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February 6, 2025

The 10th Annual American Family Survey: Opportunities and Obstacles to a Broad-Based Political Coalition for Families

Event Summary On February 6, Chris Karpowitz and Jeremy Pope of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy presented research findings from the 10th annual American Family Survey. Dr. Karpowitz examined how families across the political spectrum behave in similar manners. Whether Democrat or Republican, parents take pride in raising children. The survey…

February 6, 2025

High Costs, Uneven Value: Repairing The Federal Role in Postsecondary Education

The higher education system suffers from many problems, including excessive costs,low completion rates, uneven financial value for students, and high rates of student loannonpayment. Federal government policies unintentionally exacerbate many of these issues,as taxpayers’ considerable investment in higher education comes with few quality controlsor accountability to ensure that colleges and universities are delivering on their…

February 4, 2025

The Family First Act Would Expand Net Income Tax Refunds to Higher Income Families

Some pro-family conservatives are rallying around Rep. Blake Moore’s (R-UT) Family First Act. Relative to a clean extension of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the bill would cost an additional $575 billion over the next decade in order to increase the generosity of tax breaks targeted at families with children. The bill would lead over half of tax filers…

February 4, 2025

Snip, Snip: Spending Cuts Are Coming 

Republicans’ agenda of cutting taxes and increasing spending on their policy priorities depends significantly on identifying productive spending reductions. But just cutting spending will not be enough. Republicans must also explain how their tax and spending cuts will result in better outcomes for all Americans. The federal debt has exploded to $36 trillion and annual…

February 3, 2025

Legislators Want to Give Tens of Millions of Free Lunches to Students Who Don’t Need Them

Wisconsin state legislators recently introduced a series of bills to help working families across the state. Among these proposals is one that calls for providing free breakfast and lunch for all schoolchildren. At first glance, the initiative seems straightforward and compassionate — after all, who would oppose ensuring children have enough to eat? However, a closer look…

January 30, 2025

American Greatness Depends on Strong Families

President Trump signaled his commitment to making America “greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before” in his important Inaugural Address last week. Crucially, Trump made a personal commitment to fight for parents and their dreams for their children. Meanwhile, Vice President Vance declared at last week’s March for Life it was “the task of our government to…

January 29, 2025

How State Governments Can Fight Degree Inflation

Key Points Executive Summary State governments have significantly exacerbated the phenomenon of degree inflation, where jobs increasingly require college degrees that were not previously necessary. State hiring practices and stringent occupational licensing laws perpetuate this trend. These policies restrict access to various professions, create labor shortages, and reduce the return to a college education for…

January 24, 2025

Testing Theories of Why: Four Keys to Interpreting US Student Achievement Trends

Key Points Read the PDF. Executive Summary Although national test scores provide clear evidence on student achievement across time, they do not illuminate what is driving gains or losses. Nonetheless, careful examination of test scores can corroborate some explanations for changes in student achievement and discount others. This report examines recent trends in US student…

January 24, 2025

The Targeting of Place-Based Policies: The New Markets Tax Credit Versus Opportunity Zones

Abstract For a place-based policy to succeed, it must target the right areas—typically those with lower economic development and resident well-being. The U.S. has two major place-based tax policies: the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC), where government-approved entities select investments, and Opportunity Zones (OZs), where private investors choose projects. Despite underlying design differences, both target…