At the 2010 Southern Virginia Bioenergy Conference, Virginia Tech and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will outline bioenergy research at their institutions. Afternoon sessions will focus on the process of moving the region from the planning stage to widespread implementation. Presentations include a discussion of ethanol production of Appomattox Bioenergy, mini-biorefineries, Piedmont Geriatric Hospital direct-firing strategies using warm season grasses, and combined heat and power projects of Western Virginia Water Authority. The Honorable Todd P. Haymore, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry has also been invited. 

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A survey of nearly 900 Internet stakeholders reveals fascinating new perspectives on the way the Internet is affecting human intelligence and the ways that information is being shared and rendered. “Three out of four experts said our use of the Internet enhances and augments human intelligence, and two-thirds said use of the Internet has improved reading, writing and rendering of knowledge,” said Janna Anderson, study co-author and director of the Imagining the Internet Center. “There are still many people, however, who are critics of the impact of Google, Wikipedia and other online tools.”
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The National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) are asking for public input for a new initiative intended to address the challenges of the 21st century. The initiative, which would be similar to the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering program, would help catalyze innovations to spur economic growth, encourage multidisciplinary collaborations and improve STEM education. Responses are needed to help identify specific challenges, potential partners and models for the program.
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In February 2010, the National Issues Forums (NIF) will be releasing new issue book materials titled America's Role in the World: What Does National Security Mean in the 21st Century? A limited supply of material packets will be available FREE to individuals or groups interested in hosting a deliberative community forum this spring.
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The global economic downturn should not obscure the unprecedented material progress that globalization has brought to the world in recent years. As the CATO Institute's Daniel Griswold argues in this excerpt from "Mad About Trade," perhaps the most important accomplishment of globalization has been the creation of a global middle class.
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LONDON: While there is a broad consensus about relative decline of the United States as a superpower, political commentators have debated about emerging political rivalries. A study of recent events, however, shows that instead of a straightforward bipolar or multipolar relationship, simultaneous cooperation and competition will be the likely template of relationships among the major powers—United States, China, the European Union, Russia, India and Brazil. The new pattern of fluid and ever-changing relationships between such powers will underscore the end of the uncontested global supremacy in economics, politics, military and culture that the United States has enjoyed since 1991.
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With sustainability and green energy set to play a critical role in the growth of our national economy, community colleges represent a way to meet the needs of local businesses and residents. Join experts and practitioners from the U.S. and Europe in Asheville in April to highlight expanded roles for colleges in educating students, businesses, and communities about and for economic opportunities in renewable energy, conservation, ecotourism, and local sustainable agriculture and manufacturing.
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Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits. Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed. Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives—potentially for years to come.
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The Development, Community, and Environment Division (DCED), known as the Smart Growth Program, in EPA’s Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation is seeking letters of interest from states, regions, and communities that want to develop in ways that reflect the principles of smart growth and meet environmental and other goals. EPA will provide technical assistance to successful applicants as described below. Eligible entities are tribal, local, regional, and state governments, and nonprofit organizations that have a demonstrated partnership with a governmental entity.
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Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college. The new system of high school coursework with the accompanying board examinations is modeled largely on systems in high-performing nations including Denmark, England, Finland, France and Singapore. High school students will begin the new coursework in the fall of 2011 in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The education commissioners of those states have pledged to sign up 10 to 20 schools each for the pilot project, and have begun to reach out to district superintendents.
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At many community colleges, students don’t get the support, like counseling and tutoring, they need to navigate through college successfully; often college staff are overburdened and students don’t know how to access the services that are available. Recent research from MDRC suggests that particular enhancements can lead to better use of student services and to modest improvements in academic outcomes.
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The number of students taking Advanced Placement tests hit a record high last year, but the portion who fail the exams—particularly in the South—is rising as well, a USA TODAY analysis finds. The findings about the failure rates raise questions about whether schools are pushing millions of students into AP courses without adequate preparation—and whether a race for higher standards means schools are not training enough teachers to deliver the high-level material.
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Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Siemens Foundation, College Board and Discovery Education, a division of Discovery Communications, LLC, to collaborate on a special program as part of new, nationwide education initiative that supports the Obama Administration's call to advance science literacy among American students. The program, called Siemens Teachers as Researchers (STARs), is a two-week, residential professional development program that will host 20 middle school and high school science and math teachers for short-term research experiences at ORNL. Applications to participate are being accepted now through March 1 and can be found on the website.
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Vivek Wadhwa recently discussed why women are so poorly represented in tech and other high-growth businesses in Boy's Club: The Dearth of Female Entrepreneurs. Wadhwa argues that the lack of female entrepreneurs is a societal failure, citing evidence that men and women entrepreneurs are similar in many respects, such as levels of education, work experience, and access to financing. “Given all the similarities in background and motivation for men and women entrepreneurs—and the fact that women now outnumber men in universities—we remain perplexed by the dearth of female startup executives,” said the author.
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The conference will be held at the Harrah’s Sheraton resort and the theme this year is “growing the regional bio-based economy” with great emphasis on the regional aspect of developing bio-based products and energy systems. This conference serves as a focal point to attract speakers from all over the country who represent new and emerging businesses in this industry as well as cutting edge research. It provides an excellent opportunity to network with other professionals and individuals with diverse backgrounds such as farming and energy producers. The conference is co-hosted by the Mississippi Biomass and Renewable Energy Council, Mississippi Technology Alliance – Strategic Biomass Solutions and Mississippi State University – Industrial Outreach Service. For more information and early registration, please contact Sumesh Arora at sarora@mta.ms.
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Ever since the autumn of 2008, when the financial crisis shook the world economy, it has been almost axiomatic that the downturn would have a serious impact on globalization. Headlines warned that a less-globalised world was around the corner. Now, with the economic data for the past year becoming available, the verdict is nuanced. Global integration has lost momentum in some areas, but picked up speed in others. Deceleration of globalization has hurt the developed West more than East Asia. And with the growth in mobile telephony in India and other parts of Asia and expanding bandwidth, the region seems set to increase, rather than slow, its integration with the rest of the world.
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It is easier to climb the social ladder and earn more than one’s parents in the Nordic countries, Australia and Canada than in France, Italy, Britain and the United States, according to a new OECD study. Intergenerational Social Mobility: a family affair? says weak social mobility can signal a lack of equal opportunities, constrain productivity and curb economic growth.
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Jack Rodman has cashed in on property busts from Los Angeles to Tokyo, buying and selling soured loans and counseling other investors. Now he's convinced the Beijing real estate market is about to tumble. Rodman figures about half of the city's commercial space is vacant, and to prove it he keeps a slide show of 55 empty office buildings in the Chinese capital on his computer. There are an additional dozen, he says, that he hasn't had time to photograph.
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Two years after the nation fell into the longest recession since the 1930s, states still are groping to find the bottom of this grueling fiscal crisis amid double-digit unemployment, historic revenue drops and predictions of at least a couple more years of eye-popping budget deficits. But equally critical at the troubled start of this decade is a need to pay attention to the choices lawmakers and voters are about to make that will affect states’ fiscal well-being in the long term. In State of the States 2010, the Pew Center on the States takes a nonpartisan, analytical look at forces already at work with the potential to reshape state government in lasting ways. Addressing “How the recession might change states,” the publication raises intriguing questions that have yet to play out.
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State lawmakers are holding onto payments owed to municipal governments and using the money to balance state books. Conflict between state and local governments is nothing new. But by holding money back, state officials are forcing their local counterparts to make even more difficult decisions about program cuts and tax increases. That has opened up a new gulf between the two levels of government and sparked lawsuits accusing state governments of improperly withholding money.
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The County Health Rankings—the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states—were released by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at a briefing in Washington, D.C and on www.countyhealthrankings.org. The 50 state reports help public health and community leaders, policy-makers, consumers and others to see how healthy their county is, compare it with others within their state and find ways to improve the health of their community. Each county is ranked within the state on how healthy people are and how long they live. They also are ranked on key factors that affect health such as: smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care providers, rates of high school graduation, rates of violent crime, air pollution levels, liquor store density, unemployment rates and number of children living in poverty.
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Most Americans believe that colleges today operate like businesses, concerned more with their bottom line than with the educational experience of students, according to a new study. And the proportion of people who hold that view has increased to 60 percent, from 52 percent in 2007.
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In The Harvard Business Review, the headlining breakthrough idea (out of ten) for 2010 is that what motivates “knowledge workers” the most is not recognition, incentives, interpersonal support, or clear goals. It’s a sense of progress. “On days when workers have the sense they're making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles,” the authors write, “their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak.” On the other hand, days when they spin their wheels or encounter roadblocks to meaningful accomplishment, their moods and motivation are lowest. The article is based on a multiyear study that tracked day-to-day activities, emotions, and motivation levels of hundreds of knowledge workers in a wide range of settings.
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The romantic Ozzie and Harriet-era notion of a worker spending a lifetime with a single employer and then retiring with the proverbial gold watch is just that—a romantic notion. Career jobs never existed for most workers, and still do not, according to a study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The study, in the January 2010 EBRI Notes, finds that the median tenure of workers—the midpoint of wage and salary workers’ length of employment in their current job—was virtually unchanged over the past 25 years: 5.1 years at the same job in 2008, compared with 5.0 years in 1983.
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President Barack Obama announced on February 3 three actions that the federal government is taking to boost U.S. biofuels production. The measures include: the final rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) of 36 billion gallons by 2022; a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its Biomass Crop Assistance Program, which provides financing to increase the production of biomass for bioenergy (see article below); and the release of Growing America's Fuel, the first report from the president's Biofuels Interagency Working Group. The report lays out a strategy to advance the development and commercialization of a sustainable biofuels industry.
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A national effort is getting under way to craft a set of “next generation” science standards for elementary and secondary education that are intended to reshape the focus and delivery of instruction across U.S. schools. The congressionally chartered National Research Council late last month convened for the first time a 16-member panel of experts here that has the task of devising a “conceptual framework” to guide the new standards.
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International patent filings fell by 4.5 percent in 2009 with sharper than average declines experienced by some industrialized countries and growth in a number of East Asian countries, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization. With 45,790 applications, the U.S. filing rate dropped 11.4 percent in 2009, but maintained its top ranking by filing just under a third of all international applications.
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Despite the G20's work at the London Summit in 2009, there is much to be done at the Korea Summit in 2010. Olivier Cattaneo explores whether policymakers have exhausted the margins of maneuver that made success possible—and that differentiated 2009 from 1929.
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The benefits of trade have been frequently noted by supporters of globalization. Jagdish Bhagwati recently stated that a half-billion people in India and China have been pulled out of poverty as a result of economic growth stemming from trade. Singapore’s Prime Minister has similarly cited his region’s “astonishing rise in prosperity” and its “more than doubling or even tripling of per capita GDPs” as “clear evidence of the benefits of free trade and globalization.” Both make the point that trade has been the key to the post-World War II explosion of world economic growth and the widening prosperity it has brought.
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The 1990s was “the age of abundance”, argued Brink Lindsey in a book of that title. Round the world, incomes were rising; capital markets were processing endless flows of money and investment; technological gains meant that ever more information was available ever more cheaply. The 2010s, it is sometimes said, will be an age of scarcity. The main problems of scarcity are water and food shortages, demographic change and state failure. How will that change politics?
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On February 18, the Brookings Institution will host a forum on partnerships between government and faith-based and neighborhood groups during President Obama’s first year in office. The event will focus on understanding what has been accomplished thus far. Discussion will also center on what will and should happen in this area over the rest of the president’s term. Panelists will include some of the country’s leading scholars and religious figures focused on examining partnerships with faith-based groups and other nonprofits.
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The two agencies in charge of awarding billions of dollars of stimulus grants for broadband projects announced Thursday, Jan. 7, the launch of BroadbandMatch. On BroadbandMatch, users can post a profile and search for similar partners. The Web site's aim is to bring together companies, nonprofits, state and local governments, and "expert" individuals who are interested in teaming together to apply for stimulus money. According to the Web site, it was launched in hopes of creating "a stronger, more creative applicant pool" for the $7.2 billion set aside from the stimulus. According to a Gartner analyst who spoke with Government Technology this week, only $182 million of that total has been awarded so far.
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Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2010 Benchmarking Report is an essential resource and tool for government officials, advocates, and those working to promote bicycling and walking. The Benchmarking Project is an on-going effort to collect and analyze data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities. The report is full of data tables and graphs so you can see how your state or city stacks up. Inside you will find unprecedented statistics to help support your case for increasing safe bicycling and walking in your community.
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Kentucky became the first state to adopt common academic standards that were drafted as part of a nationwide initiative to establish a widely shared and ambitious vision of student learning. With a unanimous vote, the Kentucky board of education approved the substitution of the common standards in mathematics and English/language arts for the state’s own standards in those two subjects. Then, in a rare joint session, the panel met in Frankfort with the two boards that oversee teacher licensure and public higher education in the state and adopted a resolution directing the staffs of all three agencies to begin incorporating the standards into their work.
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One of the major objectives of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to narrow the achievement gap among demographic subgroups of K-12 students. In NCLB’s implementation, the principal focus has been on minimum competency—of bringing a larger proportion of students to a basic level of educational achievement and closing achievement gaps. However, some observers believe the focus on minimum competency has come at a price. Although there has been a general improvement in academic performance, are achievement gaps shrinking at the highest levels of student achievement? A new report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University reviews national and state assessment data for the existence of “excellence gaps,” differences between subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement.
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Minority male students continue to face overwhelming barriers in educational attainment, notes a report released by the College Board. The report highlights some of the undeniable challenges among minority students, including a lack of role models, search for respect outside of education, loss of cultural memory, poverty challenges, language barriers, community pressures and a sense of a failing education system. In The Educational Crisis Facing Young Men of Color, the College Board gathered the insights and firsthand experiences of more than 60 scholars, practitioners and activists from the African American, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native American communities, based on a series of four one-day seminars called Dialogue Days, in which scholars, advocates and representatives from each community participated in a meaningful discussion to address the education needs of minority males.
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The South Carolina Engineering Cluster has published the January 2010 edition of its Company Directory. This directory is the largest source for information on the South Carolina Engineering Industry. The directory provides detailed information on providers of civil, mechanical, electrical, automation, environmental, safety, maintenance services and more. South Carolina Engineering Companies are also providers of "Green Engineering" and can make sure that your business is using the latest technologies for efficiency and sustainability requirements.
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A slate of nationally and internationally recognized speakers will provide the most up to date information on the energy economy. Exhibitors from the wide range of energy-related fields provide a valuable opportunity to network and establish resource relationships. Energy professionals, business leaders, policy shapers and key decision-makers gather at this conference from across the state and region. Those who attend the conference will hear from the top thinkers, policy makers and opinion shapers on the energy issues―from renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, emerging energy technologies, expansion of state and federal tax credits and uncertainty in the global energy markets.
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As the global recession took hold, all ventures regardless of their technology and stage of corporate development instituted capital conservation programs until the effects were better known. While the headlines were dominated by the loss of jobs on Wall Street and at large global enterprises like Dow and Dupont (not to mention BP deciding to restructure their alternative energy strategies), smaller next generation alternative and renewable energy companies were suffering the same effects. Companies like Codon Devices, GreenFuel, and VeraSun shut their doors or declared bankruptcy while high profile Tesla Motors laid people off and continued to reshuffle their executive team.
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After falling into a deep recession a year ago, the global economy has begun to recover, buoyed by extraordinary fiscal and monetary stimuli. Led by developing countries, the global expansion should continue in 2010; however, as financial systems remain considerably impaired around the globe, most countries will likely experience slow growth in the near future. Importantly, sustaining the nascent recovery will require stronger private consumption and investment as governments’ fiscal support fades. The risks to growth appear to be mostly on the downside, including financial fragility, rising unemployment, and increasing commodity prices.
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BCG has developed an analytical framework—the Global Advantage Diamond—for assessing a company’s current market position and devising strategies to achieve global competitive advantage. The Global Advantage Diamond differs from previous global-strategy models in its focus on all four aspects of global advantage: market access to reach new markets and segments, resource access to maximize competitive advantage, local adaptation to meet the full range of needs of RDE customers, and network coordination to capitalize on the business’s global reach.
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The tussle between Google and China is laying bare a strained relationship between China and the Western world that had previously been covered up by the financial crisis. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent speech on Internet freedom, though it did not specifically mention China, marked a shift for the US administration in emphasizing human rights. Western corporations are increasingly frustrated by the business climate in China due to lack of transparency, weak intellectual property rights, and a whole host of other grievances. This is not to mention the annoyance’s caused by China's perennial trade imbalances and artificially low currency. Beijing may be trying to create its own universe, where it can make all the rules. But it's not clear the rest of the world will accept.
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Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts, today announced the National Arts Index at a press conference held at the National Press Club and kicking-off its 50th anniversary year. The National Arts Index is the first study designed to measure the health and vitality of the arts industries in the United States. The National Arts Index is composed of 76 national-level research indicators produced by the federal government and private research organizations. The National Arts Index fell 4 points in 2008 to a score of 98.4, reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions, even as the number of arts organizations grew.
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Welfare rolls rose in 2009 for the first time in 15 years, but the 5% increase was dwarfed by spikes in the number of people receiving food stamps and unemployment insurance. The cash-assistance program that once helped more than 14 million people served an average of 4 million in the 2009 fiscal year, up from 3.8 million in fiscal 2008. By comparison, there were more than 37 million people receiving food stamps in September, an increase of 18% from the year before. The number receiving unemployment benefits more than doubled, to about 9.1 million.
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“This may be the most calamitous fiscal year states have known in decades,” reports Rob Gurwitt in Governing magazine, the 23-year old bible on coverage of state and local governance across the continent. And the coming fiscal year, experts are predicting, may be almost as grim as the states run out of budget gimmicks, rainy day funds and the infusion of federal stimulus money that helped them, finally, to balance their current budgets. The states’ cumulative 2010 and 2011 budget shortfalls may be about $350 billion–a third of a trillion dollars–estimates the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
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It’s no surprise, really, but it turns out Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates is a strong supporter of the open-courseware movement that has swept through higher education in the last few years. On a new web site that Gates launched this past week, he discusses some of his favorite sources for online lectures and other learning materials. He also offers his thoughts on education reform and a host of other topics.
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The four organizations that represent major education stakeholders within each state (the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association of State Boards of Education) collaborated in 2008 and 2009 to develop a jointly authored report, Accelerating the Agenda: Actions to Improve America’s High Schools, to help policymakers accelerate development of a college- and career-ready policy agenda. To help state legislators’ continued progress, NCSL has expanded the recommendations in that report to call attention to important legislative achievements and showcase innovative legislation that has the potential to dramatically improve high school performance and better prepare high school students for success in college and careers.
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College- and career-readiness has become a focal point in American education, but a new report by Education Sector finds that most high school accountability systems fail to recognize college- and career-ready goals. Many districts rate schools solely on graduation rates and on student scores on basic-skills tests in a single year. Some states have added end-of-course or graduation exams, but these are often stymied by lawsuits or devalued by near-universal pass rates after re-takes and alternate routes. The report looks at various measures some states are taking to remedy this by building "powerful new data systems that track student progress after high school into the workforce and college, allowing vital information to flow between K12, higher education, and workforce information systems."
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Governor Steve Beshear announced that Kentucky Space has received the official launch assignment from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its first satellite, KySat-1 on the Glory mission set to launch in November 2010. Kentucky Space is a nonprofit enterprise involved in designing and developing entrepreneurial and educational space platforms. It is a consortium involving the combined resources and capacity of the University of Kentucky, Morehead State University, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, The Kentucky Space Grant Consortium, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and Belcan. The managing partner and founder of the Kentucky Space consortium is the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. This week, NASA announced that it will launch small research satellites for several universities as part of the agency's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNA, mission. The satellites are manifested as an auxiliary payload on the Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA's Glory mission, planned for liftoff in late November.
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory invites universities to apply to compete in the fourth annual Global Venture Challenge to be held March 24-26. Global Venture Challenge 2010 is a unique educational event that brings together graduate student teams from across the country and around the world to present entrepreneurial ideas and to compete for significant cash prizes. The event also attracts venture investors and industry experts from across the country to serve as competition judges, and provides the opportunity for all participants to learn more about the emerging energy-related research being conducted at ORNL.
Read the news release here

