I came across this helpful chart from the OECD, which plots inequality over time for both the US and the 34-country OECD average: It really deserves pointing out that people are not lying when they remark that the United States is a high-inequality society. If we had enough political will, this could easily be changed,… Continue reading United States inequality relative to OECD inequality
Author: Matt Bruenig
United States income taxes still relatively low
The OECD released some information about income taxes for 2011. It’s hard to know how interesting the information is because all the spreadsheet links in the release are broken. Nonetheless, the release provides this chart, which compares income taxes in the United States to income taxes in the rest of the 34-country OECD: These numbers… Continue reading United States income taxes still relatively low
Explosive for-profit school report details horrific exploitation
Senator Harkin completed a massive report on the state of for-profit schools in the United States titled For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success. The New York Times and the Washington Post both have coverage. There are so many terrible things going on in for-profit schools that… Continue reading Explosive for-profit school report details horrific exploitation
Necessary and sufficient conditions for improving educational achievement of poor kids
In my last post, I wrote about how education reformers basically dodge the poverty question altogether. Here is a more technical way to think about that discussion. Thus far the entire education reform debate has been centered on arguing for and against this claim: poverty reduction is a necessary condition for improving educational achievement among… Continue reading Necessary and sufficient conditions for improving educational achievement of poor kids
The disgusting and depressing poverty dodge
Joe Nocera has a new piece out in the NY Times titled Addressing Poverty in Schools, outlining the work of Dr. Pamela Cantor, a psychiatrist. Cantor has come to realize what other research has shown already: poverty imposes significant stress on poor kids, and makes it difficult for them to do well in school. According… Continue reading The disgusting and depressing poverty dodge