-pager “Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’ Almost Everywhere.” In Alaska, 43% of students were chronically absent in 2022-23 (meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year). In Oregon, the figure was 38%; in Nevada, 35%….

By Frederick M. Hess

April 3, 2024

Feds Should Take a Big Step Back on Student Loans

The federal student loan program has gone off the rails. What was first designed as a program to alleviate the liquidity problem students face when paying for college is now an out-of-control entitlement program that rewards students for spending as much as possible on higher education, causing tuition costs to skyrocket in turn. Biden’s reforms…

By Beth Akers

March 28, 2024

Federal Student Lending is Beyond Repair

The integrity of the federal student loan program has been in precipitous decline since early 2020, when then-President Trump responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by putting a pause on student loan repayment. In retrospect, that move was the first domino to fall in a string of policy changes, culminating in the implementation of President Biden’s…

By Beth Akers

March 28, 2024

An Early Look at the Child Tax Credit Changes in the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024

Abstract The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which the US House of Representatives passed on January 31, 2024, and the Senate is now considering, would make important changes to the child tax credit (CTC) if enacted. The legislation would increase CTC payments for families with lower earnings, apply a one-year…

By Kevin Corinth | Scott Winship

March 27, 2024

Market-oriented Reform Principles and Policies that Would Help the Housing Market

Introduction: In this election year, Congress and the President are feeling the urge to help Americans affected by rising housing affordability pressures across the country. With the status-quo untenable, Congress and the President are itching to address housing affordability, availability, and other community needs. Before springing into action, our leaders need to first establish clear…

By Tobias Peter | Edward J. Pinto

March 27, 2024

Perspectives on Place-Based Policy: Strategies for Workforce and Economic Development

Read the full pdf.

By Stan Veuger | Anthony F. Pipa | A.J. Rodriguez

March 21, 2024

Sugary Beverage Consumption Among SNAP Recipients

The House Agriculture Committee recently failed to pass an appropriations bill that would have authorized a pilot program to test whether nutrition-based restrictions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could improve health outcomes for low-income households. This is just the latest rejection by Washington policymakers of proposals designed to improve nutritional outcomes for SNAP…

By Angela Rachidi | Thomas O'Rourke

March 21, 2024

Three Principles for Conservative Early-Childhood Policy

Key Points Read the full pdf.

By Frederick M. Hess | Michael Q. McShane

March 19, 2024

Federal housing assistance shrinks as rental prices, homelessness reach historic highs

By Kevin Corinth

March 19, 2024

Conservatives Distrust Higher Ed—But Still Need Degrees

Ideological opposition to “woke” colleges and universities could harm conservatives and rural communities. American’s faith in our colleges and universities has seen a marked decline in recent years, with the percentage of adults who say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the institutions of higher education plunging from 57 percent to…

By Brent Orrell | David Veldran