Tennessee's governor and a gaggle of corporate and college officials will gather Friday in Vonore to christen the nation's first biorefinery dedicated to turning switchgrass into "grassoline." Officials hope the demonstration plant, which also uses corncobs as raw, non-edible material for making ethanol, will prove the process is economically and environmentally sound.
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Canadians and Americans do not have the same likelihood of climbing the income ladder and experiencing economic mobility, but not because of different underlying values or societal goals, according to new data released today by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project. Sons born to Canadian fathers in the bottom third of the earnings distribution are more likely to make it to the top half of the distribution in adulthood than are sons of comparably low-earning American fathers. Of those who start in the bottom decile, for instance, nearly 40 percent of Canadian sons move to the top half of the distribution compared to 30 percent of American sons.
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In response to the global financial crisis that began in 2007, governments worldwide are rethinking their approach to regulating financial institutions. Among the financial institutions that have fallen under the gaze of regulators have been private equity (PE) funds. There are many open questions regarding the economic impact of PE funds, many of which cannot be definitively answered until the aftermath of the buyout boom of the mid-2000s can be fully assessed. HBS professor Josh Lerner and coauthors address one of these open questions, by examining the impact of PE investments across 20 industries in 26 major nations between 1991 and 2007. In particular, they look at the relationship between the presence of PE investments and the growth rates of productivity, employment, and capital formation.
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As Americans were trying to shake off the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the consulting firm IHS/Global Insight recently delivered a bit of humbling news: China will surpass the United States as the world's leader in manufacturing by 2015. Critics of U.S. trade policy trumpeted the news as another sign that we are losing an economic war to China. But China's emergence as the world's top manufacturer is nothing to worry about. Manufacturing long ago ceased to be the chief benchmark of economic might and success. It is time we adjusted our economic and political thinking and understanding Americans will not stop making things. The IHS/Global Insight study projects that America's manufacturing, as measured in value-added terms, or the value of goods manufactured after subtracting the cost of imported inputs, will resume its growth after the recession and reach new highs.
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Susan Urahn, Managing Director of the Pew Center on the States, appeared on "PBS Newshour" to discuss the difficulties that many states are having in closing their budget gaps. She also covers the issues that states will face in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 as federal stimulus money disappears. View the entire video State Budgets Collapsing Under Poor Economy on the "PBS Newshour" Web site.
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The unemployment insurance system is in crisis due to a combination skyrocketing unemployment and-in some cases-poor planning. A record 20 million Americans collected unemployment benefits last year, and twenty-six states have run out of funds and been forced to borrow from the federal government, raise taxes, or cut benefits. In many other states the situation is deteriorating fast. Using near real-time data on state revenues and the benefits they pay out, we estimate how long state trust funds will hold up.
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Green affordable housing or affordable housing incorporating sustainable building practices and materials can provide significant financial and environmental benefits to residents over the long term. However, the upfront costs associated with green building can be higher when compared to regular building practices. To offset these development costs and promote green affordable housing, many state and local governments offer financial assistance in the form of tax credits, rebate programs, tax exemptions, and funding grants. In this article, we’ll take a look at some regulatory incentives adopted by state and local governments, such as lot size reductions, density bonuses, and expedited approvals.
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The most common way of measuring the achievement gap in a given school, district, or area is by simple subtraction: The performance of white students minus the performance of African-American students equals the gap. A new brief from the Education Trust suggests this formulation is misleading, and offers four ways to gain a more sophisticated, comprehensive, and accurate picture. Meaningful differences between states-as well as between districts and schools-emerge when assessing performance in these ways, and should be considered when evaluating how much state and local leaders have advanced academic equity to date, as well as their readiness to make additional progress.
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The priorities of some of the nation’s most prestigious public universities are undermining the goal of helping more low-income and minority students attend and succeed in college, says a new report from The Education Trust. The report, Opportunity Adrift: Our Flagship Universities Are Straying From Their Public Mission, examines how well the flagships are serving the student populations of their respective states. Public flagship and research universities spend millions of dollars every year subsidizing wealthy students who don’t need aid, while providing inadequate support to low-income and minority students who do, the report concludes.
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Because investing in education only pays off in the future, it is possible to underestimate the value and the importance of improvements. A new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) uses recent economic modeling to relate cognitive skills to economic growth, demonstrating that relatively small improvements to labor force skills can largely impact the future well-being of a nation. According to the report, a modest goal of all OECD countries boosting their average PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores by 25 points over the next 20 years would increase OECD gross domestic product by USD 115 trillion over the lifetime of the generation born in 2010.
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Commerce Secretary Gary Locke pointed to severe weaknesses with the US innovation system when he took part in a meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST) on January 7. “America simply doesn’t have an efficient system to take new ideas from government, academic and private-sector research labs and translate them into commercially-viable products and businesses,” Secretary Locke said. In terms of approaches to fixing these problems, Locke said that recent boosts to federal R&D spending by President Obama and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are not enough because much of the problem lies in inefficiencies in moving technologies from labs to the marketplace. Locke said the current attitude was: “If we fund it, the entrepreneurs and venture capitalists will come.” Learn more about ideas he thought were worth pursuing.
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Many other countries show clear trends toward rising happiness. Indeed, among the countries for which we have long-term data, 19 of the 26 countries show rising happiness levels. In several of these countries—India, Ireland, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South Korea—there are steeply rising trends. The other countries with rising trends are Argentina, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Three countries (the U.S., Switzerland and Norway) show flat trends from the earliest to latest available survey. Only four countries (Austria, Belgium, the U.K. and West Germany) show downward trends. Almost five times as many countries show rising trends as downward trends. Thus, even if we choose to read the U.S. data as flat rather than curvilinear, it cannot be taken as a universal model: happiness actually rose in most countries for which long-term data are available.
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The Baton Rouge Area Chamber has published two white papers on the need to adopt an innovation-based strategy for economic development. Both papers focus on the needed components of a statewide strategy: research and commercialization, entrepreneurship and workforce development, risk capital, and statewide coordination.
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Three years ago, when a task force of the congressionally chartered National Research Council issued influential recommendations for improving K-8 science education, it also made a pitch for introducing scientific study even before the start of formal schooling, with children as young as 4. Concerns about American students’ performance on international science tests and the supply of students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, fields, combined with the expansion of federal testing requirements to include science, have served in recent years only to heighten that call.
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While Chinese Web users on Thursday considered the prospect of life without Google, the issue, viewed from a Chinese perspective, seemed to boil down to this: Well-wishers who showed up to lay flowers and candles, in mock-mourning, at Google’s Beijing headquarters on Wednesday discovered that the flowers were promptly removed. A security guard from the neighborhood informed them that they would need to “apply for permits at the relevant department; otherwise they were conducting an ‘illegal flower tribute.’
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When and why do multinationals group together overseas? Do they agglomerate in the same fashion abroad as they do at home? An answer to these questions is central to the long-standing debate over the consequences of foreign direct investment (FDI). It is critical to understand interdependencies of multinational networks and how multinationals influence one another in their activities at home and overseas. HBS professor Laura Alfaro and George Washington University professor Maggie Chen examine the global network of multinationals and study the significance and causes of multinational agglomeration. Their results provide further evidence of the increasing separation of headquarters services and production activities within multinational firms. The differential specialization of headquarters and subsidiaries leads to distinct patterns of agglomeration.
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From Loch Striven in Scotland to the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia, more than a tenth of the vessels that transport the world’s manufactured goods in containers are idle. For most, orders to sail will not come for some time. Although world trade, which collapsed last year, is beginning to recover, driven by demand from developing countries, the recovery is being offset by added capacity in the large number of new container ships coming out of shipyard.
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By 2008, suburbs were home to the largest and fastest-growing poor population in the country. Between 2000 and 2008, suburbs in the country’s largest metro areas saw their poor population grow by 25 percent—almost five times faster than primary cities and well ahead of the growth seen in smaller metro areas and non-metropolitan communities. As a result, by 2008 large suburbs were home to 1.5 million more poor than their primary cities and housed almost one-third of the nation’s poor overall.
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Transportation reformers and members of Congress have long clamored for changes to the federal government's major transit grant program, otherwise known as "New Starts," and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood answered today with an announcement of sweeping changes in the works. The first move: LaHood's DOT will rescind a 2005 rule that elevated "cost-effectiveness" above all other criteria used to determine whether a local transit project can receive federal funds. Cost remains a factor in the "New Starts" process, but is no longer given more weight than factors such as congestion relief. House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-OR), his top lieutenant, quickly issued a statement hailing the reversal of the Bush-era mandate, which is blamed for slowing down transit expansions in several major cities.
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One in seven American children has an unemployed parent as a result of the current recession, known by many as the "Great Recession." These 10.5 million children are more likely to experience homelessness, suffer from child abuse, fail to complete high school or college, and live in poverty as adults than other children. The economy is technically emerging from the recession and is likely to recover in the coming years. However, the same may not be the case for our children without a concerted effort to address their needs and provide them with every opportunity to work hard and attain the American Dream. The following brief analyzes the number of children and youth who are impacted by the recession, examines the consequences, and recommends policy solutions.
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The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced nearly $190 million in green jobs training grants, as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants are designed to teach workers the skills required in emerging industries, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. This set of green grants is the third awarded in as many weeks by the U.S. Department of Labor. Less than a month into 2010, the department's investment in this growing area of the job marketplace is close to the $440 million mark. Seven Southern states were among the recent recipients.
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Despite calls to more closely link higher education with job needs in the United States, American colleges are only “moderately responsive” to changes in the labor markets, according to a new working paper by three economists. The study, whose preliminary results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, found that some academic programs, such as computer science, appear to be highly responsive to labor-market trends, while others, like medicine and dentistry, are largely unaffected by changes in employment opportunities.
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Academic preparation in high school plays a critical role in students’ transition to college. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, which provides information about the transitions students make as they move through high school and into postsecondary education or careers, this set of Issue Tables from the National Center for Education Statistics describes the academic preparation for college among the 2003-04 high school senior class. Indicators of academic preparation include academic course taking, performance, high school completion status, and college remediation.
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President Obama announced the award of $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States. One hundred eighty three projects in 43 states will create tens of thousands of high quality clean energy jobs and the domestic manufacturing of advanced clean energy technologies including solar, wind, and efficiency and energy management technologies.
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The Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) is a key component of Governor Jay Nixon’s Missouri First Initiative, a comprehensive legislative proposal designed to get Missourians back to work, educate Missourians for the careers of tomorrow and harness innovation and technology to revolutionize government and business. MOSIRA would create a funding source to spark growth in research and technology enterprises by capturing a small percentage of the growth in state revenue over a base year from a designated group of Missouri science and innovation companies. The monies would then be transferred into the Missouri Technology Investment Fund. The Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) will administer the funding created by MOSIRA. The MTC will reinvest the MOSIRA funding to generate further economic growth in the science and innovation industry sectors, with emphasis on biotechnology and life sciences.
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U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu recently announced that the inaugural "ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit" will take place March 1-3, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Washington, DC. The event will serve as a forum for members of the scientific and research communities, investors, technology entrepreneurs, corporations with an interest in clean energy technologies, policymakers and government officials to share ideas, collaborate, and identify key technology opportunities and challenges.
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The world economy has just been through a severe recession marked by financial turmoil, large-scale destruction of wealth, and declines in industrial production and global trade. According to the International Labor Organization, continued labor-market deterioration in 2009 may lead to an estimated increase in global unemployment of 39-61 million workers relative to 2007. By the end of this year, the worldwide ranks of the unemployed may range from 219-241 million—the highest number on record.
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As the world economy edges away from the precipice, we can see the enormity of the catastrophe we averted. In the first 12 months of the financial crisis, world industrial output fell at nearly the same rate as during the first year of the Great Depression. Trade declined at an even faster pace than in 1929. But a year later, growth, albeit anaemic, is back and the stockmarket is rising again—so much so that experts are now warning against a new bubble. How was it possible? The short answer is globalisation. The globalised economy transferred the shock of Wall Street to all. But, grasping the common danger, major countries launched an unprecedented rescue operation. The task now is to collectively remedy the trade and financial imbalances that brought the world economy to the brink.
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Scientists in the United States were not overly surprised in 2008 when the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland awarded a $10 million research grant to a Princeton University molecular biologist, Shi Yigong. Dr. Shi’s cell studies had already opened a new line of research into cancer treatment. At Princeton, his laboratory occupied an entire floor and had a $2 million annual budget. The surprise—shock, actually—came a few months later, when Dr. Shi, a naturalized American citizen and 18-year resident of the United States, announced that he was leaving for good to pursue science in China. He declined the grant, resigned from Princeton’s faculty and became the dean of life sciences at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
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Nearly one in five children under age 18 lived in poor families in 2008, according to poverty statistics released by the Census Bureau in September 2009. Though high, this statistic does not capture the full impact of the economic downturn, which is expected to drive poverty even higher in 2009. However, updated poverty statistics will not be released by the Census Bureau until next August or September. To better understand the effects of the recession on children and families, this brief examines child poverty rates in 2008 in conjunction with increases in families’ use of nutrition assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps).
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The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced today that it intends to invest $70 million over the next seven years to community foundations serving cities and towns where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. The new Community Foundation Initiative will deepen Knight Foundation's focus on fostering informed, engaged communities. Community foundations make contributions to local groups from funds established by individuals, families, businesses and others to address needs in specific geographic areas. These organizations offer a national funder like Knight the benefit of their grassroots grasp of issues. The grants will help community foundations enlarge their donor-advised funds supporting the work of local non-profits.
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More than just a pleasant amenity, the walkability of cities translates directly into increases in home values. Homes located in more walkable neighborhoods—those with a mix of common daily shopping and social destinations within a short distance—command a price premium over otherwise similar homes in less walkable areas. Houses with above-average levels of walkability command a premium of about $4,000 to $34,000 over houses with just average levels of walkability in the typical metropolitan areas studied.
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What does a job training program do when there are simply no jobs available? The Aspen Institute's Maureen Conway and Casey's Center for Family Economic Success Director Robert P. Giloth explore this dilemma in an online op-ed that appeared in December in Spotlight on Poverty, the Denver Post and the Huffington Post. In Job Training in a Jobless Recovery, Conway and Giloth point to successful workforce development programs that are placing workers despite the economic downturn. They rely on sector-based approaches that work closely with industries to determine what jobs and skills are needed and match training to those needs.
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A new report from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities presents the top 10 issues most likely to affect public higher education across the 50 states in 2010. The synopsis is informed by a scan of state policy activities of the past year, an analysis of trends and consideration of events that will likely shape the policy landscape.
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The nation and many states face a continuing struggle to deliver a high-quality education to all students, according to Education Week’s annual education report card. The nation received a C when graded across the six distinct areas of policy and performance tracked by Quality Counts, the most comprehensive ongoing assessment of the state of American education. Maryland topped the nation with a B-plus overall, followed closely by Massachusetts and New York, both of which earned a B. The majority of states received grades of C or lower. The full Quality Counts 2010 report and interactive state report cards are available here. A live online chat on common standards, using data from Quality Counts, will take place on January 26, 2010 at 3:00 pm.
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In an effort to encourage original research regarding social and economic issues affecting Appalachia, the Appalachian Regional Commission will be moderating three sessions at the next Southern Regional Science Association Conference, to be held here in Washington, DC, March 25-27, 2010. You are invited to submit abstracts and completed papers for presentation at the conference, in three broad topic areas: Economic Diversification/ Mine Reclamation & Reforestation/ Land & Natural Resources; Alternative Energy/ Energy Efficiency/ Carbon Mitigation/ Biomass and Biofuels; and Sustainable Economic Development/ Triple Bottom Line. Abstracts should be submitted via the conference registration web site. Please note that since the web site does not accept completed papers, they should be emailed directly to David Carrier (dcarrier@arc.gov).
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Creating an open, competitive licensing system for university innovators is one of Harvard Business Review's "Ten Breakthrough Ideas for 2010" and the brainchild of researchers at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The free agency solution is one of the 10 ideas that HBR says "will make the world better." Current restrictions imposed by U.S. research universities on the ways their faculty can commercialize federally funded discoveries are slowing the diffusion of new technologies, according to the article by Robert E. Litan and Lesa Mitchell published this week in the January-February 2010 issue of HBR. These limitations are detrimental to the U.S. economy and universities themselves.
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In Virginia, competitions help state agencies and localities become more green. The Virginia Municipal League's Go Green Virginia initiative pits localities against one another, with opportunities for towns to learn and share best practices with one another through forums and tips submitted to an online Green Book. Participating localities earn points for doing things like formally adopting a sustainability plan, establishing LEED certifications for new buildings, and creating innovative practices for reducing carbon emissions. Cities that earn 100 out of 200 points earn a "green government" classification. Last year, Governor Tim Kaine also challenged state agencies to be more sustainable, and thirty-seven agencies accepted that challenge. The Green Commonwealth Challenge helped increase carpooling and alternative transportation, and expanded recycling programs in 19 agencies.
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The sense of optimism in Brazil is palpable and it's not just because the country is getting ready to host soccer's World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016. Brazil's economy was the first in Latin America to stage a recovery following the global economic crisis—in the second quarter of this year. What has helped Brazil to remain so resilient while other markets are still struggling? And what can it do to maintain economic growth and become, as the World Bank predicts, the world's fifth-largest economy by 2016?
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The third Festival of Thinkers brought together an array of Nobel laureates, well-known intellectuals and students from the UAE (United Arab Republics) and neighboring countries to celebrate what Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan calls “the power and importance of thinking.” Sheikh Nahayan is Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology. The event, which took place November 1-4, 2009, in Abu Dhabi, focused on nine themes that are key to shaping the future of the Middle East and the rest of the global community. The themes touched on such challenges as “Moving beyond the Global Crisis,” “Envisioning Sustainable Development” and “Promoting Science and Technology.” Additional topics discussed included world health, the globalization of culture and language, development economics and poverty alleviation, and military spending, research and innovation, among others.
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As Kraft bids on a hostile take-over of Cadbury, the chocolate world becomes even smaller and more concentrated then before. Fueling civil wars, spurring child trafficking and child labor, and destroying rain forests, cocoa has a spotted history that unfortunately has not been fully rectified in recent years. While governments, NGOs, and industry try to right past wrongs and address the issues of child labor and sustainability, the cocoa industry seems to making progress, but has not completed the herculean task. Consumers worldwide have not yet demanded a full-fledged accounting for the sourcing of this product and until they do, we cannot expect to see major changes in the cocoa industry.
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“In my experience as a politician, I'd say that when things go wrong in a country, there are two potential targets: one is the government, the other is the foreigners.” Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and former Prime Minister of Portugal.  
 
