NEWS & OPINIONS
Press Release on the U.S. Senate’s Social Services Expansion
PEACHTREE CORNERS—The U.S. Senate approved an entirely partisan reconciliation bill of at least $3.5 trillion that irresponsibly includes the biggest expansion of social services. In his own words, Senate Budget Commit- tee Chairman Bernie Sanders said the budget...
Inflation’s Growing Problem: A warning shot for Congress
The inflation rate in July—as measured by the seasonally-adjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI)—abated somewhat from June's rate, increasing at 0.5% instead of 0.9%. But don’t cheer too much yet. This is known by economists as disinflation, not deflation. The rate came...
Why Mentoring Matters
As I write this, I can think of a handful of people who have impacted my life over the years. I consider these individuals to be mentors whether or not the relationship was a formal mentoring one, and I know I wouldn’t be the person I am without their influence. They...
U.S. House Appropriations Committee Voted to Cut Charter Schools Program Funding
Lawmakers Stifle Learning The U.S. House Appropriations Committee recently voted to cut $40 million from the federal Charter Schools Program, in addition to placing new burdensome restrictions on how charter schools operate. In response, the Georgia Center for...
The Value of Family
Importance of Family At GCO, the impact area of Family, we always need volunteers. Since we devote much of our time and efforts to family, we enjoy hearing what about family inspires people to volunteer. Eda Beacham is a current volunteer for GCO and we wanted to...
Improve Your Life with a Growth Mindset
Learning keeps you growing Most people agree that learning is important. I’m just not sure we understand how important it really is. I can still remember as a child believing that I needed to know everything or people wouldn’t think I was smart and capable. I hear...
A renewed reason to celebrate this Fourth of July
This year we celebrated our country and one of its biggest values...family. For many the Fourth of July is more than just a celebration of our country’s birth—it is an opportunity to gather with family. An opportunity to connect and celebrate together. It feels like...
GCO Testifies Before U.S. House On Benefits Cliffs
Examining the SNAP Benefit Cliff On July 12, 2021, Eric Randolph, GCO’s Director of Research, testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations about how welfare programs often hurt the very people they are...
Promote Purchasing Power—Not the Minimum Wage
How to help working families the most During a focus group session on working class families we recently conducted at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, Jazmine* made an observation more perceptive than most experts. Our focus group consisted of working-class...
Gov’t. check can’t beat work’s dignity | AJC
Jobs provide dignity and purpose to people’s lives and contribute to community flourishing in ways that can’t be measured by monthly employment reports.
Help From Where You Least Expect It
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t find a better job; I might have to go back [to prison].” Two months out of prison, Ray (name changed for anonymity) was explaining to me that he had reached the end of his rope. He had been struggling to find work that...
Origins of the Georgia Center for Opportunity: Why we choose to focus on work
You’ve probably heard that if you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day—but if you teach him to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime. And while the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) mission to alleviate poverty by removing barriers to human flourishing is grounded in...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Why Our Justice System Is Making More Criminals Than Preventing & Ways to Reform w/ Joshua Crawford
On this Heard Tell Good Talks our guest is Joshua Crawford, Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at the Georgia Center for Opportunity talk about how our criminal justice system is making more criminals than it is preventing.
Report: Charter school enrollment increases in Georgia
More Georgia students are attending charter schools, while enrollment at public schools is declining, according to a new report. New figures from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools show that Georgia experienced a roughly 4.9% increase in charter...
New national study shows America’s gun epidemic is more deadly than ever
A new national study commissioned by the Journal of American Medical Association shows America’s gun violence epidemic is more deadly than ever. The study analyzes data from 1990-2021 and provides context into the gender and racial disparities of gun violence in that...
New national study shows America’s gun epidemic is more deadly than ever
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A new national study commissioned by the Journal of American Medical Association shows America’s gun violence epidemic is more deadly than ever. The study analyzes data from 1990-2021 and provides context into the gender and racial disparities...
Report gives Georgia high marks for economic freedom
“This is another report that reinforces Georgia’s place in the country as a freedom leader, especially during the pandemic and now in post-pandemic life,” Erik Randolph, director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a release.
Report gives Georgia high marks for economic freedom
“This is another report that reinforces Georgia’s place in the country as a freedom leader, especially during the pandemic and now in post-pandemic life,” Erik Randolph, director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a release.
How to turn back the tide of violent crime
And the people bearing the brunt of those policy choices come from our most vulnerable communities where violent crime not only cuts lives short but significantly reduces economic mobility.
Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average
Georgia officials said Thursday the state’s October unemployment rate remained lower than the national rate, news that follows a new finding that nearly half a million Georgians have dropped out of the workforce.
