by Collin Hitt The head of New York City’s schools is leaving after eight largely successful years. Replacing Joel Klein as Chacellor – that’s what they call their superintendent in NYC – will be publishing exec Cathie Black. During Klein’s tenure, the percentage of poor fourth graders scoring as proficient in reading on the Nation’s Report Card...
by Dan Proft Amid the contentious debate as to how we improve public education in America, there is one reality to which all parties subscribe: there is no substitute for a quality teacher in the classroom. The scholarship on teacher quality is clear. It is the most important school-related factor in student achievement. Some studies...
by Wesley Fox The Institute has previously put the spotlight on excessive salaries for Illinois state employees, but now it appears federal employees are also being paid quite generously. According to USAToday the number of federal employees earning $150,000 or more has grown tenfold since 2005. In 2010, approximately 82,034 federal workers earned $150,000 or more, compared to only 7,420...
Fact: The percentage of students who transfer out of charter schools is roughly half that of the neighborhood public schools which charter students would likely otherwise attend. Charter schools are a new kind of public school, attended solely by choice. They must take all comers, irrespective of past performance in school or on tests. Through...
by Wesley Fox While many experts are trying to interpret the results of the election in Illinois, they might have an easier time determining the people’s views on taxes. In this year’s election there were dozens of referenda on the ballot asking voters if they support or oppose local sales and/or property tax increases. Of the...
by Wesley Fox According to the Rockford Register Star, Illinois will soon have to pay interest charges on the $2.2 billion it borrowed from the federal government. Illinois took out the loan to help pay out unemployment benefits after the state unemployment fund ran dry. Beginning on January 1st, the federal government will begin charging interest...
by Kate Piercy The city of Chicago has just approved 6 million dollars in tax increment financing (TIF) for Accretive Health Inc. “to pay for job training and the build-out costs” of a new facility, which will be located at 231 South LaSalle Street. By law, TIFs are intended to promote economic development in blighted areas,...
by Ashley Muchow Mercatus Center Research Fellow, Matthew Mitchell, has charted the impact united U.S. governments have had on spending under political combinations dating back to 1953. Over the past two years, a united U.S. government has reached average annual spending levels beyond any that of any administration in the history of the United States. Since the Obama administration...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Between September 2008 and August 2010, the Northfield Township High School District 225 received a $107,126 grant “to install a solar thermal energy system at Glenbrook High School at the new diving pool and athletic facility.” The grant (#09-022004) was part of the state’s Solar and Wind Energy Rebate Program, which is meant “to encourage utilization...
Problem Chicago’s “open enrollment” high schools that have struggled for decades—graduation rates hover in the fifties, test scores rank far below national averages, and less than 6 percent of students earn a college degree. It is these schools that reform efforts have focused upon and often failed. It is in this light that Chicago parents...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Since 2000, Chicago’s city budget has increased 11% (adjusted for inflation). Spending reforms are needed to ensure the long-term health of city finances, but it appears that Mayor Daley would rather continue depleting the city’s reserves. Failing to make tough spending cuts today will only make the situation worse down the road. The Chicago Tribune reports: The...
All across the country, from federal races to local races, the national mood and resulting election wave dominated and largely prevailed. In Illinois, that same wave only flowed for the federal races, not the General Assembly or governor’s race. Mark Kirk won President Obama’s Senate seat, and there were four GOP pickups in the House...
The Problem The World Shooting and Recreation Complex (WSRC) in Sparta, Illinois was completed in 2006 at a construction cost of $31.5 million (as well as another $18 million for road, water, and sewer improvement). The 1,600-acre facility includes 746 RV campsites, 120 trap shooting fields, and a 34,000 square foot events center. The state-funded...
by Dan Proft I do not think government functionaries should set private sector salaries or that U.S. policymakers should be adorned with the appellation properly reserved for Russian autocrats. But, if I did not believe in free markets and free minds, NBA Commissioner David Stern would be my choice for “Pay Czar.” Stern is in the...