One worrying consequence of the global downturn has been a rise in anti-migrant and anti-immigrant sentiment in countries with significant expatriate populations, most notably, in Europe.
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State and local tax revenues fell 7% in the third quarter of 2009 from a year ago, the Census Bureau said in a report underscoring how the economic downturn is stressing government collections. Sales taxes declined 9% to $70 billion in the third quarter compared with the year-ago period, the Census Bureau said. Income taxes plunged 12% to about $58 billion. Together, sales and income taxes make up roughly half of state and local tax revenue. Property taxes increased 3.6% in the third quarter compared with a year ago. But as property assessments catch up with falling residential and commercial real-estate values, property-tax revenues are expected to be weak. That will have a particularly severe impact on local governments, which fund much of their operations from property taxes.
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New Census numbers released last week underscore an often unnoticed consequence of the what Time magazine called the “Decade from Hell”: a topsy-turvy pattern of population movement both across the U.S. and into its borders over a 10 year period which is ending with the greatest migration slowdown since the end of World War II. These migration shifts were affected by a series of events that include a mid-decade housing bubble, followed by the financial crises and Great Recession, in addition to the mobility implications of Katrina and the 9-11 terrorist attacks. They led to boom, and then bust experiences for much of the South and West as the decade began, and windfall gains for northern and coastal states that were major donors to the earlier Sun Belt surge.
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The recession's jobless toll is draining unemployment-compensation funds so fast that according to federal projections, 40 state programs will go broke within two years and need $90 billion in loans to keep issuing the benefit checks. Currently, 25 states have run out of unemployment money and have borrowed $24 billion from the federal government to cover the gaps. By 2011, according to Department of Labor estimates, 40 state funds will have been emptied by the jobless tsunami.
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Despite recent high school reform efforts, the dropout problem in the United States remains daunting. To address this troubling issue that affects all states, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices announced it has selected six states—Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee and West Virginia—to develop comprehensive state dropout prevention and recovery policies through the State Strategies to Achieve Graduation for All initiative. The initiative will help states clearly identify their dropout problem; assess the gaps in student supports for preventing students from dropping out of school and recovering the students that drop out; and create a dropout prevention and recovery action plan for implementation that includes tactics such as state policies, executive orders, advisory councils, legislation or regulatory reforms.
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A new report released by the Southern Education Foundation finds that public schools in the American South no longer enroll a majority of white students for the first time in history and examines both the factors behind the new trend and its implications. A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South’s Public Schools finds that African American, Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multi-racial children now constitute slightly more than half of all students attending public schools in the 15 states of the South as well as in the 11 states of the old Southern Confederacy. The SEF report analyzes this important landmark by examining the over-arching historical, social political and demographic events of the last 140 years that established today's trend in Southern public school enrollment and the implications of the South's new diverse majority for Southern education and the Southern economy.
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A new ECS paper, Revving the Education Engine, engages education, policy and workforce leaders to explore how to effectively align education, workforce and economic development policy to meet state and regional workforce needs. Programs in several Southern states, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia, are featured.
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With sustainability and green energy set to play a critical role in the growth of our national economy, community colleges represent a way to meet the needs of local businesses and residents. Join experts and practitioners from the U.S. and Europe in Asheville in April to highlight expanded roles for colleges in educating students, businesses, and communities about and for economic opportunities in renewable energy, conservation, ecotourism, and local sustainable agriculture and manufacturing.
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On November 19, 11 budding entrepreneurs graduated from the FastTrac TechVenture program presented by TECworks. More than a graduation ceremony, the entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to deliver their “elevator pitch” to an audience of more than 25 Memphis business leaders. The graduation and pitch were the culmination of the 10-week program.
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The 2010 North Carolina Green Business Fund Solicitation (call for Proposals) is now open. The North Carolina Green Business Fund is a competitive grants program established by the State of North Carolina in 2007, and administered by the NC Office of Science and Technology, a division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Eligibility for the grant is limited to small for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, State agencies, and local governments to encourage the expansion of small to medium sized businesses with 100 or fewer employees that have innovative commercial technologies, products and services to grow a green economy in the State. Agencies MUST have their principal base of business in North Carolina. Those interested in applying for the NC Green Business Fund should obtain a copy of the Solicitation and familiarize themselves with the application requirements.
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The 2009 edition of the World Trade Organization’s International Trade Statistics, a comprehensive overview of world trade up to 2008, is now available for download. The report was published in electronic format on October 28, 2009, and is now available in print.
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Leading in crisis requires a combination of skills and behaviors—personal and professional—that can be mastered, says HBS professor Bill George. A crisis, difficult as it is, also presents an opportunity to develop and grow. Q&A and excerpt from 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis.
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Nationwide, the recession is over—at least in the view of most economists in light of third quarter 2009 indicators. They revealed a real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increasing at a 2.8 percent annual rate, after four consecutive quarters of contraction. Most interpreted that rate of output growth, along with other signals such as increasing housing prices, as indication that the economic recovery is underway. Yet the recovery seems fragile. This edition of the MetroMonitor examines indicators through the third quarter of 2009 (ending in September) in the areas of employment, unemployment, output, home prices, and foreclosure rates for the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas.
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China is leading the world out of recession and has a key role to play in the longer-term reform and rebalancing of the global economy, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said in a speech to the International Finance Forum in Beijing today.
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Many states eliminated expected deficits earlier this year with budget cuts, tax increases, short-term borrowing, accounting moves and planned gambling expansions. But despite a slight improvement in the U.S. economy, states are now finding those measures didn't go far enough. Tax collections continue to trail projections in some states, and court rulings and political battles have blocked some gap-filling moves. Plus, some legislatures didn't fully deal with the deficits, leaving the toughest decisions to governors.
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Since 2006, more than 5 million homes in the country have been lost to foreclosure. It is estimated that 8.1 million homes will go into foreclosure during 2008-2012. Many communities worry that these properties will destabilize their neighborhoods because they are often concentrated and fall into disrepair. Such neighborhood blight is linked to increases in crime and declining property values. The following pages compare the strategies and challenges of two community organizations—one in Virginia and the other in South Carolina—that are trying to tackle the negative impacts of foreclosure through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).
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With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them, by Public Agenda, is the first of three reports describing young Americans' views on higher education and college completion. Coming at a time when the United States has slipped to tenth place in international college completion rates, these reports explore the issue directly from the student point of view. Based on a national survey of young adults, ages 22 to 30, this research dispels some common myths about why so many students do not graduate and details what kinds of changes—by government, higher education, business and others—might make a difference.
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Colleges and universities are turning the financial crisis into a teachable moment for their students, revamping curriculum and syllabi for business and economics courses, as well as courses in political science, sociology, American history and even English literature. The crisis not only impacts the way these various subjects are understood (and taught), but also students’ immediate job prospects, which makes understanding and adjusting to the crisis all the more important.
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In a recent entry in The Huffington Post, Tom Vander Ark, the former Executive Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, expresses the opinion that, “There is much to forget and regret about the last decade but it wasn't so bad for education.” He goes on to outline ten big advances that he thinks bode well for the decade to come.
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Of the 40 states (including the District of Columbia) that allow for charter schools, only 13 have strong laws that do not require significant revisions, according to a report released by The Center for Education Reform. The report, Charter Laws Across the States, highlights the key elements in education law that separate reform-minded states from the rest of the pack provides a roadmap for states to identify and model themselves after state laws that work and that allow for high-quality charter schools.
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Scientists worldwide are striving to develop thin, flexible, lightweight, inexpensive, environmentally friendly batteries made entirely from nonmetal parts. The key to a new battery, developed by scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden, turned out to be a green algae known as Cladophora. The new battery can hold 50 to 200% more charge than similar conducting polymer batteries, and once better optimised, it might even be competitive with commercial lithium batteries, the researchers say. It also recharges much faster than a conventional rechargeable battery. The new battery also shows a dramatic boost in the ability to hold a charge over use.
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A new, stimulus-funded research center at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help strengthen the very 'fiber' of America's automotive and energy industries. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, DOE has allocated $34.7 million to establish the Carbon Fiber Technology Center at ORNL. The project will enable the development and commercialization of low-cost carbon fiber for use in composite materials.
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Between 2003 and 2008, on the back of a growing world economy, remittances more than doubled, reaching as much as $330 billion in 2008. Now, with the world's largest economies in steep decline, many fear that the flow of remittances will also take a hit, threatening the millions who depend on funds sent by relatives and friends working abroad to meet basic needs.
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Wake Technical Community College and the N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State University have been awarded a $301,852 grant by the U.S. Department of Energy for a two-year project to educate the public about alternative fuels and clean transportation. The institutions will conduct 48 workshops across the country focusing on biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas and propane and fuel economy. The workshops will start in the spring and continue through September 2011.
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While urban and suburban real estate is still generally under pressure, the rural market is holding up better in many areas, thanks in part to buyers such as the Dawleys. Sometimes dubbed "ruralpolitans," these city and town dwellers are looking at land as their new safe investment, one they hope could prove more stable than their jobs and 401(k)s—and provide a better lifestyle. Motivations can vary, but typically there are three groups: young people buying land as an asset or investment, with vague hopes to live on it someday; exurban commuters who have jobs in big towns or cities but want to escape the sprawl; and back-to-the-land types who want to dabble in hobby farming. While the 76 million-strong baby boomers eyeing retirement represent the largest ruralpolitan segment, they're being joined by a growing contingent of 20-to-early-40-somethings freshly imprinted by this recession's pain.
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A new type of 21st century company is emerging that is transforming how business is conducted. These are values-driven companies that define a core set of values and rely on these values in making all strategic decisions.
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President Obama’s first official visit to China brings him this weekend to a country that, despite the global downturn, is increasingly wealthy, confident, ambitious — and perplexing. Over the past decade, even as China’s exports have soared, the nation has begun transforming itself from a global font of low-priced goods fueled by cheap labor into a much more diverse and complex economic power. Along with that, it has developed huge disparities of wealth.
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Homeownership has long been considered the cornerstone of the American dream, and considerable research has pointed to the social benefits of homeownership for both families and communities. Yet research concerning this link between homeownership and social participation has recently undergone critique for failing to consider neighbor- hood context. Do homeowners in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods become active participants in neighborhood improvement, or do they feel stuck in undesirable neighborhoods where they perceive little potential for change? The research addresses endogeneity concerns and shows that, when compared with renters, homeowners are more likely to have voted in recent local elections. Neighborhood context does moderate this relationship, with homeowners in disadvantaged neighborhoods being more likely to vote than owners in other areas. These findings suggest that, despite potential household-level costs associated with owning a home in a disadvantaged urban area, responsible homeownership in such areas promotes local political involvement among lower income residents.
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College seniors who graduated in 2008 carried an average of $23,200 in student loan debt. Meanwhile, unemployment climbed from an already challenging 7.6 percent in the third quarter of 2008 to 10.6 percent in 2009—the highest third-quarter rate for college graduates aged 20 to 24 this decade. The Project on Student Debt’s new report, Student Debt and the Class of 2008 (PDF), and an interactive online map include debt levels for the 50 states and District of Columbia and nearly 2,000 U.S. colleges and universities.
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It’s a story that comes with its own truism: “nothing succeeds like success.” States with higher gross state product growth are more likely to attract highly mobile and high-achieving college graduates, both self-employed and wage-and-salary workers, according to Office of Advocacy research based on the U.S. Department of Education’s 2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) data base. The paper Educational Attainment, “Brain Drain,” and Self-employment: Examining the Interstate Mobility of Baccalaureate Graduates, 1993-2003, uses the B&B data to study the employment and location of self-employed and wage-and- salary workers 10 years after graduation.
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Tennessee’s Economic Development Commissioner, Matt Kisber, recently wrote an editorial for the Tennessean on solar opportunities in the state: “Last week, Gov. Phil Bredesen gave the keynote address at a symposium on the future of the solar industry in Tennessee, sponsored by my department and the Tennessee Economic Partnership. Despite a challenging economic picture, the mood at the meeting was positive and upbeat. Gov. Bredesen's advice to the gathering of industry leaders and economic developers was simple and to the point. ‘Take this industry seriously,’ he said. ‘The potential for the creation of new jobs and investment from solar is very real.’"
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President Obama today helped launch a new campaign, “Educate to Innovate,” designed to energize and excite America’s students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It builds on the President’s pledge that he would use his position to help encourage students to study and consider careers in science, engineering, technology, and innovation—fields upon which America’s future depends—and elevate those students from the middle to the top of the pack worldwide.
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The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has launched a new website called, “The Economy: Crisis & Response.” The site provides information on what caused the crisis, what the Fed has done in response, and what to look for in signs of recovery.
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As borders come down within and beyond Europe, it is not only legitimate businesses that are benefiting, but also those that produce illegal drugs, traffic in humans, manufacture fake luxury goods, and counterfeit euros—businesses better known as organized crime—are profiting too, according to a new report from the EU's criminal intelligence agency.
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The U.S. government said Wednesday it had ended its 11-year contract with the nonprofit body that oversees key aspects of the Internet's architecture, after demands from other countries for more say in how the Web works. The move addresses mounting criticism in recent years that no one country should have sole control over important underpinnings of the Internet, such as determining domain name suffixes like ".com."
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It's not Twitter or Facebook that's reinventing the planet. Eighty years after the first commercial broadcast crackled to life, television still rules our world. And let's hear it for the growing legions of couch potatoes: All those soap operas might be the ticket to a better future after all.
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With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children. It has grown so rapidly in places so diverse that it is becoming nearly as ordinary as the groceries it buys. More than 36 million people use inconspicuous plastic cards for staples like milk, bread and cheese, swiping them at counters in blighted cities and in suburbs pocked with foreclosure signs. From the ailing resorts of the Florida Keys to Alaskan villages along the Bering Sea, the program is now expanding at a pace of about 20,000 people a day.
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They’re quite a mayoral couple. From Atlanta: Shirley Franklin, Democrat, African-American, spunky, results-focused, no-nonsense. From Charlotte: Pat McCrory, Republican, white, business oriented, driving force of the new light rail system destined to remake Charlotte in the next generation. Working in tandem, with bipartisanship rare in today’s America, Franklin and McCrory have been pushing for a common action plan to build imaginative and “green” infrastructure systems for the South’s dominant “megaregion” string of metro areas, centered on Atlanta and Charlotte but extending as far as Raleigh on the east, Birmingham on the west.
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Some states, struggling to balance their budgets, are selling or leasing public property, including state office buildings, prisons and major toll ways. While a quick way to raise revenue, this strategy is attacked by some as a short-term fix that postpones making more difficult decisions. The deals afford the states quick cash, while guaranteeing investors a profit after recouping the cost of the building through the long-term lease payments from the state.
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A new compendium from the American Youth Policy Forum describes programs that have been proven to help young people successfully complete high school and be prepared for success in postsecondary education and careers. These programs represent a wide range of interventions, including school-wide reform initiatives, community-based afterschool services, work-based learning opportunities and college access programs.
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Kira Cassels applied to 11 colleges and got in to every one. Over two arduous weeks last spring, Cassels sat with her parents and weighed the costs and benefits of each program until the list was narrowed to one: an honors track at the local community college. Cassels, 18, is one of an increasing number of high school graduates who pass over top-drawer public and private universities to become honor students at community colleges. Recession-wary students are flocking to selective two-year programs, which allow students to complete half of their college education for about $8,000, then transfer to a more prestigious four-year institution.
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A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office examines the types of instructional practices that schools and teachers most frequently use to help students achieve state academic standards and whether these instructional practices differ by school characteristics. Based on a review of relevant literature, as well as data from prior surveys of principals and teachers, the three most common practices were found to be: 1) using student achievement data to inform instruction and school improvement; 2) providing additional instruction to low-achieving students; and 3) aligning curriculum and instruction with standards and/or assessments.
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An upgrade to a Cray XT5 high-performance computing system deployed by the Department of Energy has made the "Jaguar" supercomputer the world's fastest. Located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Jaguar is the scientific research community's most powerful computational tool for exploring solutions to some of today's most difficult problems. The upgrade, funded with $19.9 million under the Recovery Act, will enable scientific simulations for exploring solutions to climate change and the development of new energy technologies.
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The global financial crisis is prompting huge government interventions to stimulate the economies of the United States and many other nations. The burning question is this: Can public-sector initiatives in the private sector be successful, or are they inevitably doomed to failure?
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The tangled web of the new trading world includes relationships between exchanges, between clearing houses and exchanges, between the securities, futures and options markets and between countries on different continents. The electronic thrust of the new world has changed the landscape forever. In this chart, which is a moving target as agreements are made every day, we’ve tried to illustrate the complications that regulators may have in getting a handle on today’s evolving derivatives world (see “The tangled web”).
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International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he expects finance ministers from Group of 20 nations to adopt a timetable and plan to ensure the next global economic expansion is more balanced.
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Despite one of the worst recessions in history, Americans have increasing faith in technology innovation as an engine of economic growth, but are plagued with doubts about the nation's ability to maintain its global leadership mantle. These were among the telling findings of a report released today by Intel Corporation and Newsweek. While a global majority said that the economic downturn has hurt the United States' ability to innovate, the prevailing view across every nation polled was technology innovation is critical to America's future economic success. In the United States, almost half of Americans said the recession has resulted in an increased reliance on technology innovation; and 3 of 4 Americans said that technology innovation will be "more important" during the next 30 years.
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Over the course of the recent recession, rural economies have held up better than their metro peers, thanks to strong rural economic gains early in the downturn. But author Jason Henderson finds that the long-term health of rural American in the twenty-first century will rest on developing policies that focus on amenity-based development, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the article "Prospects for a Rural Recovery."
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The recession and housing collapse have halted four decades of double-digit growth for nearly half of the nation's biggest rapidly expanding suburbs. Twenty-four of the 53 cities of 100,000 or more that grew by at least 10% every decade since 1970 lost population in the last two years.
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Regionalism makes complete sense conceptually. Our economies, our natural systems, and our transportation systems are, indeed, regional and require a regional approach. Regionalism can be relatively easy to impose in regions with big, dominant core cities, such as New York and Chicago. But in those regions with cities of equal size or with a weak central city, the conflicts are writ large. The real problem comes when, in the name of regionalism, decision makers become place agnostic. In other words, they can’t favor any one place in the region for fear of offending every other place in the region. The result too often is places with no strong center and blurred identity, places of no distinction and no vibrancy, places that force us to drive too much and generate too much carbon, places that are linked together not only by an economy and a transportation system but also by mind-numbingly repetitive development strung in between.
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The U.S. education system neglects the needs of our gifted and talented students, leaving the nation ill-prepared to identify and effectively serve high-potential students, a new survey reports. The report, 2008-2009 State of the States in Gifted Education, by the National Association for Gifted Children and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted finds a fragmented collection of policies and resources that vary greatly between states and local districts and that are almost universally underfunded and under-resourced. More than a quarter of all states provided no funding for gifted students during the last school year, and most high-potential students are taught by teachers with little to no training in gifted education, the report concludes.
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The wages and earnings of low-income workers have been stagnant or declining in real terms for some 35-plus years. As a result, many low-wage workers and their families struggle to make ends meet. Research evidence shows that work support—which include child care subsidies, public health insurance, the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, and other related programs—can substantially boost income and improve family well-being, both while low-wage workers are employed and during periods of unemployment. A new practitioner brief from MDRC offers lessons learned from four innovative programs aimed at helping public, nonprofit, and other social service agencies increase low-wage workers’ access to these supports.
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The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative (WSI) recently conducted a nationwide census project assessing pre-apprenticeship programs in the construction trades. Funded by the Casey Foundation, the survey explores the number, geographic location, and scope of these programs through responses from 260 program leaders across the country. To build on this work, WSI has received a grant from Casey to interview a select group of leaders from some of the nation’s most successful pre-apprenticeship programs. In conjunction with the results from the survey, the interview results ultimately will provide decision-makers and stakeholders with a picture of several different approaches to pre-apprenticeship programs and strategies across the U.S.
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From Change Papers, a new North Carolina blog on innovation: The success of the 21st century economy in North Carolina depends on how often and how fast we can INNOVATE—turn new ideas and technologies into new systems, products, and services. This conversation—The Change Papers—is about how we do just that. We want to bring together the best thinking from the people of our state on how North Carolina can become more innovative than any other place in the world—in our schools, in our government, in our workplace. Then we want those ideas to plant roots and grow wings.
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Carbon dioxide generated by power plants may find a second life as a working fluid to help recover geothermal heat from kilometers underground. Such a system would not only capture the carbon dioxide and keep it out of the atmosphere; it would also be a cost-effective way to use the greenhouse gas to generate new power.
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Nobelists are urging Congress to support a bipartisan bill, The Federal Research Public Access Act of 2009 (S. 1373), which would require the results of taxpayer-funded scientific research to be broadly and quickly shared, speeding the progress of science and its subsequent benefits to the public. The removal of access barriers and the expanded use of these research results can dramatically transform how scientists and citizens approach issues of vital importance to the public, such as medicine, climate change, and sustainable energy solutions. It is a crucial building block in laying a strong national foundation to support accelerated discovery and innovation, which will in turn create economic and social benefits for the taxpayers who supported the research.
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America will not try to contain a rising China, Barack Obama, the US president, told an audience in Japan on Saturday on the eve of his first visit to the world’s most populous nation. Speaking during the first leg of his inaugural visit to Asia, which will include stops in Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul, Mr. Obama said the US did not view China as a threat. “On the contrary, the rise of a strong, prosperous China can be a source of strength for the community of nations,” Mr. Obama said in his Tokyo speech.
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The implosion on Wall Street last year was seen by many as signaling the end of globalization. De-globalisation became a favourite word to describe the worldwide economic contraction. For the first time since 1982, the volume of global trade actually shrank. Not surprisingly, the outsourcing of services, which had grown dramatically in the past decade, was considered most vulnerable to the global downturn. The pronouncement of the death of outsourcing, however, seems to have been premature.
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During the best of the times, Miguel Salcedo’s son, an illegal immigrant in San Diego, would be sending home hundreds of dollars a month to support his struggling family in Mexico. But at times like these, with the American economy out of whack and his son out of work, Mr. Salcedo finds himself doing what he never imagined he would have to do: wiring pesos north.
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America's small cities are losing some of their traditional appeal to upwardly mobile families seeking wholesome neighborhoods, a stable economy and affordable living. A review of newly released census data shows, for example, that smaller cities of between 20,000 and 50,000 residents have lagged behind their larger counterparts in attracting higher-educated residents in this decade.
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About one million laid-off workers will see their unemployment benefits end in January unless Congress acts quickly to renew existing federally paid extensions, according to a new survey and legislators and state officials. The record extension of emergency benefits that was signed into law on November 6 was widely praised as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Americans who had spent a year or more in fruitless searches for jobs. But many legislators, state aid officials and struggling workers apparently failed to read the fine print. The added federal benefits were built on a series of previous extensions that are slated to end on December 31, unless Congress renews these programs. People who lost their jobs after July 1 of this year, for example, would receive no federal extensions once their customary six months of state aid ran out.
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The number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by more than 3.2 million between 2003 and 2008—and a disproportionate number of those newly poor people live in rural America. Newly released figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that 13.2% of Americans were living in poverty in 2008, the highest rate since 1997. In rural counties, however, that rate had climbed to 16.3%. The increase in the number of poor Americans was heavily weighted in rural communities. Rural counties were home to just over 16% of the nation’s population in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But 33% of the increase in the number of poor Americans from 2003 to 2008—more than one million people—was found in rural counties.
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Two years ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Center for American Progress, and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute came together to grade the states on school performance in a report titled Leaders and Laggards. In this follow-up report, they turn their attention to the future, looking not at how states are performing today, but at what they are doing to prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead. The focus is on eight key areas, including school management, finance, staffing, data and technology. Across the categories, not a single state earned as in more than one or two areas, and most received a host of Cs and Ds. Access the 2007 and 2009 reports, as well as individual state profiles, at the website.
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A new study from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University details the high cost of the dropout epidemic for both students and taxpayers. The paper outlines data for the employment, earnings, incarceration, teen and young adult parenting, and family incomes of the nation's high school dropouts and their better-educated peers from 2006 to 2008, and the news is not good. The most startling statistic, contained in the report’s subtitle, indicates a 22 percent daily jailing rate for young black men who have dropped out. Over their working lives, the average high school dropout will have a negative net fiscal contribution to society of nearly $5,200, while the average high school graduate generates a positive lifetime net fiscal contribution of $287,000.
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The state of the U.S. public education system has been the issue of much debate, particularly when more than 30 percent of 56 million U.S. students drop out before graduating from high school and a persistent achievement gap between students from different economic circumstances and racial and ethnic backgrounds remains. A new report by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, entitled “Performance Management in Action,” demonstrates how school districts and charter management organizations are improving student achievement and making significant progress in closing the achievement gap through performance management. Performance management is defined as a leadership culture designed to improve student academic achievement enabled through technology to gather, share and act upon relevant and timely information.
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A report produced for the Southern Governors’ Association presents economy- and region-wide opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and evaluates their projected potential financial costs or savings. Prepared by The Center for Climate Strategies (CCS), the report was commissioned as part of Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine's 2008-09 SGA Chairman's initiative that focused on engaging the region's governors in a dialogue about how best to understand and address climate change issues in the South. 
 
