I read an exchange on Twitter yesterday between Maggie Severns, an education reporter at Politico, and CJ Libassi, a researcher at the Education Policy Initiative, an organization committed to “applied, policy-relevant research for improved educational outcomes.” They were discussing my recent piece about Obama’s record on school integration. I was struck in particular by this […]
Blog: TAPPED
Posted inWorking in America
How the NLRB Just Radically Changed Labor Relations
Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board finally released its much-anticipated decision on a case that sets a new paradigm for labor relations and will likely send ripples through the workforce, particularly in the contracting and franchise sectors of the economy. “The decision today could be one of the more significant by the NLRB in the […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
What the Federal Poverty Line Leaves Out
The federal poverty line was first developed in 1963, and since then has been updated for inflation. Beyond the fact that it does not vary by geography (it’s a lot more expensive to live in New York City than in Tennessee), there are a number of flaws in the measurement. For instance, it was calculated […]
Posted inCivil Rights in America
How Domestic-Worker Activists Helped Fight Jim Crow
From the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, to Ava DuVernay’s award-winning movie Selma, to #BlackLivesMatter activists who have refused to stay silent in the face of racial injustice, there has been no shortage of civil rights remembrances this year. And yet, there’s plenty about the struggle for racial justice many of us are […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Sanders Unveils Women’s Rights Policy Initiatives
Last week, I wrote about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s lack of policy proposals regarding women’s rights. Over the weekend, the campaign updated its website to include several new policy initiatives. Sanders’s new plan for fighting for women’s rights is expansive, and the most detailed in the Democratic field. If elected president, Sanders would only […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Conan O’Brien Wants to Help Lincoln Chafee’s Campaign
Here at the Prospect, we had intended to be your No. 1 place for Lincoln Chafee news. You know, Lincoln Chafee, the former Rhode Island governor (and former Republican) who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination? If we’ve been neglecting our duties, it’s only because, well, it wasn’t clear anyone actually wanted to read […]
Posted inEducation in America
Unionized Charter Teachers in Chicago Reject Merit Pay
Last week, unionized teachers at three schools operated by Civitas-a subsidiary of the Chicago International Charter School network-negotiated a new contract that no longer has merit pay in it. This means 31 out of 32 unionized Chicago charter schools have now rejected merit pay. And the one unionized charter that still has it-Rudy Lozano Leadership […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
O’Malley Joins Sanders in Calling for Public Campaign Finance
Yesterday, Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley added a new plank to his campaign platform: public campaign financing for congressional elections within five years. The former Maryland governor had previously supported a public-funding model in his state and had hinted on the campaign trail that he would come out with a substantive policy on the federal […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
Grassroots Coalition Pushes the Fed to Support a Real Recovery
If the Fed’s upcoming decision on whether to hike interest rates seems a little beyond your reach, you’re not alone. But economist Robert Reich wants to change that-and so does a growing group of activists, union leaders, and policy experts. Together with the Center for Popular Democracy, the AFL-CIO, and two dozen other unions and […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Surprise! White, Wealthy (Mostly Male) Elites Are Bankrolling the Campaigns
The American political system has been steadily shifting from democracy to, as former President Jimmy Carter calls it, an “oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.” According to a recent big story from The New York Times, less than 130 families and their businesses account for more than half of the political contributions to Republican contenders and […]
