NEWS & OPINIONS
Breakthrough 2019’s Education Panel – Building Student Networks
The first step in the Success Sequence is to get a good education. On Wednesday, September 11, attendees at Breakthrough 2019 heard from an outstanding panel describing how schooling is key to expanding opportunities for the impoverished in Atlanta and across Georgia....
Recapping an amazing Breakthrough 2019!
On Wednesday, September 11, nearly 200 community leaders, nonprofit practitioners, business people, and concerned citizens gathered at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta for one unifying purpose: To find solutions that restore dignity and hope to the most...
Education designed for everyone and every learning need
Every day we are greeted by options—from the many products available through local grocery stores to the millions of apps available on smartphones. So, why would we expect anything different in education? As Georgia’s schoolchildren head back to class this month, it’s...
Foster families in Georgia need better educational options—here’s how to help them
Gina McCarn will be the first to tell you that being a foster parent is tough. But well worth the effort. The trouble is, not everyone sees and acknowledges the sacrifices that foster families make. Take the world of education, for example. One of Gina’s foster sons,...
The impact of healthcare costs on upward mobility
For high-income individuals and families, a visit to a doctor’s office is a financial non-event. They typically have robust health insurance to cover the out-of-pocket costs, and their co-pays are low and easily affordable. But for poor and even middle-income families...
Some food for thought as kids head back to school
Many Georgia students return to the classroom this month. For most, the last days before school begins are an exciting time to squeeze in that last bit of summer fun and get stocked up on school supplies. But for students in poverty, a new school year often brings...
Government healthcare benefits create another welfare cliff that hurts the poor
Imagine being a worker on government assistance because your job doesn’t quite meet your bills. Then, finally, you get that raise to put you over the top and relieve some stress. The one catch: You lose assistance needed for things like health insurance. Now, you...
Expanding Medicaid is not enough to help middle class families in Georgia
Some in Georgia are pushing for a full expansion of Medicaid. As the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) team has outlined before, this step would do more harm than good for low-income Georgia families. But there’s another narrative unfolding that tends to not get...
The health care crisis is debilitating for those in poverty
The high cost of quality health care is a debilitating expense
for low-income and poverty-stricken families. In order to enable as many Georgians as
possible to achieve the Success Sequence, we must enact meaningful health care
insurance reform now.
GCO releases new reports describing the best path forward for Georgia’s federal healthcare waivers
Today, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has released two new reports detailing precisely how the Georgia governor and lawmakers should enact federal healthcare waivers that will reform a healthcare system disproportionately impacting the poor. In What Does an...
Join GCO In Sharing Your Inspirational Family Photos
The kids are on summer break and the parents are looking to make the most of the time together. What do you do? Family road trip? Go to the park for a barbecue? Head out to the local ballpark and catch a game? Family Activities Equals Family Values Whatever you do...
Best-selling author Tim Carney offers insights on America’s economic, cultural problems
America is in an economic and cultural crisis, as millions lack the tools that make a fulfilling life: A great education, stable job, and healthy relationships. The chief question, of course, is how to best connect our neighbors with opportunities that lead to a...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Results are in: Georgians want school choice
The mandate from Georgia voters is clear—by an overwhelming margin, they want lawmakers in the General Assembly to pass legislation expanding school choice in 2019. That’s the finding of a new poll released by the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO). The survey found...
GCO poll: Nearly 70 percent of Georgia voters want the legislature to pass school choice legislation in 2019
Peachtree Corners—A new poll released by the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has found that a significant majority of likely Georgia voters—to the tune of 68 percent—support school choice for families across the state. Ahead of the 2019 legislative session,...
Poll: School choice growing in popularity
A new poll from Education Next shows a surge in support for educational choice programs nationwide. Across the board, support is up for publicly funded school-choice scholarships, tax-credit scholarships, and public charter schools. And not only is public support for...
Buzz Brockway joins GCO as VP of Public Policy
PEACHTREE CORNERS – On Tuesday, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) announced that Buzz Brockway, an outgoing state representative from Lawrenceville, has joined the group’s executive leadership team as Vice President of Public Policy. Since being elected to the...
2018 Georgia Legislator Scorecard on School Choice Now Available
When it comes to expanding educational choice for all students and families in Georgia, our state has a lot to celebrate this year. During the last legislative session, lawmakers took some crucial strides to help kids trapped in failing schools or stuck in classrooms...
GCO releases report card grading lawmakers on school choice support
33 state lawmakers recognized for outstanding support of school choice in 2018 PEACHTREE CORNERS – On Wednesday, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) released their 2018 Legislator Report Card, a scorecard recognizing state lawmakers according to their voting...
GCO welcomes Bill Rodgers as VP of new Employment Division
PEACHTREE CORNERS – On Wednesday, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) announced that Bill Rodgers, a seasoned C-level business executive with experience as a key leader of Fortune 500 companies like Johnson Controls and Waste Management, would oversee the...
Gwinnett Daily Post covers GCO event aimed at increasing college completion rates
Last week, the Georgia Center for Opportunity partnered with the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia to host “Staying the Course in College”—a half-day community conversation at Gwinnett Technical College on the importance of completing college. Check out more...