Titled "Southern Regional Economic Assessment of Climate Policy Options and Review of Economic Studies of Climate Policy," the report also contains a review and comparison of several dozen economic studies of relevance to the South, including a framework explanation of why some of these studies predict government action on climate will spur job growth and positive economic benefits, while others predict job losses and negative economic consequences.
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The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has released the study, Where will the jobs come from?, which shows that companies less than five years old created nearly two-thirds of net new jobs in 2007. These firms create more net new jobs than their older counterparts, as well as a higher average number of jobs per firm. Furthermore, there is a substantial set of rapidly growing businesses within this group of companies.
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Classroom instruction in five South Carolina school districts is “going green” with a pilot program to get students ready for jobs in the emerging field of alternative energy. The new GreenSTEM initiative is an innovative high school course focused on green technologies. It combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching with hands-on student projects using wind energy, solar power and fuel cells, among other resources.
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President Obama heads for Asia this week to talk about U.S. economic recovery and reform, and one theme that we expect he'll hear from Asian leaders is this: America is leaving itself behind as the rest of the world tries to liberalize trade. The numbers tell the story. At least 266 bilateral or regional trade deals are in force, according to the World Trade Organization, and there are roughly 100 more of which the WTO has not yet been formally informed. The U.S. is a party to only five of the 64 trade pacts that have taken effect since 2005—with Australia, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman and Peru.
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The reason why mobile phones are so valuable to people in the poor world is that they are providing access to telecommunications for the very first time, rather than just being portable adjuncts to existing fixed-line phones, as in the rich world. “For you it was incremental—here it’s revolutionary,” says Isaac Nsereko of MTN, Africa’s biggest operator. According to a recent study, adding an extra ten mobile phones per 100 people in a typical developing country boosts growth in GDP per person by 0.8 percentage points.
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Developing countries can shift to lower-carbon paths while promoting development and reducing poverty, but this depends on financial and technical assistance from high-income countries, says a new World Bank report. High-income countries also need to act quickly to reduce their carbon footprints and boost development of alternative energy sources to help tackle the problem of climate change.
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The Clorox Company has announced the availability of five grants of $10,000 to youth programs that enrich the lives of young people. Nominees must submit an essay by November 29th, at which point 50 finalists will be selected, which will then be voted on by the public. The winning nominations will be announced at the end of January.
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By failing to guarantee a roof over every American’s head, we’ve failed the test—as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan puts it—of “a civilized society.” On a typical night 650,000 Americans are have no place to call home. 
 
We created this crisis ourselves, by the states emptying out their mental hospitals and cities demolishing thousands of low-income rental units. The result was a huge gap in affordable shelter. Plus, by failing to restrain medical system costs or guarantee care for all Americans, we’ve forced thousands of families to go into bankruptcy. Today alarming numbers are being forced to take to the streets where their health is even more endangered by extremes of pelting rain or stone-cold nights, unsanitary conditions, sometimes violence. Yet as grim as all this sounds, it’s possible to see strong glimmers of light.
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As the national economy starts its slow recovery, 11 states and the District of Columbia are showing signs of emerging from the recession, according to a new report. Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington, D.C., are in recovery, according to Moody’s Economy.com, an economic forecasting firm. It determines where a state is in the recession based on employment rates, home prices, residential construction and manufacturing production figures. Some or all of these indicators were stable or improving in these states.
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A new report from the Workforce Strategy Center offers lessons learned from Year Up—an initiative whose goal is to prepare young urban adults for careers and higher education. Year Up offers students six months of college-credit bearing, intensive skills training followed by a six-month corporate internship. Results have been promising, with 87 percent of graduates placed in full- or part-time jobs within four months of graduation and nearly half continuing in post-secondary education. Earlier this year, Atlanta became the sixth site to offer the program.
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The Alliance for Excellent Education has released a brief that offers a new vision for secondary teacher preparation that ensures teacher candidates possess the critical skills necessary to make certain that all students graduate from high school ready for college and careers. According to the brief, Teaching for a New World: Preparing High School Educators to Deliver College- and Career-Ready Instruction, educating all students to the high standards now required for success in college and careers requires a host of new skills that many secondary school teachers do not currently develop during pre-service preparation or in-service professional development. The brief identifies five critical areas for teachers to develop competency in before they enter the classroom.
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Literacy is shot through everything at this 1,350-student Alabama school in a former cotton field 10 miles south of the Tennessee state line. It’s been an obsession for a decade, ever since school leaders tested their students and found that one-third of the entering freshmen were reading at or below the 7th grade level, many at the 4th or 5th grade level. 
 
The Buckhorn staff immersed itself in figuring out how to improve student learning by boosting literacy skills in all subjects, something few high schools do now, and even fewer were doing then. That work has made the school a national model. Hosting visitors and making presentations—including at a White House conference in 2006—have become routine parts of its staff members’ schedules.
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A start-up based in Menlo Park, CA, plans to sell a new type of anode for lithium-ion batteries that, the company says, will let electric vehicles travel farther and mobile devices last longer without a recharge. Amprius’ lithium-ion anodes are made of silicon nanowires, which can store 10 times more charge than graphite, the material used for today's lithium-ion battery anodes. According to the company, electric vehicles that run 200 miles between charges could go 380 miles on its batteries, and laptops that have four hours of run time could last for seven hours between charges.
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The 2009 Mid-Atlantic SBIR/STTR Conference will bring together federal agencies, entrepreneurs, small companies, large companies, researchers, colleges and universities, venture capitalists and angel investors, federal laboratory and university representatives, as well as experts who provide assistance to or have an interest in doing business with ventures at various maturity levels.
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SJF is pleased to announce the launch of our SJF Cleantech Mentorship Program which will take place in New York starting in January 2010, with support from the Citi Foundation. This program provides a unique opportunity for cleantech entrepreneurs to accelerate the growth of their companies by engaging with experienced entrepreneurial and industry leaders. The program will include guidance and feedback to early stage ventures from experienced mentors, peer-to-peer discussions, educational sessions, networking events, access to SJF's cleantech network, and input from a strategy roundtable on a key strategic issue. The nine-month program will begin in January 2010 and conclude in the fall of 2010; program events will be held in New York. We are currently recruiting entrepreneurs and mentors, as well as sponsors. The deadline to fill out the simple online application is November 16.
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With the convention on climate change in Copenhagen in December fast approaching, countries tend to be focusing on measures that punish carbon users. As 2009 Yale World Fellow and trade specialist Emmanuelle Ganne puts it, governments favor a stick approach. But while popular, such policies place significant costs on households and create an image of fighting climate change as a burden. They do little to change behavior.
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Many college graduates are passing up industrial centers and former hotspots in the Southwest, which have been hit hard by the recession, in favor of life in urban, high-tech meccas. Their moves are fueling a resurgence of brainiacs in parts of California, North Carolina and Texas. Census data released Tuesday offer the first detailed look at U.S. migration data, broken down by education and income, since the recession began in late 2007.
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How can workers better collaborate across vast geographical distances? Distributed collaboration—in which employees work with, and meaningfully depend on, distant colleagues on a day-to-day basis—allows firms to leverage their intellectual capital, enhance work unit performance, face ever-changing customer demands more fluidly, and gain competitive advantage in a dynamic marketplace. Research over the last decade, however, has provided mounting evidence that while global collaboration is a necessary strategic choice for an ever-increasing number of organizations, socio-demographic, contextual, and temporal barriers engender many interpersonal challenges for distant coworkers and are likely to adversely affect trust between and among workers across sites.
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Youth Service America, America’s Promise Alliance, and State Farm® Companies Foundation today unveiled an important new resource for teachers seeking to learn how to incorporate service-learning into their lessons. GoToServiceLearning.org is an interactive Web site housing a database of quality service-learning lesson plans from across the country, all tied to state academic standards. In a year where the need for volunteer service and civic engagement has received increased attention, the ability to offer all students an opportunity to combine academics and service as a way to improve their communities has never been more important. GoToServiceLearning.org makes this possibility a reality.
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News stories have swirled for months that the United States is losing its global competitiveness because our college graduation rates are slipping. The fact is U.S. graduation rates remain comparable to those of other developed countries, claims a new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The only major difference—the data most commonly highlighted, but rarely understood—is the categorization of graduation rate data, the authors explain. The United States measures its graduation rates by “institution” while other developed nations measure their attainment rates by “system.”
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With 2014 approaching as the deadline by which states must get their all their students up to “proficient” levels on state tests, the U.S. Department of Education’s top statistics agency has released data suggesting that some states may have lowered student-proficiency standards on such tests in recent years. For the 47-state study, researchers for the National Center for Education Statistics used student test scores to figure out where the proficiency levels on various state tests would lie on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Their results suggest that between 2005 and 2007, various states made their standards less rigorous in one or more grade levels or subjects in at least 26 instances. In 12 instances, particular states appeared to make their standards more stringent in one or more grade levels or subjects.
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A new study paints a national picture of Generation Y teachers, revealing an openness to incentive pay. Seventy-one percent of Gen Y teachers are open to rewarding teachers based on incentive pay, whereas only 10 percent of Gen Y teachers think that student performance on standardized tests is an “excellent” measure of teacher success. The nationwide study, Supporting Teacher Talent: The View from Generation Y, from Public Agenda, a nonprofit research organization, and Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit education research and consulting organization, offers a comprehensive and nuanced look at the question of whether different generations bring different aspirations, concerns, and perspectives to teaching.
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Serial entrepreneur and investor David Rose, gives a talk on how to pitch to a venture capital (VC) firm. Rose focuses on the things you need to convey and how to convey them about yourself and your product.
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Despite the known reluctance of the overwhelming majority of people in most countries to let in immigrants, governments continue to promote policies that maintain or increase immigration levels. This thorny gap between public opinion and government policies on immigration is leading increasingly to social unrest, political upheaval and in some instances even violence.
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A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use—such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health—that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them. The report estimates dollar values for several major components of these costs. The damages the committee was able to quantify were an estimated $120 billion in the U.S. in 2005, a number that reflects primarily health damages from air pollution associated with electricity generation and motor vehicle transportation. The figure does not include damages from climate change, harm to ecosystems, effects of some air pollutants such as mercury, and risks to national security, which the report examines but does not monetize.
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In a recent op ed piece in the New York Times, Thomas Friedman talks about the need to innovate our way out of the recession. “Those who are waiting for this recession to end so someone can again hand them work could have a long wait. Those with the imagination to make themselves untouchables — to invent smarter ways to do old jobs, energy-saving ways to provide new services, new ways to attract old customers or new ways to combine existing technologies — will thrive,” he explains. “We not only need a higher percentage of our kids graduating from high school and college — more education — but we need more of them with the right education,” he adds.
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As economists, pundits and politicians debate the reasons for the dollar’s rapid fall, Robert Stevenson and his workers in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., watch the slide with glee. Mr. Stevenson’s family-owned company, Eastman Machine, has been making cutting tools for the textile industry for 120 years. A year ago, in the depths of the financial crisis, Mr. Stevenson had to lay off a dozen workers, but the dollar’s almost 20 percent decline since March has made his goods much more competitive overseas. Next month, Mr. Stevenson hopes to sign a multimillion-dollar deal in Europe that could enable him to rehire his workers.
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The rural outdoors has become a major asset for rural communities—and a key advantage that some rural areas have over urban areas. The rural outdoors can be enhanced through the construction of recreation facilities, but undeveloped rural landscapes have appeal on their own, both for recreation and as attractive places to live. This briefing room looks at the appeal of rural landscapes, the importance of forest landscape preferences, and the role of scenic amenities across the rural-urban continuum.
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Since the beginning of the financial crisis, Latin America has faced both challenges and opportunities. The region has dealt very well with the challenges, but still has to seize this crisis as an opportunity to make important reforms to solve longstanding problems.
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With unemployment continuing to creep up to levels not seen for decades, a lot of focus has been placed on the sheer number of people without jobs. But high rates of joblessness are also pushing more people into poverty. More disturbing still is the fact that they are likely to stay there for a long time. Indeed, the poverty rate will likely remain higher than it was in 2007 for at least a decade. Thus, in the absence of a stronger safety net or more opportunity for those at the bottom, the recession could end up widening income disparities in the U.S.—disparities that were already large, long before the economic meltdown began.
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Two new College Board reports, Trends in College Pricing 2008 and Trends in Student Aid 2008, document a wide variation in prices in a diverse higher education system. Among the findings were that, after adjusting for the 5.6 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index, average published tuition and fees declined this year by 0.8 percent at public two-year colleges and increased by just 0.7 percent for in-state students at public four-year institutions and by 0.3 percent at private four-year colleges and universities. The Trends reports also contain data on enrollment and degree patterns. Both reports, including an online tool with expanded data and graphics, are available on the new Trends website.

As the economy makes the long, slow climb to recovery, the lagging commercial real estate market will tug against progress each step of the way. Job losses, store closings and corporate cost-cutting have put office buildings, shopping centers, hotels and apartments in a bind. This slump won't have as dramatic an effect as the housing collapse, which contributed to a near-breakdown of the nation's financial system. But the nation's $6.5 trillion commercial real estate market certainly won't be much of a contributor to economic growth during the next few years, analysts say.
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Why Rural Matters 2009 is the fifth in a series of biennial reports by the Rural School and Community Trust analyzing the contexts and conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the need for policymakers to address rural education issues in their respective states. In 2006-07 (the school year used in the report), 9,063,790 public school students were enrolled in rural school districts—19% of the nation’s total public school enrollment. The report is framed around 25 key indicators in five areas: 1) the importance of rural education; 2) the diversity of rural students and their families; 3) the educational policy context impacting rural schools; 4) the educational outcomes of students in rural schools in each state; and 5) the characteristics of school districts experiencing concentrated poverty conditions.
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Based on retirement, dropout, skill, and demographic figures, the U.S. Department of Labor is predicting a labor shortage of more than 35 million skilled and educated workers over the next 30 years. What the data don’t tell you is what will happen to those who are insufficiently skilled to do the work. Or for that matter, what of a practical nature might be done to avert the long unemployment lines. Funded by the Gates Foundation, this report by the Workforce Strategy Center investigates a number of education and training programs involving employers in efforts to help disadvantaged young adults attain postsecondary credentials leading to career track employment. The report highlights successful programs in 14 communities, including the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium, The Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia, and Metropolitan College in Louisville.
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Fortune Small Business and the Kauffman Foundation have ranked their best places to launch a business. Taking top honors for large cities was Oklahoma City, citing its stability, affordability, and deep-pocketed local investors. Other Southern cities in the top 10 included Raleigh and Charlotte. Southern cities also dominated the midsize city’s rankings with Huntsville, AL ranked first followed by Lafayette, LA, Clarksville, TN, Lexington, KY, and Baton Rouge, LA.
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In California, cellulosic ethanol pioneer BlueFire Ethanol Fuels announced strategic relocation of its second planned biorefinery to Fulton, Mississippi. “We wanted to move quicker, and DOE said we needed to move quicker than we were able to in California. The Economic Development people in Mississippi, and in Itawamba County, welcomed us, and facilitated the project in every way. After going through a 20-month process with our Lancaster facility in California, we expect to be done with permitting by the end of the first quarter, after starting in July, and we have already located an off-take partner for our ethanol, upriver in the Memphis area. California, which stood to gain $8.3 million in tax revenue from the Mecca project (in addition to the $5.3 million from Lancaster, which also saw taxes rise, to $6.3 million), will see the revenues and jobs move to Mississippi, after the proposed increase to $9.3 million.
Visit the website here

Voting for Business Week’s Best Young Entrepreneur has begun. Included in the 25 finalists is Augusta, Georgia native Jamail Larkins. Larkins is the founder of Ascension Aircrafts which has earned over $7 million in revenue through the sale and leasing of aircraft. Learn more about the other entrepreneurs and vote at the website.
For more information, visit the link

Average broadband speeds in 15 countries are faster than in the U.S. In Japan, citizens check in to airlines, pay transit fares, and back through their cell phones. Average broadband speeds in 15 countries are faster than in the United States. And in Finland, virtually all primary care physicians use electronic health records. German leads the United States in innovation and development of solar cells, Demand leads in wind power, Japan Leads in robotics, and the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries at the heart of GM’s vaunted all-electric Volt were designed and manufactured in South Korea.
For more information, visit the link

The power grid of the future is one of humanity's boldest visions. Gigantic wind farms in the sea and enormous solar fields in the desert are to generate the bulk of our power in the years to come. But consumers and companies are also producing energy with mini-power plants in their own basements and solar panels on the roof. And intelligent appliances are saving energy in our homes: washers, dryers and refrigerators that communicate with each other wash, dry or cool when electricity is cheapest. The information age is arriving at a new level: It's becoming the electricity age.
For more information, visit the link

Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said on Monday that global trade imbalances played a central role in the global economic crisis and warned that both the United States and fast-growing Asian nations needed to do more to prevent them from recurring.
For more information, visit the link

A forthcoming examination of evidence from the Making Connections initiative, a decade-long effort sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to improve neighborhoods in 10 cities, shows that poverty rates declined primarily because of the departure of poor families, while changes in the economic circumstances of those who stayed were limited. Panelists will discuss: 

• whether low-income families move because of financial and other problems or to find better homes or communities;  
  
• whether mobility supports or undermines neighborhood stability; 
  
• how federal neighborhood revitalization efforts should respond to high rates of family mobility; and  
  
• what role cities and nonprofits should play in serving families that move and those that stay.

For more information, visit the link


New Report Analyzes Health Insurance Coverage
Urban Institute( October 5, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 27, 2009


New data on health insurance coverage from the American Community Survey show extensive variation in rates of private and public coverage and uninsurance across congressional districts in the United States. Rates of private coverage are lowest in districts that have higher poverty rates which tend to be concentrated in the South and West and uninsurance remains most serious in districts with low rates of private coverage. This analysis identifies the districts in which residents would have the most to gain from health reforms that are designed to increase health insurance coverage toward a higher and more uniform national standard.
For more information, visit the link



Wall Street Journal Surveys the Housing Landscape
Wall Street Journal( October 22, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 27, 2009


Despite some tentative signs of recovery, the U.S. housing market remains vulnerable to further price drops—especially in areas where large numbers of mortgages are headed toward foreclosure over the next few years. The Wall Street Journal's quarterly survey of housing-market data in 28 major metro areas shows sharp drops in the number of homes listed for sale across the country. But the potential supply of homes is far larger because banks are likely to acquire significant numbers of foreclosed homes in some areas, notably Las Vegas, Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix, Miami and other parts of Florida, and Sacramento, Calif., over the next few years. Sales of those homes may depress prices further. By contrast, metro areas with relatively low foreclosure and mortgage-delinquency rates include Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Raleigh, N.C., and Portland, Ore., making them less vulnerable.
Access the article link here



Is the Class of 2009 Prepared for College and Careers?
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Oct 27, 2009


ACT has released a state-specific analysis for all 50 states that helps answer the question: Are your students prepared for college and careers? The analysis compares data from two sources for each of the 50 states: long-term occupational projections and the recently released ACT report titled Measuring College and Career Readiness: The Class of 2009. Among the information presented in the report is a bar graph comparing each state’s projected job openings versus career interests of the state’s most recent ACT-tested high school graduating class, revealing where gaps may exist in the future workforce. On a national level, ACT research indicates many students are not on the right path to take advantage of career opportunities in high-growth fields requiring a two-year degree or more.
Access the report here



Two out of Five Teachers Disheartened by their Jobs
Public Agenda Alert( October 19, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 27, 2009


Two out of five American K-12 teachers appear disheartened and disappointed about their jobs, according to a nationwide study, Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today. This new research by Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates looks at how teachers view their profession, why they entered teaching, the problems they face, and ideas for reform. Additionally, Public Agenda examined whether teachers’ views have shifted since a similar 2003 report, Stand by Me.
For more information, visit the link



New Report on Community Colleges and Economic Mobility
Pew News Now( October 20, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 27, 2009


A report by The Pew Charitable Trust’s Economic Mobility Project shows that community colleges are an important stepping stone for students of all backgrounds, income levels and high school achievements to improve their economic mobility prospects. Earning a community college degree boosts earnings by an average of $7,900 annually, an increase of 29 percent over those with only a high school diploma. For low-income, high-achieving high school students in particular, community colleges serve as a springboard to further postsecondary education; more than half eventually transfer to four-year programs, and three-quarters of those who transfer earn a bachelor’s degree.
Access the report here



Louisiana Tech Using Nanotechnology to Improve Biofuels
ScienceDaily( October 10, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 20, 2009


Dr. James Palmer, associate professor of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, is collaborating with fellow professors Dr. Yuri Lvov, Dr. Dale Snow, and Dr. Hisham Hegab to capitalize on the environmental and financial benefits of “biofuels” by using nanotechnology to further improve the cellulosic ethanol processes. The nanotechnology processes developed at Louisiana Tech University can immobilize the expensive enzymes used to convert cellulose to sugars, allowing them to be reused several times over and, thus significantly reducing the overall cost of the process. Savings estimates range from approximately $32 million for each cellulosic ethanol plant to a total of $7.5 billion if a federally-established goal of 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol is achieved. This process can easily be applied in large-scale commercial environments and can immobilize a wide variety or mixture of enzymes for production.
Access the article link here



NGA Release State Green Economy Profiles
National Governors Association( September 29, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 20, 2009


As governors across the country look at ways they can help build a green economy in their state, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has commissioned Collaborative Economics Inc. (CEI) to prepare a profile of each state’s "green" economy. This data is designed to provide a detailed, empirical account of each state’s existing assets across multiple green sectors and serve as a foundation for identifying future growth areas and related needs. The profile analyzes the scope of green business activity in each state from 2000 to 2007 (the latest year data is available) and patent activity from 1994 to¬ 2008. Such an analysis can reveal areas of comparative advantage, targets for workforce development, and opportunities for building partnerships within and across green industry segments. This information also helps reveal the extent to which a state’s business base can meet the coming demand for things such as highly efficiency appliances, renewable energy generation systems, high-efficiency building products, and low-emission fuels.
Visit the website here



NanoTeach 2009: South Regional Conference
Wall Street Journal( October 5, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 20, 2009


The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research is the site for NanoTeach 2009. NanoTeach will introduce and equip K-12 teachers to introduce their students to the world of nanotechnology. The event will take place on November 3, 2009 in Danville, Virginia.
For more information, visit the link



Can Government Help Revive Innovation and Trade?
The Economist( October 1, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 20, 2009


An economy's potential output depends on the amount of labour and capital available, and on the ingenuity with which those resources are put to use. Of these three factors ingenuity is by far the most important. It accounted for about 88% of the growth in output per man-hour between 1909 and 1949, according to a 1957 paper by Robert Solow which helped bag him a Nobel Prize. Mr. Solow labeled this all-important factor “technical change”, a catch-all term for anything that yields more output from the same inputs of labour and capital. It could include breakthrough inventions, like the internal combustion engine, or organizational improvements, like the assembly line or the traffic roundabout.
For more information, visit the link



Book Review: Globalization and Sport
Susan Froetschel in YaleGlobal Online ( Mar 10, 2010 )
Globalization
Oct 20, 2009


In a few short centuries, primitive pasture games relying on balls of rocks, rags, feathers or hair transformed into global events with intricate rules, with television and the internet tracking cricket matches in Australia to soccer in Zaire. Any sport can now attract players or audiences in any part of the globe, and yet conventional wisdom suggests that as an activity takes on global stature, it becomes more controlled and competitive, disconnecting from local origins. But does the process of global growth necessarily eliminate local connections or fervor? Can innovation accompany tradition? And how do endeavors that require fierce competition reveal a common humanity? Editors Richard Giulianotti and Roland Robertson delve into such questions with “Sport and Globalization,” a compilation of essays written by sociologists and anthropologists.
For more information, visit the link



Podcast: Globalization and the IRS Response
Price Waterhouse Coopers ( Dec 31, 1969 )
Globalization
Oct 20, 2009


In today's international marketplace, increasing globalization has created a number of challenges for multinational companies. Ever-increasing fiscal demands, competitive pressures, and regulation transparency and disclosure all contribute to an environment of tax risk and exposure. Furthermore, the IRS is more involved in the international arena by collaborating with taxing authorities in various treaty countries, sharing audit techniques, and exchanging tax information.
For more information, visit the link



Brookings Discusses Metro Planning for Sustainable Growth
The Brookings Institution( October 16, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 20, 2009


On October 13, the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program hosted a panel discussion around building smartly for the future. Architect and planner Peter Calthorpe delivered opening remarks, and Brookings Visiting Fellow Christopher B. Leinberger moderated a conversation among metropolitan leaders who are utilizing blueprint-style planning to guide transportation and other infrastructure investments. After the program, panelists took audience questions. 
 
Listen to audio of the event on the website.
Visit the website here



Southern Cities Fare Well in Ranking of Healthy Housing Markets
BuilderOnline.com( October 6, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 20, 2009


Much has changed since February, when we published our first list of the healthiest housing markets for 2009. The federal government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers spurred sales around the country. Companies with cash are buying land again. A handful of builders have begun emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 
 
But the housing downturn surely is not over yet, despite economists’ assertions that statistics will show that the recession ended in June. Home values have fallen dramatically this year, and some believe prices still haven’t hit bottom. In terms of employment (a key factor for home sales), all but three of the top 100 housing markets have lost jobs since we published our February story. Given these factors, we decided to revisit our list and see how individual markets have fared this year—and where builders need to be in the months to come.
For more information, visit the link



Report Highlights Sources of State Revenue
Tax Foundation( October 9, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 20, 2009


Newly released Census data show how different the 50 states’ fiscal systems are. Their reliance on various sources of tax revenue differs widely because they have different endowed resources and policy priorities. These differences are reflected in state-local tax collections no matter how large or small a fraction of the residents’ income state and local governments have decided to take in taxes.
For more information, visit the link



Working with Late High School Graduates Pays Off
PEN Weekly NewsBlast( October 2, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 20, 2009


While we admire the staying power of so-called late graduates, is their extra effort to finish high school worth it? According to a policy guide from the Center for Public Education, yes. The extra work that late graduates and their schools put toward earning a diploma pays off, not only in academic outcomes but in every aspect of life. The center drew these conclusions by looking at the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, which followed a nationally representative sample of eighth graders through high school, college, and the workforce until the year 2000.
For more information, visit the link



Report Presents Findings on Initiative Aimed at Low-Income, Non-Custodial Fathers
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Oct 20, 2009


Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play—both financially and emotionally—in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the U.S., two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work experience, and criminal records, which impede their success in the labor market as well as their ability to provide for their children. Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative presents findings from Public/Private Venture's evaluation of Fathers at Work, a national demonstration funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, designed to help low-income noncustodial fathers increase their employment and earnings, become more involved in their children's lives, and provide them with more consistent financial support. Roanoke, Virginia was one of six demonstration sites nationwide.
For more information, visit the link



Policy Brief Presents Strategy for Testing Parent Training Initiatives
Brookings Alert( October 5, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 20, 2009


Three decades of research has shown that parent training can improve developmental outcomes for children. Recent research suggests that parent training can also reduce child abuse and neglect, especially when the training is embedded in a broader community campaign. Parent training and community campaigns warrant further rigorous experimental evaluation to determine cost-effectiveness. This policy brief from the Brookings Institution presents a strategy for testing community-developed parent training initiatives.
For more information, visit the link



NIST TIP-MEP Regional Meeting to be Held at SSTI Conference
SSTI( September 30, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 13, 2009


On October 21, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m, SSTI is co-hosting a regional meeting with officials from the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) that we encourage you or one of your colleagues to attend. TIP and MEP are two of the most market-driven programs operated by the federal government. Both programs have launched new investments and innovative services in the last year.
For more information, visit the link



Secretary of Commerce Announces New Office for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
EntrepreneurshipBlog( October 1, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 13, 2009


Last week, the U.S. government took a bold move in favor of entrepreneurs. At the Inc. 500/5000 conference, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced the formation of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as a National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
For more information, visit the link



Five Firms Leaving U.S. Chamber of Commerce Over Climate Legislation
Wall Street Journal( October 5, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 13, 2009


And then there were five—defections from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its climate-change policy, that is. Apple today resigned its membership in the Chamber “effective immediately.” That’s a harsher tone than the other departures—three utilities said they’d let their membership lapse at the end of the year, and Nike simply quite the Chamber’s board of directors. At issue, again, is the Chamber of Commerce’s opposition to the Obama administration’s climate policy, most notably the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.
For more information, visit the link



Mobile Phones Promote Economic Growth in Developing World
YaleGlobal Online( September 25, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 13, 2009


In the last decade, mobile phones penetrated even the world's poorest communities, as established Western companies and developing world upstarts filled demand for communication that could not be met in time through landlines and traditional mail delivery. Studies suggest that this telecommunications boom leads to substantial growth in GDP per capita. As a result, the developing world's market share in the industry has grown at a staggering rate: from 25 percent of the world’s mobile phone subscriptions in 2000, the developing world accounts for 75 percent today. But this revolution might have only just begun, as three major trends promise yet another boom.
For more information, visit the link



World’s Best Companies, 2009
Business Week Online( October 1, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 13, 2009


Any athlete will tell you that the time to train is in dismal weather, not on perfect, sun-drenched days. If you want to excel at the best of times, it seems, you need to be prepared for the worst. Companies are little different. So as the economic outlook brightens, those that have worked hard to survive the tough times of the past year are best prepared to seize new opportunities. It is these enterprises that have risen to the top of the World's Best Companies/Global Top 40 list, compiled for BusinessWeek by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney.
For more information, visit the link



Climate Agency Sees China’s Efforts Paying Big Dividends
New York Times( October 6, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 13, 2009


Little good can be said about the worst economic slump since the 1930s, but it has produced at least one piece of positive news: the downturn will make it a bit easier to slow the rise in emissions responsible for climate change. The International Energy Agency made that prediction in a report Tuesday on global greenhouse gas emissions. Because of slower economic growth, the agency slashed, by 5 percent, its estimate of how much greenhouse gas emissions will be produced in 2020.
For more information, visit the link



Article Examines Rural Brain Drain Crisis
The Chronicle of Higher Education( September 21, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 13, 2009


The most dramatic evidence of the rural meltdown has been the hollowing out—that is, losing the most talented young people at precisely the same time that changes in farming and industry have transformed the landscape for those who stay. This so-called rural "brain drain" isn't a new phenomenon, but by the 21st century the shortage of young people has reached a tipping point, and its consequences are more severe now than ever before. Simply put, many small towns are mere years away from extinction, while others limp along in a weakened and disabled state.
Access the article link here



Report Finds Lowered Civic Engagement During Economic Downturn
National Conference on Citizenship( August 27, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 13, 2009


As economic distress continues through the summer and into the fall, Americans are suffering from a “civic foreclosure” that is limiting the range and depth of their civic engagement, according to a new study by National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). The annual America’s Civic Health Index, based on survey data collected in May 2009, is a look at the state of civic engagement in America that reflects the impact of the economic crisis. The survey’s results reflect the hard choices Americans have made during the downturn, with 72 percent of respondents saying they have cut back on time engaged in civic participation, which includes time spent volunteering, participating in groups or performing other civic activities in their communities.
For more information, visit the link



Oklahoma Regents Implement Making Place Matter Project
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education( September 23, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 13, 2009


Dedicated to making higher education a leader in economic and community development, Oklahoma’s state system of higher education will become the second state system in the nation to implement the Making Place Matter project statewide. Making Place Matter, a project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, was designed to provide tools and practical insights for community and campus leaders as they seek to build partnerships and to create a more vital and viable economy in their local and regional communities. Kentucky was the first state in the nation to implement the project.
For more information, visit the link



Study Examines Incentives to Attract Teachers to Hard-to-Staff Schools
PEN Weekly NewsBlast( October 2, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 13, 2009


Across the country, public school districts are experimenting with financial incentives to attract and retain high-quality teachers in high-need, low-achieving, or hard-to-staff urban schools. New research from the International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership has examined factors in the job choices of teachers-in-training, by holding focus groups with teaching students and conducting a policy-capturing study using 64 job scenarios with various levels of pay and working conditions. Focus group results suggested that many pre-service teachers, even late in their preparation, are willing to consider different job possibilities, including high-need schools and districts. They also showed that loan forgiveness and subsidies for further education are as attractive to pre-service teachers as pay and benefits, and that small increments of additional salary were not as important as other job characteristics. The policy-capturing scenarios indicated that working conditions, especially principal support, had more influence on simulated job choice than pay level, implying that money might be better spent to attract, retain, or train better principals than to provide larger salaries to teachers in schools with high poverty.
For more information, visit the link



Southern States Lead in AP and IB Participation
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Oct 13, 2009


Southern Regional Education Board states continue to lead the nation in student participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and are making long-term progress on passing rates for AP exams, a new SREB report shows. The 16 SREB states continued to outpace the nation in the percentage of graduating high school seniors who took at least one AP exam in 2008, with 27 percent compared with 25 percent nationally. This marks at least the second straight year SREB states have outperformed the nation.
For more information, visit the link



Report Highlights State Efforts in Career and Technical Education
ECS e-Connection( October 5, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 13, 2009


States have been working to increase the rigor and effectiveness of career and technical education to both meet the needs of their students and to address the workforce needs of the state and the nation. A new ECS StateNote highlights efforts in the states that appear to be “ahead of the curve” in state policy approaches.
For more information, visit the link



SEC Universities Create Academic Website
Mississippi State University( August 21, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 06, 2009


Mississippi State and the University of Mississippi are joining with the 10 other Southeastern Conference institutions in the launch of a new SEC Academic Network. A Web site designed to promote academic endeavors of SEC universities using ESPN360.com technology, www.secacademicnetwork.com went live Friday [Aug. 21] morning. The Academic Network was established by the SEC, in partnership with ESPN and the member schools. It will feature content from every institution, ranging from research, innovation and economic development to community partnerships, civic engagement and service.
For more information, visit the link



Greentech Media: Clean Tech Investments on the Rise
Reuters( September 29, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 06, 2009


Clean tech investments—which include solar power, an electric grid controlled by computers for efficiency, electric cars, biofuels and green building materials—rose to $1.9 billion in 112 deals, Greentech said. That represents another big jump, after clean tech went from $836 million in the first quarter to $1.2 billion of second quarter. More than half the clean tech investment in the third quarter went into two areas—solar and a combined category of biofuels, gasification and cleaner coal.
For more information, visit the link



Pew Report Looks at Subsidies in the Transportation Sector
Pew Charitable Trusts( September 28, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Oct 06, 2009


More than half of federal transportation spending in fiscal year (FY) 2008 was directed to programs that contain subsidies, according to Subsidyscope, an initiative of Pew’s Economic Policy Group. The analysis comes from a new comprehensive online database on all spending on subsidy programs in the transportation sector. The project collected and aggregated data from USAspending.gov and other sources and built a searchable database of federal transportation spending; users can query by grant recipient, state, government program and many other parameters. The database includes information from 2000-2008.
For more information, visit the link



Wharton Announces Global Innovation Tournament
Knowledge@Wharton( September 30, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 06, 2009


Wipro Technologies and Knowledge@Wharton have teamed up to conduct a global "Innovation Tournament" which will solicit, judge and select the most innovative managerial "tools" that companies can use to improve their business by increasing revenues, reducing expenditures and improving customer experience. Based on the newly released book, Innovation Tournaments, by Wharton professors Karl Ulrich and Christian Terwiesch, this tournament is designed to identify innovative managerial tools that organizations can use to increase efficiencies, cut costs and/or streamline operations. (For the purpose of this contest, a "tool" is defined as a method, approach, template, process or software.) The tournament is open to all individuals and/or groups from around the world who wish to submit a tool for consideration.
For more information, visit the link



Rising Seas and Their Impacts on Developing Countries
Center for Global Development( September 24, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 06, 2009


As temperatures rise this century, massive tropical storm surges and growing populations may collide in disasters of unprecedented size. CGD senior fellow David Wheeler and co-authors explore the implications for 84 developing countries, providing new data for 577 cyclone-vulnerable coastal cities with populations greater than 100,000. Bottom line: carefully targeted international assistance will be essential to protect population centers.
For more information, visit the link



Globalization: Cure for Economic Woes
YaleGlobal( October 2, 2009 )
Globalization
Oct 06, 2009


Amid the rise in unemployment across the globe, trade is the oft-cited cause for the current malaise. Hence, according to populists, restricting trade should be the cure. But, Director for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute Daniel Griswold says the populists have it wrong. If one really wants to help the poor, fostering trade is the key since it delivers the lowest cost staple goods that make up the bulk of the poor’s spending.
For more information, visit the link



Residents’ Affection for a Community Drives Economic Growth
The Globe and Mail( September 30, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 06, 2009


Politicians and policy makers sweating over how to jump-start economic growth may want to start studying a new equation emerging Tuesday from U.S. research: L + P = $. Translated, it means that communities able to inspire loyalty and passion among residents are also likely to see a swell in their financial outlook. The [study’s] findings are being touted as critical information for community leaders across the United States and Canada working to engineer an economic rebound. Perhaps most useful for them is the fact that researchers found perceptions of economic prosperity are not the leading drivers of attachment feelings among residents.
For more information, visit the link



Poverty Increases in 31 States
Wall Street Journal( September 29, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 06, 2009


Poverty rose in the West and Midwest last year, as slowdowns in housing and manufacturing sent more families below the poverty line, according to a Census Bureau report released Tuesday. The report, part of the agency's annual American Community Survey, was the latest to measure the recession's toll on low-income families, after a boom in which low-skilled workers relied on plentiful jobs and overtime—often in construction and retail—to raise their incomes and prospects. The bureau said poverty rates overall increased in 31 states and the District of Columbia in 2008, compared with poverty-rate increases in 10 states in 2007.
Access the article link here



Speech Addresses Importance of Regionalism
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Community & Quality of Life
Oct 06, 2009


Bruce Katz, Vice President and Director of The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, spoke recently on the topics of regionalism and metropolitan governance. In the speech Katz contends that the nation’s future prosperity if inextricably linked to the economic health of metro regions, then barriers that currently deter regional cooperation must be lessened.
View the speech here



New Website Launched on Education Reform
PNN Alert( September 24, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 06, 2009


The Foundation Center has announced the launch of “Foundations for Education Excellence,” a national initiative it is supporting to engage philanthropic institutions and education leaders across the country in a unified, strategic drive to improve public education. The cornerstone of this initiative is a new online resource center that will help education funders align their grantmaking—and maximize their overall impact—with funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The website includes: interactive U.S. maps, updated weekly, with details for each state, including foundations that have made grants for elementary/secondary school reform; summaries of best and “promising” practices drawn from foundation-sponsored reports; and weekly spotlights of current foundation initiatives on education reform.
Visit the website here



New Brief from ECS Looks at Class Size Reduction Policies
ECS e-Connection( September 28, 2009 )
Workforce
Oct 06, 2009


A new ECS StateNotes provides a detailed look at class-size reduction policies in 23 states, including information about funding and legislative provisions. Six Southern states are among the 23 states highlighted.
For more information, visit the link



Is a College Education Worth the Debt?
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Oct 06, 2009


A college degree has long been considered a golden ticket to success in this country. But with the current economic recession, some question whether obtaining a college degree is worth going into debt. In a segment that aired recently on NPR, a professor of finance at Syracuse University, a professor of economics at Ohio University and a graduate student at Columbia University discuss how many are rethinking their high hopes of a college education.
For more information, visit the link



Cellulosic Biofuels Summit
November 16-19, 2009
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 29, 2009


The Cellulosic Biofuels Summit will take place November 16-19, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Summit will include three individual forums: the Finance & Investment Forum, the Cellulosic Biofuels Summit, and the Feedstock Supply Chain Forum. The keynote address will be given by Dr. Kristina Johnson, the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy.
For more information, visit the link



ORNL Sees Projects Emerge From Stimulus Funds
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 29, 2009


Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received significant investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds will go towards a $95 million Chemical and Materials Science Building to be used for the design of new energy-related products; the cleanup and demolition of the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory; a collaborative effort on the development of lithium ion batteries; and be the home of two Energy Frontier Research Centers.
For more information, visit the link



NRC Recommends Launch of “New Biology” Initiative
National Academies( September 17, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 29, 2009


According to a new report from the National Research Council, the emergence of "New Biology"—where scientists and engineers from many disciplines collaborate on ways to take advantage of dramatic recent advances in biology, such as the ability to sequence entire genomes—offers an opportunity to solve some of society's most pressing problems. The report recommends a National New Biology Initiative to accelerate such research and apply it to our greatest challenges.
For more information, visit the link



New Website Facilitates Information about the Greentech Market in China
The China Greentech Initiative( September 18, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 29, 2009


Welcome to The China Greentech Initiative, an interactive website designed to facilitate the collection, analysis and sharing of research on the evolving greentech market in China. Please feel free to browse the information available on this site and if you would like to download the Initiative's reports or contribute to our community, register now for free. The China Greentech Initiative is an open source, commercial collaboration of over 80 of the world's leading technology and services companies, entrepreneurs, investors, NGOs and policy advisors. Through the Initiative, these organizations have come together to define greentech market opportunities and solutions which will contribute to building a sustainable China and world.
Visit the website here



Protectionist Fears Remain Unrealized
Businessworld( August 31, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 29, 2009


Almost a year into the global economic crisis, it is time to consider the dog that did not bark. Since Wall Street imploded in September 2008, triggering a global recession, there have been dire warnings against protectionism. Many, including myself, saw the world facing the risk of a 1930s-style beggar-thy-neighbor policy that would drive the recession into another Great Depression.
For more information, visit the link



Muslims Widely Seen as Facing Discrimination
Pew Research Center for People and the Press( September 9, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 29, 2009


Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than other major religious groups. Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons.




Census Bureau Releases Updates on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance
U.S. Census Bureau( September 10, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 29, 2009


The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that real median household income in the United States fell 3.6 percent between 2007 and 2008, from $52,163 to $50,303. This breaks a string of three years of annual income increases and coincides with the recession that started in December 2007. The nation’s official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. There were 39.8 million people in poverty in 2008, up from 37.3 million in 2007. Meanwhile, the number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 45.7 million in 2007 to 46.3 million in 2008, while the percentage remained unchanged at 15.4 percent. These findings are contained in the report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008.
Read the news release here



Article Examines Retrofitting of Suburbia to Benefit an Aging Populace
Wall Street Journal( September 19, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 29, 2009


The nation's sprawling suburbs—home to as much as half of the U.S. population and more than 30 million people age 55-plus—may have been a good place to grow up. But the suburbs are proving a tough place to grow old. Indeed, as the country ages, suburbia's widely assumed benefits—privacy, elbow room, affordability—tend to vanish. Maintaining yards and homes requires more effort; driving everywhere, and for everything, becomes expensive and, eventually, impossible. (Research shows that men and women who reach their 70s, on average, outlive their ability to drive by six and 10 years, respectively.) Even something as simple as the absence of sidewalks can discourage older adults from walking through their neighborhoods and seeing other people.
For more information, visit the link



HUD Releases Updated Trends in the Housing Market
HUD User News( September 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 29, 2009


HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research has released U.S. Housing Market Conditions 2nd Quarter, 2009. The report contains a quarterly analysis of housing production, marketing, affordability and interest rates, and the multifamily housing sector. The data are compared to both the previous quarter and the second quarter of 2008. This issue also presents updated national data, overviews of economic and housing market trends within each HUD region, and reviews historical trends in national and regional housing markets.
Access the report here



Undergraduate Education on Verge of Radical Change
The Washington Post( September 13, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 29, 2009


Students starting school this year may be part of the last generation for which “going to college” means packing up, getting a dorm room and listening to tenured professors, says Zephyr Teachout, a professor at Fordham University. Undergraduate education is on the verge of a radical reordering. Colleges, like newspapers, will be torn apart by new ways of sharing information enabled by the Internet. The business model that sustained private U.S. colleges cannot survive.
Access the article link here



Self-Employed Most Satisfied with their Jobs
Pew Research Center( September 17, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 29, 2009


Self-employed adults are significantly more satisfied with their jobs than other workers. They’re also more likely to work because they want to and not because they need a paycheck. But don’t count on becoming financially secure if you become your own boss. Self-employed men and women have virtually identical family incomes as other workers but they feel more financial stress, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center Social & Demographics Trends project.
Access the report here



Unique Partnership to Promote GED in Kentucky
ECS e-Connection( September 22, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 29, 2009


McDonald’s of Central and Southeastern Kentucky has partnered with Kentucky Adult Education for a fourth year in a row to encourage GED attainment in an innovative in-store promotion funded by the restaurant owners. During September, customers at 66 restaurants will see tray liners with a “GED – Prove Yourself” theme featuring Kentucky GED graduates. The campaign is an extension of ongoing efforts by Kentucky Adult Education, a unit of the Council on Postsecondary Education, to raise the educational attainment of adults in the Commonwealth.
Read the news release here



New Publications Address Rural Clusters, Creative Economies
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 23, 2009


Regional Technology Strategies has released a series of publications in 2009 that address the use of cluster strategies for wealth creation in rural communities and analyze the state of creative economies in Arkansas and the Triad region of North Carolina. Included in the publications is a compendium of successful rural clusters, many of which are located in the South.
For more information, visit the link



SAFER, IALR and VA Tech Extension to Host Southern Virginia Bioenergy Conference
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 22, 2009


Legislators, community leaders, farmers, and economic developers are closely watching the progress of bioenergy production in Southern Virginia. In searching for innovative solutions, Southern Virginia Bioenergy: Making Innovation Work conference scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, 2009, will offer all stakeholders an opportunity to focus on Virginia’s renewable energy agenda. Beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. and held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville Virginia, the conference will feature demonstrations from BioSAT (Biomass Site Assessment Tool), an ethanol mini-refinery, and a mobile gasification power generation unit.
For more information, visit the link



NACFAM Hosts Policy Conference: October 6-7, 2009
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 22, 2009


The National Council for Advance Manufacturing will be holding their national policy conference on October 6-7 in Arlington, VA. The meeting will provide participants the opportunity to advise Ron Bloom, the first White House Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy, and key Congressional leaders about the policy issues most important to manufacturing and to learn how to take advantage of the cost savings and business growth opportunities offered by Sustainable Manufacturing.
For more information, visit the link



Survey Finds Immigrants Hold Fast to American Dream
Public Agenda( September 9, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 22, 2009


Despite the worst economic crisis in decades, renewed national security concerns in a post-9/11 world and an immigration policy many consider to be broken, a new Public Agenda survey finds immigrants themselves hold fast to their belief that America remains the land of opportunity and remain committed to becoming U.S. citizens. These voices are vital as legislators today lay the groundwork for passing immigration reform by President Obama’s 2010 timeline.
For more information, visit the link



The Virtues of Deglobalization
YaleGlobal Online( September 10, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 22, 2009


In the last two years, globalization has gone from panacea to scourge. And the many policy responses to the current crisis reveal this sentiment, as governments focus on national initiatives to strengthen financial regulations, revealing how policymakers are beholden to their own constituents and domestic markets. While many of globalization's champions bemoan the erosion of economic integration, Walden Bello, a long time opponent of globalization and Filipino congressman, sees this trend towards “deglobalization” as a chance to take a more locally based, and thus socially sustaining, approach.
For more information, visit the link



Crisis to Opportunity: How Global Challenger Companies Are Seeking Industry Leadership in the Postcrisis World
Boston Consulting Group( September 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 22, 2009


Of the 100 companies on BCG’s (Boston Consulting Group) 2009 list of global challengers, some—particularly those that took on sizable debt before the crisis began and those in highly cyclical industries—have been hard hit and will have a longer, tougher recovery than the others. But those with adequate funding are employing bold strategies to continue striving for global leadership. Some are poised to emerge from the financial crisis wielding an unprecedented degree of influence on their global industries.
For more information, visit the link



Latest Rural Realities Addresses Rural Responses to Recession
Rural Realities, Volume 3, Issue 2 ( Mar 10, 2010 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 22, 2009


Some rural communities have managed to find the silver lining in the dark clouds of plant closings, major layoffs, lagging employment, deteriorating tax bases, and population loss. These communities have responded to the economic turbulence by looking inward and taking stock of their local assets and strengths. They have come to realize that the pathway to economic renewal starts and ends right at home. This issue of Rural Realities highlights the potential of three homegrown approaches to rural economic revitalization: place-based development, economic gardening, and talent cultivation.
Access the report here



Brookings Quarterly MetroMonitor Updated
The MetroMonitor tracks the recession and economic recovery in America’s largest metropolitan areas.
The Brookings Institution( September 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 22, 2009


The American economy continued to weaken during the months of April, May, and June 2009, but it was no longer in free fall. Employment remained on a downward path—the nation lost nearly 1.3 million jobs during those three months alone—and by June, the national unemployment rate had reached its highest rate in more than 15 years, at 9.5 percent. But the pace of economic decline also slowed during the second quarter. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrank at an annualized rate of 1 percent, far less than the 6.4 percent rate of contraction during the first quarter of the year. And signs began to emerge that the housing market was stabilizing, with sales of both new and existing single-family homes rising throughout the spring.
Access the report here



Report Presents New Workforce Model for the South
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Sep 22, 2009


A new report, entitled When Any Job Isn’t Enough: Jobs Centered Development in the American South, presents a model for job creation and skill formation known as jobs-centered development. The report analyzes changes in development practices that have occurred across the South over the past decade and identifies lessons relevant to current realities. Key topics include: 1) a description of the Southern economy; 2) a profile of low-wage work in today’s South; 3) a critique of traditional economic and workforce development; 5) an analysis of jobs-centered development models and strategies; and 6) a discussion of lessons learned and looming challenges.
Access the report here



Kingsport, Tennessee Honored for Education Initiative
Ash Institute Press Release( September 15, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 22, 2009


The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University recently announced the Higher Education Initiative of Kingsport, Tennessee, as a 2009 Innovations in American Government Award winner. Formerly a rustbelt city with an overreliance on heavy manufacturing, Kingsport’s growing aging population, shrinking younger workforce, and dropping education levels of area residents threatened to further depress the region’s standard of living. In order to reverse this impending economic crisis, Kingsport launched a successful “Educate and Grow” campaign to attract new business investment to the region by upgrading the quality of its workforce.
For more information, visit the link



Report Calls for Education Amendment to U.S. Constitution
SEF Report Release( September 15, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 22, 2009


A new report released by the Southern Education Foundation outlines the case for an education amendment to the U.S. Constitution to reduce radical disparities in the allocation of resources and funds for the education of the nation’s public school students. No Time to Lose: Why America Needs an Education Amendment to the US Constitution to Improve Public Education analyzes education finance and resourcing trends at local, state and federal levels. It argues that education is now so vital to the nation’s well-being that Americans can not afford to maintain the current antiquated systems of public education that fail to ensure all students, irrespective of place, class or race, have fair access to a quality opportunity to learn.
Access the report here



Alabama Sees $11 million Investment by Green Building Materials Company
Area Development Online( September 1, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 15, 2009


Green Solar Companies, a startup manufacturer of sustainable building materials, will invest $11 million to open a headquarters and manufacturing facility in Birmingham, Alabama, to build structurally insulated building panels, according to the Birmingham News. The company plans to create 150 new jobs over three years, beginning with 50 workers during the first year of operations.
For more information, visit the link



Kentucky Governor Creates Bioenergy Task Force
Kentucky.gov( September 2, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 15, 2009


Gov. Steve Beshear has signed an Executive Order forming the Executive Task Force on Biomass and Biofuels Development in Kentucky. The 21-member group will work to facilitate the development of a sustainable biomass and biofuels industry in Kentucky. “I am asking this group to take a hands-on approach in working towards finding viable energy resources that will not only address the future energy needs of Kentucky, but will develop an industry that can revitalize rural and local economies, create jobs, and develop prosperity for the state as it seeks to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions,” said Gov. Beshear.
For more information, visit the link



iResearchGeorgia Database Goes Online
Georgia Research Alliance( September 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 15, 2009


On May 18, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind research tool, iResearchGeorgia. The online, free database is the only one in the U.S. that combines information about the research capabilities of multiple public and private universities within a single state. Users of the database will be able to search and explore published papers, patents and more than 500 faculty profiles and NIH grants of researchers at Georgia Tech, Emory, the University of Georgia, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia State University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Mercer and Clark Atlanta University. iResearchGeorgia is a program of the Georgia Research Alliance and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
For more information, visit the link



Alabama & Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalitions Get EPA Grant
EPA( August 21, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 01, 2009


In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment for the people of Alabama, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1.25 million to the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition and nearly $600,000 to the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition to reduce emissions from truck stop engine idling. The projects will focus on reducing emissions caused by truck idling.
For more information, visit the link



Over 1,000 Nanotech-Enabled Products Now Available
Pew Charitable Trusts( August 25, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 01, 2009


Nanotech consumer products have now crossed the millennial threshold. Over 1,000 nanotechnology-enabled products have been made available to consumers around the world, according to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). The most recent update to the group's three-and-a-half-year-old inventory reflects the increasing use of the tiny particles in everything from conventional products like non-stick cookware and lighter, stronger tennis racquets, to more unique items such as wearable sensors that monitor posture.
For more information, visit the link



SSTI Conference: Tech-Based Economic Development for the Next Economy
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Sep 01, 2009


SSTI's annual conference will take place October 21-23 in Overland Park, Kansas. From SSIT: At this moment, every aspect of the U.S. economy is in a period of transformation. And nearly every aspect of getting out of the current mess is related to one or more of the fundamental principles of tech-based economic development. Conference speakers include Josh Lerner of Harvard Business School and Rob Atkinson of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Visit the website here



America Cannot Resolve Global Imbalances on Its Own
Peterson Institute for International Economics in the Financial Times( August 19, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 01, 2009


The Obama administration is increasingly signaling that the United States will not continue to be the world's consumer and importer of last resort. The clearest statements came last month from Larry Summers, White House economics director, in a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and in an interview with the Financial Times. The United States, he said, must become an export-oriented rather than a consumption-based economy and must rely on real engineering rather than financial wizardry. Tim Geithner, the US Treasury secretary, and other top officials have spoken similarly of rebalancing US growth.
Access the article link here



International Investment: Securing its Benefits at Home and Abroad
International Policy Backgrounder, U.S. Chamber of Commerce( July 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 01, 2009


In the 21st century, investment capital moves across national borders as never before. For the average citizen trying to follow who owns what or which companies are buying or merging with others the flow of international investment has at times caused confusion and uncertainty. However, the facts show that the United States derives great value on both sides of the investment equation. Download the executive summary.
Access the report here



China Racing Ahead of U.S. in the Drive to Go Solar
New York Times( August 25, 2009 )
Globalization
Sep 01, 2009


President Obama wants to make the United States the world's leading exporter of renewable energy, but in his seven months in office, it is China that has stepped on the gas in an effort to become the dominant player in green energy especially in solar power, and even in the United States. Chinese companies have already played a leading role in pushing down the price of solar panels by almost half over the last year. Shi Zhengrong, the chief executive and founder of China's biggest solar panel manufacturer, Suntech Power Holdings, said in an interview here that Suntech, to build market share, is selling solar panels on the American market for less than the cost of the materials, assembly and shipping.
Access the article link here



Affordable Housing Toolkit Available 

HUD Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse ( August 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 01, 2009


Numerous studies have shown that rigid land use and development regulations can impede affordable housing production. In response, local governments have adopted a wide assortment of strategies and mechanisms to overcome such regulatory barriers. An online toolkit, Vital Communities Toolbox, created by Tompkins County, New York, catalogues a variety of planning tools that are available to assist communities in the creation and preservation of affordable housing. The strategies in this toolbox are targeted toward achieving a set of principles, including "promoting choice and affordability in housing options," and have been adopted by the county as part of its Vital Communities Initiative.
Access the toolkit here



America's Best Places for Children to Grow Up Ranked
Virginia Beach, Virginia and Madison, Alabama among the top 10 cities.
U.S. News & World Report ( August 19, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 01, 2009


If you could create the ideal community to raise a child in, what ingredients would you include? First off, you'd probably want a low crime rate. A strong school system would also be key. From there, you'd need lots of other children, expansive green spaces to play in, and plenty of nearby family events. Toss in an abundance of artistic and recreational activities, and all of a sudden you've got one heck of a place to grow up. At U.S. News, we wanted to find out if any communities like that already existed and if so, where they were located. So we dug into our database of 2,000 different places all across the country and pinpointed the locales that met these criteria.
Access the article link here



Budget Cuts Hurting Programs for Homeless
USA Today( August 21, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Sep 01, 2009


The homeless are having more trouble getting help because of state budget cuts, and federal stimulus funding in September will fill only part of the gap, service providers for the homeless say. "It's a perfect storm" of falling revenue and rising need, says Joel John Roberts of PATH Partners, a group that advises communities on services for the homeless. "The holes in the safety net are getting bigger." All but a handful of states are facing deep shortfalls in their fiscal 2010 budgets, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a private research group. "This is the most perilous time I've seen," says Nancy Radner of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.
Access the article link here



Report Looks at Increased Access to AP Courses
NGA News Release( August 10, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 01, 2009


To maintain the competitiveness of America's workforce and ensure that U.S. students are prepared to succeed in college, states increasingly are recognizing the importance of offering a rigorous, common education curriculum that includes Advancement Placement (AP) courses. A new report from the NGA Center for Best Practices titled Raising Rigor, Getting Results: Lessons Learned from AP Expansion, has demonstrated that it is possible for states to raise rigor and get results at scale by increasing student access to AP courses. The report looks at the efforts of six states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada and Wisconsin that received funding as part of the NGA Center's Advanced Placement Expansion project to increase the participation of minority and low-income students in AP courses at 51 pilot high schools in rural and urban school districts.
Access the report here



New Report Profiles On-Campus Programs for Veterans
News from AASCU( July 21, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 01, 2009


A new report, based on data from 723 institutions of higher education, finds that 57 percent of responding institutions currently provide programs and services specifically for service members and veterans, and highlights areas in which campuses should strive to make additional progress. The report, From Soldier to Student: Easing the Transition of Service Members on Campus, offers a first-of-its-kind national snapshot of the programs, services and policies in place on campuses to serve veterans and military personnel, as well as areas in which campuses need to improve their offerings.
Access the report here



Online vs. Face-to-Face Learning
Public Education Network NewsBlast( August 28, 2009 )
Workforce
Sep 01, 2009


A new report conducted for the U.S. Department of Education has concluded that on average, students in online learning situations learn better than those who get face-to-face instruction, the Bits blog of The New York Times reports. The study looked at the comparative research on both kinds of learning from 1996 to 2008, mainly in colleges and adult continuing-education programs, though some research pertained to K-12 education. The analysis found that the average student who did some or all of a course online tended to rank in the 59th percentile in tested performance, compared with the average classroom student who scored in the 50th percentile.
For more information, visit the link



USDA Releases Rural Broadband Reading Room
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 25, 2009


USDA's Economic Research Service has launched a new Rural Broadband Reading Room. The website provides information on rural broadband uses and activity across the U.S. The site provides data on internet access and broadband availability for rural counties and farms.
For more information, visit the link



Global Entrepreneurship Week
Kauffman Foundation( August 19, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 25, 2009


Global Entrepreneurship Week, the worldwide celebration of creativity and innovation, will be held Nov. 16 - 22, 2009. Co-founded in 2008 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the United States and Make Your Mark, a business-led government-backed campaign in the United Kingdom, Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and others will participate in a host of activities that include virtual and face-to-face events, large-scale competitions and intimate networking gatherings.
For more information, visit the link



Raleigh, NC Moves into the Top 5 Places for Nanotechnology
Pew Charitable Trusts( August 18, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 25, 2009


Data released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) highlights more than 1,200 companies, universities, government laboratories, and other organizations across all 50 of the U.S. states and in the District of Columbia that are involved in nanotechnology research, development, and commercialization. This number is up 50 percent from the 800 organizations identified just two years ago. While many of the original Nano Metro clusters areas with the nation's highest concentration of nanotechnology companies, universities, research laboratories, and organizations have maintained their prominence in the field, areas such as Boston have moved up in the rankings, while others, such as Raleigh, N.C., have broken into the top-ranked locations for the first time.
For more information, visit the link



American Graduates in China: A New Brain Drain?
New York Times in YaleGlobal Online( August 19, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 25, 2009


Faced with near double-digit unemployment at home, US college graduates are flocking to China due to its growing economy, entrepreneurial atmosphere and lower cost of living, not to mention its low urban unemployment. What is perhaps surprising is that a number of these graduates knew little about China or its language before arriving. But the opportunity for quick advancement proved more enticing than the uncertainty of a new country. On the demand side, Chinese employers have sought such graduates to help them navigate the nuances of Western culture. Moreover, employers believe American graduates bring valuable skills such as initiative, which they assume to be a product of the educational system. While still too early to tell, could China's opportunities prompt a new brain drain?
Access the article link here



State Capitalism and the Crises
McKinsey Quarterly( July 9, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 25, 2009


Despite massive state interventions in economies around the world, many corporate leaders and investors act as though globalization remains the dominant paradigm. That is a mistake.
For more information, visit the link



The Path to New Immigration Reform
Brookings Institute Online( August 21, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 25, 2009


President Obama recently held a White House meeting on immigration and Sen. Charles M. Schumer, D-N.Y., is talking about the principles for comprehensive immigration reform, a signal that they are serious about starting the congressional debate on reforming the nation's laws. For those who expect this debate to be a repeat of the stalemate from a few years ago, check again. A changed economic, political and demographic landscape suggests that our national discussion is going to be very different. For starters, the country is in recession. Historically, immigration reform never is easy during bad economies. Anxiety over the economy spreads and as people grow fearful about immigration, they worry over new arrivals taking jobs held by residents. But this is a new century and a new reality.
Read the blog here



Article Examines Effects of Inclusionary Zoning on Housing
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development( July 15, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 25, 2009


This article presents an empirical analysis of the effects of inclusionary zoning policies on housing prices and starts in California during the period from 1988 through 2005. The analysis compares cities with and without such policies and isolates the effects of inclusionary zoning programs by carefully controlling for spatial and temporal conditions, such as the neighborhood or school district within which the house is located and changing market conditions over time. The analysis found that inclusionary zoning policies had measurable effects on housing markets in jurisdictions that adopt them; specifically, the price of single-family houses increases and the size of single-family houses decreases.
Access the article link here



Report Analyzes Baby Boomer Migration Trends in Rural America
USDA Economic Research Service( August 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 25, 2009


Members of the baby boom cohort, now 45-63 years old, are approaching a period in their lives when moves to rural and small-town destinations increase. An analysis of age-specific, net migration during the 1990s reveals extensive shifts in migration patterns as Americans move through different life-cycle stages. Assuming similar age patterns of migration, this report identifies the types of nonmetropolitan counties that are likely to experience the greatest surge in baby boom migration during 2000-20 and projects the likely impact on the size and distribution of retirement-age populations in destination counties. The analysis finds a significant increase in the propensity to migrate to nonmetro counties as people reach their fifties and sixties and projects a shift in migration among boomers toward more isolated settings, especially those with high natural and urban amenities and lower housing costs. If baby boomers follow past migration patterns, the nonmetro population age 55-75 will increase by 30 percent between now and 2020.
Access the report here



Government, Telecommunications Carriers at Odds over Broadband Expansion
The Washington Post( August 14, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 25, 2009


The Obama administration made a national priority of spreading high-speed Internet access to every American home and offered stimulus money to help companies pay for it, but the biggest network operators are staying away from the program. As the Aug. 20 deadline nears to apply for $4.7 billion in broadband grants, AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are unlikely to go for the stimulus money, sources close to the companies said. Their reasons are varied. All three say they are flush with cash, enough to upgrade and expand their broadband networks on their own. Some say taking money could draw unwanted scrutiny of business practices and compensation, as seen with automakers and banks that have taken government bailouts. And privately, some companies are griping about conditions attached to the money, including a net-neutrality rule that they say would prevent them from managing traffic on their networks in the way they want.
Access the article link here



Webinar Offered on Energy Efficiency Jobs
EERE Progress Alerts( August 17, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 25, 2009


The U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Program is offering a webinar on Thursday, August 27 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. EDT titled Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Jobs in the Buildings Industry Workforce Overview. This webinar is geared toward community colleges and workforce agencies and will provide an overview of jobs involved with retrofitting existing homes to improve energy efficiency. The webcast is free of charge, but you must register in advance to obtain a URL for the presentation and call-in phone number.
For more information, visit the link

For more information, visit the link


ACT Releases Annual Report on College Readiness
ACT News( August 19, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 25, 2009


The percentage of U.S. high school graduates meeting all four of ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks increased slightly in 2009 as the pool of students taking the ACT continued to expand, according to the not-for-profit ACT's annual grad class report on college readiness. Nevertheless, the findings suggest continued effort to improve college readiness is needed on the part of states and school districts. Lack of college readiness is again most evident in the areas of science and math. The findings show that only 28 percent of ACT-tested 2009 graduates are ready for college-level biology, and just 42 percent are ready for college-level algebra. There is information in a news release, including links to national and state scores.
Read the news release here



Research Findings on Middle Grades Highlighted
ECS e-Connection( August 12, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 25, 2009


The middle grades are in crisis. A new issue of The Progress of Education Reform highlights key findings from recent research and publications on improving student success in the middle grades and identifies actions states can take to translate these findings into sound policy.
For more information, visit the link



U.S. Cleantech Investments Improve
Ernst & Young( July 29, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 18, 2009


US venture capital investment in cleantech companies in the second quarter of 2009 reached $572 million, an increase of 73% in terms of capital, with 48 financing rounds, a 100% increase in number of transactions compared to the first quarter of 2009, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource. Compared to the second quarter last year, the second-highest quarter for cleantech investment on record, the 2009 results were 59% and 16% below those record levels in terms of capital and number of transactions respectively.
For more information, visit the link



GAO Study Finds SBIR Program Successful
Government Accountability Office( August 6, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 18, 2009


Between July 1985 and June 1999, GAO found that the SBIR program was achieving its goals to enhance the role of small businesses in federal R&D, stimulate commercialization of research results, and support the participation of small businesses owned by women and/or disadvantaged persons. More specifically, GAO found that throughout the life of the program, awards have been based on technical merit and are generally of good quality. In addition, the SBIR program successfully attracts many qualified companies, has had a high level of competition, consistently has had a high number of first-time participants, and attracts hundreds of new companies annually.
Access the report here



Kentucky to Host Nanotechnology Symposium
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 18, 2009


The Sullivan University College of Pharmacy is hosting their Second Annual Nanotechnology Symposium: Advances in Nanotechnology and Applications on October 9 & 10, 2009. In addition, two workshops on Nanotechnology & Education will be offered on Saturday October 10. To register for the symposium, contact Allison Koch at 502-413-8955 or e-mail akoch@sullivan.edu. Also, download the symposium's flyer for additional information.
For more information, visit the link



Editorial: Some Countries Surviving Global Recession
Nouriel Roubini, a professor at the Stern Business School at New York University and chairman of Roubini Global Economics, is a weekly columnist for Forbes.
Forbes.com( August 6, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 18, 2009


This week, I take a look at which countries have best weathered the global recession and credit crunch. All economies have been affected by the crisis, but a combination of policy responses and strong fundamentals has given some countries, especially some emerging market economies, a relative edge. These same strengths could lead the countries I highlight below to perform better as the global recovery begins, even if their growth rates remain well below 2003-07 trends. What do these countries have in common? One major theme is that they tended to have lower financial vulnerabilities due to more restrictive regulation and less developed financial markets, as well as larger and stronger domestic markets that sustained domestic demand. Moreover, they had the resources to engage in countercyclical fiscal and monetary policies, actions that were not possible in past crises.
For more information, visit the link



Pew Global Attitudes Project: Key Indicators Database Now Available
Pew Charitable Trusts( July, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 18, 2009


This interactive database allows users to explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes toward the U.S. to people's assessments of their own lives to views about globalization, democratization, extremism and other important issues. Data can be searched by question, by topic or by country - and results can be displayed in map, table or chart formats. The findings are from eight surveys conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project from 2002-2009 among a total of more than 200,000 respondents.
For more information, visit the link



Globalization of Technology Ventures: Lessons from Israel Offered
Knowledge@Wharton( August 13, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 18, 2009


Technology is universal, and technology markets are relatively culture-insensitive. Still, the fact remains that surprisingly few high-tech startups that were conceived outside the U.S. or the world's primary technology markets have evolved into global companies. Why is that so? In this opinion piece, Gideon Tolkowsky, principal of Israel-based BME Capital Management, who has been involved in venture capital in the U.S. and Israel for more than 25 years, offers some lessons from Israeli high-tech startups.
Access the article link here



20th Annual KIDS COUNT Data Book Released
The Annie E. Casey Foundation( July 28, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 18, 2009


On July 28, 2009, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 20th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, profiling the well-being of America's children on a state-by-state basis and ranking states on 10 measures of well-being. Casey also calls for a data revolution that uses timely and reliable information to track the progress and improve the lives of vulnerable children.
Access the report here



New Report Warns of Continued Housing Slump
Center for Economic and Policy Research( August 6, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 18, 2009


Many recent accounts of the housing market point to stabilization of prices and slight upticks in sales as turning points in the nation's housing crisis. However, a report released today by CEPR and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) shows that in many current bubble-inflated markets, homeownership may remain a costly and risky proposition for some time to come. The study, Hitting Bottom? An Updated Analysis of Rents and the Price of Housing in 100 Metropolitan Areas, compares home prices to annual rents for the largest MSAs in the nation. The new analysis demonstrates that the ratio of house prices to annual rents are closer to an equilibrium ratio of 15 to 1 than they have been at any point in the last 2 years. Due to the strong likelihood of a jobless recovery and declining growth, however, the demand for housing will continue to suffer.
Access the report here



Development of Cultural Life Neglected in Urban Neighborhoods
Urban Institute( August 8, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 18, 2009


Cities around the world are building and branding urban cultural life as a way to develop local economies and revitalize urban centers. However, cities have done less to recognize and systematically promote the cultural lives of urban neighborhoods and their residents. When cultural agencies do not consciously and actively incorporate communities and their needs into cultural development, their policies and programs can in fact conflict with and threaten the cultural health of urban neighborhoods. Ultimately, this will undermine a city's cultural vitality and undercut its ability to appeal to the developers, tourists, creative-sector businesses, and educated workforce that cultural development means to attract.
For more information, visit the link



Transitional Jobs Programs for Former Prisoners Detailed
MDRC Update( August 6, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 18, 2009


Each year, almost 700,000 people are released from state prisons, and many struggle to find jobs and integrate successfully into society. This policy brief describes an innovative demonstration of transitional jobs programs for former prisoners in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Paul being conducted by MDRC.
View the brief here



South Carolina Course Alignment Project Highlighted
ECS e-Connection( August 12, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 18, 2009


The South Carolina Course Alignment Project the first project of its kind in the nation is examining the sequence and scope of high school exit courses in English, mathematics and science in relation to entry-level college courses in those same disciplines. The project's goal is to improve the alignment between high school and entry-level college courses so that students transition more easily and successfully from secondary to postsecondary education.
Access the article link here



Outcomes of Beginning Community College Students Detailed
National Center for Education Statistics( July 28, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 18, 2009


A new study from the National Center for Education Statistics analyzes outcomes for beginning community college students according to how directed (strongly directed, moderately directed, or not directed) they are toward completing a program of study. Among the key findings were that nearly one-fourth left college in their first year and did not return within the three-year study period. However, strongly directed students left college in their first year at a lower rate (16 percent) than did their moderately directed (29 percent) or not directed(41 percent) counterparts.
Access the report here



Handbook Looks at Economic Development Opportunities of Climate Action
IEDC( July 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 11, 2009


The Climate Prosperity Handbook, authored by the International Economic Development Council, serves as a guide to informing communities of the economic benefits of proactively pursuing sustainable development and climate action strategies. This handbook demonstrates the utility of adopting the three-part agenda of the Climate Prosperity Project Green Savings/ Green Opportunities/ Green Talent. The principal message is that rather than climate action being costly and harmful to the economy, it creates wide ranging savings and benefits by: spending less on energy through increased conservation and efficiency; generating significant new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities; expanding renewable energy production and distribution, and offering a wide range of new products, production processes, goods and services, and new technologies.
For more information, visit the link



SBIR Legislation Temporarily Extended
EntrepreneurshipBlog( August 3, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 11, 2009


On Friday, July 31, President Obama signed into law The Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act Temporary Extension (S. 1513), which temporarily reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs until September 30, 2009. This new two month extension will allow Congress to reach a compromise on the reauthorization language.
For more information, visit the link



Falling Behind on Green Tech
Washington Post( August 3, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 11, 2009


GE CEO Jeff Immelt and Kleiner Perkins partner John Doerr wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post warning of America's lost ground to China on green technology and the need for long-term price signals from the U.S. government to encourage investment. From the article: America confronts three interrelated crises: an economic crisis, a climate crisis and an energy security crisis. We believe there's a fourth: a competitiveness crisis. This crisis is particularly evident in America's worldwide standing in the next great global industry, green technology.
Access the article link here



Understanding and Capturing China's New Growth
The Boston Consulting Group( July 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 11, 2009


Although China's growth has slowed rapidly, the nation's economy is still expected to grow by 8 percent this year. But the new growth will be much less dependent on exports and more reliant on government and domestic spending than in the past. Many global companies have been understandably preoccupied with their home markets, but they ought to return their attention to China, whose power and potential have been temporarily veiled by the global recession.
Access the report here



Is a Growing, Immigrant-Fueled Population Good for the U.S.?
YaleGlobal Online( July 30, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 11, 2009


Demographic trends, often ignored by policymakers, are clearly linked with the U.S. immigration policy. If Congress and the Obama administration plan to implement an effective immigration policy, they need to understand how over time it will affect the country's population figure. As demographer Joseph Chamie notes, policy makers should start by asking how large should the U.S. population be. Answering this question will determine what should be the rate of immigration since immigration has a significant multiplier effect on population growth.
Access the article link here



Global Light Vehicle Sales Recover
GE Capital( Third Quarter, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 11, 2009


Global light vehicle sales have begun to recover from their recent historic slump, driven primarily by recovery in developing world demand. According to JD Powers, global light vehicle sales have risen to 60.8 million units on a SAAR basis as of June versus 52.9 million units in January 2009. North America unit sales are down 33%, Europe down 18% (though scrappage incentives are starting to help), Japan down 21%, and Korea about flat. On the plus side, BRIC countries have seen a rebound with the exception of Russia (where imported brand vehicle sales are down 49% YT-June and off 61% in the month of June). China has seen a remarkable rebound since January, with sedan sales up 33% and 42% in April and May, YoY (year over year).
Access the report here



Service-Learning Grants Available
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 11, 2009


The State Farm Youth Advisory Board has announced grant opportunities for student-led service-learning projects that address five issues: drivers safety, access to higher education/closing the achievement gap, financial literacy, natural/societal disaster preparedness, and environmental responsibility. The grants range from $25,000 to $100,000. Applications are due by October 2nd.
For more information, visit the link



Online Tool Tracks State- and County-Level Stimulus Spending
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 11, 2009


The website ProPublica.org offers a new, online tool that allows users to monitor stimulus spending at the state- and county-level, and to see end recipients of those funds.
Access the toolkit here



Editorial: Metropolitan Planning Organizations Lack Real Power
Citiwire.net( July 31, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 11, 2009


MPOs are ideally suited to the regional realities of today's metropolitan areas and to the task of shaping future growth in multi-jurisdictional communities. Except for one thing; they largely lack power to implement the transportation improvement plans (TIPs) they recommend. That's why we can think of them as sleeping giants. They can propose, but not dispose. They can veto federally funded projects allocated under state plans, but not rewrite them. So they have few if any teeth.
Read the news release here



International Portrait of Youth Unemployment
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Aug 11, 2009


In the July 2009 issue of Monthly Labor Review, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a portrait of the youth labor market in 13 countries over the period 1980 to 2007. Included are trends in the number of young people who are neither in school nor working.
Access the report here



Alabama's Online Courses Reduce Achievement Gap
Innovators Insights( July 24, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 11, 2009


Alabama has experienced continued success with Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS), which uses online courses and interactive video-conferencing to ensure that students at every high school in the state can take a wider range of both core and elective classes. While the $10 million price tag and the logistics were initially questioned, ACCESS has since thrived. As of this summer, due largely to ACCESS, all of Alabama's high schools will offer AP courses, compared to less than half just a few years ago. The increased success of minority students in these classes suggest that ACCESS has been helpful in reducing the achievement gap.
For more information, visit the link



Role of Community Colleges in Advancing Students in Developmental Education
JFF Newswire( August 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 11, 2009


A new Jobs for the Future policy brief describes the role of state policy in helping community colleges advance students who are placed in developmental education. Setting Up Success in Developmental Education highlights ways in which 15 states have approached the task of improving outcomes for students who test into developmental education. These states are participants in Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a national initiative focused on student success.
Access the report here



RFP for Science-Related Film Projects
Foundation Center( July 23, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 04, 2009


The Sundance Institute/Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant is an annual cash award for a science- or technology-related film that is at an early stage of development, such as full treatment or early screenplay draft. The award includes: a cash grant of up to $20,000 to provide support during the writing period; a stipend of up to $5,000 for a science advisor, plus creative support during the writing process from a select group of advisors; the possibility of a fellowship to a Sundance screenwriters lab; and strategic and practical support from the Sundance feature film program staff.
Access the article link here



Pew Finds Wireless Internet Use on the Rise
Pew Charitable Trusts( July 22, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 04, 2009


An April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows that 56% of adult Americans have accessed the internet by wireless means, such as using a laptop, mobile device, game console, or MP3 player. The most prevalent way people get online using a wireless network is with a laptop computer; 39% of adults have done this. The report also finds rising levels of Americans using the internet on a mobile handset. One-third of Americans (32%) have used a cell phone or Smartphone to access the internet for emailing, instant-messaging, or information-seeking.
Access the report here



Science Museums as Sources of Civic Innovation
Museums & Social Issues( Spring 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Aug 04, 2009


While science museums may certainly be viewed as bridging institutions between science and society, their full civic potential is yet to be realized. As trusted, nonpartisan intermediary organizations and valued cultural institutions, museums and science centers are well positioned to frame important problems for productive public deliberation, and they may be uniquely equipped to help cultivate creative connections between policymakers, scientists and the general public. In an age when an increasing number of pressing public problems are marbled with scientific or technical complexity, the need to bridge the confounding gaps that exist between science and public life is more urgent than ever.
Access the report here



The New Geography of Immigration
Brookings Institution( July 9, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 04, 2009


New trends in immigration are changing communities across the United States. The movement of immigrants from abroad to the heart of America's largest cities is no longer the dominant pattern as it was in the past. The restructuring of the U.S. economy and the accompanying decentralization of cities and growth of suburbs as major employment centers have shifted immigrant settlement to a new class of metropolitan areas. Emerging destinations tend to be metropolitan areas with more recent development histories, largely suburban in form. Many of the newest destination areas have little history or identity with immigration.
For more information, visit the link



Global IT Industry Poised for Rebound
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development( July 29, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 04, 2009


A sudden upturn in global sales of information and communications technology (ICT) goods in May and June suggests the ICT industry may have reached a turning point and be on the road to recovery, according to a OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) report. Most countries posted positive month-on-month production growth in May and June and inventories have been run down sharply after historically rapid build-ups. Billings for semiconductor makers, a bellwether for the ICT industry, are rebounding sharply after a severe collapse in orders reminiscent of the 2001-2002 dotcom bust. Asian ICT exports are also growing again month-to-month: Korean producers have been helped by a weaker currency, with production in May down only 3% on the previous year, and Chinese ICT production, which has remained remarkably resilient despite exports dropping by over 20%, grew at nearly 3% year-on-year in May.
For more information, visit the link



New Book Calls for Further Chinese Currency Reforms
Peterson Institute for International Economics( July 21, 2009 )
Globalization
Aug 04, 2009


In an important new study of China's currency practices, two senior fellows at the Peterson Institute for International Economics conclude that China's currency, the renminbi, remains significantly undervalued and that China should continue its currency reforms even in the face of a global economic slowdown. Morris Goldstein and Nicholas Lardy, in their new book, The Future of China's Exchange Rate Policy, also recommend that China disavow any future strategy of "competitive undervaluation" of the renminbi that might be aimed at dealing with reduced global demand for Chinese exports. They call for a further appreciation of the renminbi, although at a slower pace than in 2008, and for rejection of export promotion measures, even if such steps are technically consistent with China's World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations.
Read the news release here



Suburbs, Exurbs Not Immune from Effects of Recession
Brookings Institution( July 30, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 04, 2009


In the 20 months since the current recession began, it has taken a toll on people and places across the country, whether measured by job losses, unemployment, or increased demand for emergency and safety net services. However, as documented in the first edition of the Brookings Metro Program's MetroMonitor, the magnitude of these impacts has varied significantly across the nation's major metropolitan areas. Understanding how different metropolitan areas have been affected by the recession is a critical step toward shaping appropriate regional public- and private-sector responses to promote recovery. To begin documenting the extent to which the recession has affected urban and suburban communities across the country, this analysis looks within the nation's 100 largest metro areas to examine recent unemployment trends in their cities and suburbs.
Access the report here



Report Highlights Risk of Downward Mobility Among Middle Class Black Youth
Pew Charitable Trusts( July 27, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 04, 2009


The neighborhood poverty experienced by middle-income black children contributes greatly to their increased risk of downward mobility, according to a new report released today by Pew's Economic Mobility Project. Neighborhoods and the Black-White Mobility Gap, authored by New York University sociologist Patrick Sharkey, points to a great disparity between the neighborhood poverty rates experienced by middle-income black children and white children: nearly half of black children born into families who are at least middle income ($62,000 or more) were raised in neighborhoods with a poverty rate of 20 percent or more, compared to just 1 percent of white children of the same income level.
For more information, visit the link



Stimulus Money to Fund 4,700 Police Hires
CNN.com( July 28, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Aug 04, 2009


The federal government will give $1 billion in grants to law enforcement agencies in every state to pay for the hiring and rehiring of law enforcement officers, Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday. The money comes from the stimulus bill the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 the officials said. The law is designed to help pull the U.S. out of its recession by providing and saving jobs, and helping those most affected by the downturn in the economy. Beneficiaries can include state, local and tribal governments.
For more information, visit the link



Corporate Sponsorships of College Courses as Revenue Strategy
Innovators Insights( July 24, 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 04, 2009


While schools have long used corporate partnerships for capital improvements, some institutions of higher learning are considering corporate sponsorship of academic courses as a means by which to make ends meet. The chancellor of the City College of San Francisco has proposed sponsorships of certain classes equaling up to $6,000 per semester. One community college in North Carolina has already sold the naming rights to individual classes and even entire academic programs.
Access the article link here



Profile of Undergraduates in STEM Fields
National Center for Education Statistics
Stats in Brief( July 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 04, 2009


Rising concern about America's ability to maintain its competitive position in the global economy has renewed interest in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] education. This Statistics in Brief focuses on undergraduate students, examining students entrance into and persistence toward degree completion in STEM fields. It is designed to provide a profile of undergraduates who pursue and complete STEM degrees. It addresses three questions: (1) Who enters STEM fields? (2) What are their educational outcomes (i.e., persistence and degree completion) several years after beginning postsecondary education? (3) Who persisted in and completed a STEM degree after entrance into a STEM field of study?
View the brief here



Women's Earnings in 2008
Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2008
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics( July 2009 )
Workforce
Aug 04, 2009


In 2008, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of $638, or about 80 percent of the $798 median for their male counterparts. In 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available, women earned about 62 percent as much as men. After a gradual rise in the 1980s and 1990s, the women's-to-men's earnings ratio peaked at 81 percent in 2005 and 2006.
Access the report here



Pew Launches National Security, Energy, & Climate Change Initiative
Pew Charitable Trusts( July 14, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 28, 2009


Former Senator John Warner and the Pew Environment Group announced a new project to listen and share with the public viewpoints on the critical links between national security, energy and global warming. The Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate will bring together science and military policy experts to examine new strategies for combating climate change, protecting our national security, increasing our energy independence and preserving our nation's natural resources.
For more information, visit the link



Kauffman Announces Dissertation Fellowship Grants
Kauffman Foundation( July 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 28, 2009


The Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship Program is an annual competitive program that awards up to fifteen Dissertation Fellowship grants of $20,000 each to Ph.D., D.B.A., or other doctoral students at accredited U.S. universities to support dissertations in the area of entrepreneurship.
For more information, visit the link



White House Report Says Jobs in Healthcare & Clean Energy Will Grow Fastest
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 28, 2009


The President's Council of Economic Advisers recently released the report, Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow. The report found that among all occupations the healthcare and clean energy sector would grow the fastest. According to the report, Jobs devoted to environmental improvement grew far faster than other occupations from 2000-2006 and the [Bureau of Labor Statistics] projects fast relative growth through 2016. Particularly, clean energy professions requiring associates degrees or technical degrees will increase sharply to support renewable energy production, new electric power lines, and energy efficiency improvements.
Access the report here



Peru Struggles to Balance Rights of Native Population and Developers
Knowledge@Wharton( July 15, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 28, 2009


The crisis that broke out recently in Peru involved the rejection by the native population of the Amazon region of several government decrees, backed by president Alan Garcia, making it easier for companies to log, farm, explore for oil and natural gas, and develop other natural resources.
Access the article link here



Tapping Talent in a Knowledge Economy: A Reverse Brain Drain
Issues in Science and Technology( Spring 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 28, 2009


The United States, long the beneficiary of talented immigrants, needs to act quickly to keep these valuable workers from leaving to pursue expanding opportunities in their home countries. Although most of the national immigration debate originates with those who want to limit immigration, U.S. policymakers should be focusing on the more important task of attracting and keeping more highly skilled foreign-born scientists and engineers. The future strength of the nation's economy will depend on the creation of vibrant new companies, and the development of innovative products and services will be produced by well-paid workers. In recent years, immigrants have been playing a rapidly expanding role as high-tech entrepreneurs and inventors, providing an essential service to the country.
For more information, visit the link



New Content Globalization Case Study: Philips Electronics
The Gilbane Group's Globalization Blog( July 20, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 28, 2009


All businesses are facing serious disruptions from shifting global economies, technical advancements, and the need for strong, consistently branded online multinational presence. Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands has found a way to respond to these challenges without jeopardizing its ongoing business. A world leader in the consumer lifestyle, healthcare, and lighting industries, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of sense and simplicity. With 50,000 products, 1,800 logos, a website present in 57 countries and translated in 35+ target languages, and 500 consumer marketing managers in the Consumer Lifestyle sector, Philips' global brand management strategy requires an adaptive system of people, process, and technology to provide a unifying influence.
For more information, visit the link



Survey Finds Few Youth Have Key Predictors of Successful Development
Search Institute( June 8, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 28, 2009


A new study exploring the importance of teen motivation and engagement in civic life finds that only seven percent of 15 year-olds in the U.S. experience a strong combination of three key factors critical to their success, according to research sponsored by the Best Buy Children's Foundation. The national survey of 1,817 teens, conducted by Search Institute Teen Voice 2009: The Untapped Strengths of 15-Year-Olds finds that a majority of 15-year-olds lack high levels of each of the concepts: sparks, teen voice and relationships and opportunities.
Read the news release here



White House Begins Shaping National Urban Policy
AP( July 13, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 28, 2009


President Barack Obama said Monday that federal policy has encouraged urban sprawl, has hurt city residents and damaged the environment. Pledging a top-to-bottom review of how the United States deals with cities and metropolitan areas, Obama invited political leaders and policy experts to the White House to solicit their ideas for a national urban policy. Citing the connection between education and employment figures, transportation and pollution, White House officials said their next budget proposal would address how to remedy long-festering policy questions about the pace of urban growth. Administration officials sought specific ideas from political and city leaders for how they are coping with growth in urban areas, where an increasing share of the population will live during the coming decades.
Access the article link here



Transportation Stimulus Plans Moving Slowing
Los Angeles Times( July 20, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 28, 2009


In February, when Congress approved President Obama's mammoth plan to stimulate the economy, transportation projects were supposed to be among the fastest-acting pieces of the $787-billion package. All 50 states moved quickly to qualify for their share of the money. But since then, the pace has slowed considerably, particularly in California and Florida, where the effect of the economic crisis has been especially severe. As of July 10, more than 3,600 of the 5,600 road projects approved by Washington, including six of the 10 largest approved projects had not been given the green light to start construction.
Access the article link here



Preparing Students for Postsecondary Education
MDRC( July 20, 2009 )
Workforce
Jul 28, 2009


Too many students graduate from high school unprepared for the rigors of postsecondary education. As a result, leaders at the federal, state, and district levels are developing new initiatives to help high school students prepare for the academic demands of college by providing a strong, college preparatory curriculum and academic supports. In conjunction with these curricular changes, most programs also institute a formalized system of advising to help students overcome the complicated college and financial aid application process. A new brief from MRDC describes several of the key program components shared by many of these initiatives and ends with some open research questions.
For more information, visit the link



Employers Concerned About Workforce Skills
Society for Human Resource Management( July 14, 2009 )
Workforce
Jul 28, 2009


A new report shows that U.S. employers continue to struggle with an ill-prepared workforce, finding new hires lack crucial basic and applied skills. For the most part, employer-sponsored readiness training is not successfully correcting these deficiencies, according to the report, The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training, produced by Corporate Voices for Working Families, the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), the Conference Board, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The report draws from a survey of 217 employers about their training of newly hired graduates of high school and two- and four-year colleges. Case studies of five successful workforce readiness programs run by Bank of America and Year Up, CVS Caremark and TJX Companies, Harper Industries, Northrop Grumman, and YUM! Brands are featured.
Access the report here



State Report Cards Assess Higher Education Accountability Systems
Education Sector ( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 28, 2009


In 2008 and 2009, Education Sector conducted a comprehensive analysis of higher education accountability systems in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This included grading every state accountability system in 21 categories from student learning outcomes to public information. Ready to Assemble: Grading State Higher Education Accountability Systems summarizes the current state of state higher education accountability systems in each of the graded categories. Comprehensive report cards for each state, as well as individual reports summarizing all state grades in each category, are also available.
For more information, visit the link



Nanotechnology Pushes Cheaper Solar Cells
MIT Technology Review( July 6, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 21, 2009


Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have made a new kind of solar cell by growing an array of upright nanoscale pillars on aluminum foil. They make bendable solar cells by encapsulating the entire cell inside a transparent, rubbery polymer. The design, the researchers suggest, could lead to solar cells that cost less than conventional silicon photovoltaics. The nanopillars allow the researchers to use cheaper, lower-quality materials than those used in conventional silicon and thin-film technologies. What's more, the technique used to make the cells could be adapted to make rolls of flexible panels on thin aluminum foil, cutting manufacturing costs.
For more information, visit the link



Survey Measures the Public Perception of U.S. Scientific Achievement
Pew Research Center( July 9, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 21, 2009


Americans like science. Overwhelming majorities say that science has had a positive effect on society and that science has made life easier for most people. Most also say that government investments in science, as well as engineering and technology, pay off in the long run. However, the public has a far less positive view of the global standing of U.S. science than do scientists themselves. While nearly 50 percent of scientists rated U.S. science as the best in the world, only 17 percent of the public thought so.
For more information, visit the link



Details on Federal Funding of Broadband Maps & Planning
SSTI( July 15, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 21, 2009


The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has released new information about its stimulus-funded grant program for state-based broadband mapping and planning initiatives. The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program will provide approximately $240 million in grants to assist states or their designees to develop state-specific data on broadband deployment and adoption. The competitive, merit-based awards will require funding matches with applications due by August 14.
For more information, visit the link



Global Executives Connect Profit to Social Good
Knowledge@Wharton( July 8, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 21, 2009


Hunger, disease, waste and poverty are often considered challenges for philanthropists, not businessmen. And yet, where there is a need, there is a market and potentially, profit. Finding a for-profit solution to a societal ill was the challenge presented to a group of global business executives recently at Wharton's Aresty Institute of Executive Education. The 39 executives, from countries as diverse as Nigeria, India, Russia, South Africa and The Netherlands, took on the challenge in a business plan competition that was part of the institute's five-week Advanced Management Program. The participants amassed a collective experience as varied as their cultural backgrounds, with expertise in fields such as oil, aerospace, finance, fashion, entertainment and HIV/AIDS education. Divided into six teams, the executives chose a current societal dilemma from one of their home countries and put their heads together to come up with a potentially profitable solution.
For more information, visit the link

View the article link here


Migration and the Financial Crises
Yale Global Online( July 14, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 21, 2009


The current global financial crisis has led many an analyst to predict a reversal of recent growth trends in migration and a dramatic fall in remittances. While some data may confirm such predictions, it may not turn out that way in the end. As economist Jayati Ghosh argues, remittances may not decline as much due to gender issues and demographic factors and migration may be stickier than expected.
Access the article link here



IBM's Smarter Planet Initiative Gains Traction
IBM-A Smarter Planet-Overview( July 15, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 21, 2009


You might notice small changes, such as: a less expensive energy bill, a package that gets delivered in two days instead of seven or quarterly school reports available online. But if you take a step back, you can see the bigger picture of the smarter systems behind these small changes: intelligent utility networks, smarter supply chains and digital education records. Bit by bit, our planet is getting smarter. By this, we mean the systems that run the way we live and work as a society.
For more information, visit the link



Metropolitan Areas Losing Out On Transportation Stimulus Funds
New York Times( July 8, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 21, 2009


Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation's worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding regions are getting far less than two-thirds of federal transportation stimulus money. According to an analysis by The New York Times of 5,274 transportation projects approved so far the most complete look yet at how states plan to spend their stimulus money the 100 largest metropolitan areas are getting less than half the money from the biggest pot of transportation stimulus money. In many cases, they have lost a tug of war with state lawmakers that urban advocates say could hurt the nation's economic engines.
Access the article link here



Editorial: Are States Obsolete?
Citiwire.net( July 9, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 21, 2009


Quarrelsome, politically hamstrung, dancing on the edge of bankruptcy: are America's state governments becoming obsolete? Brain-active states would be revamping their revenue systems, investing heavily in school reform and higher education to keep their populations native and immigrant, rich and poor internationally competitive. They'd be stepping up environmental protections and stopping wasteful sprawl development, while also reforming criminal justice systems to cut back on burgeoning prison populations. Yet on most such indicators, they're not just inactive but headed downhill.
For more information, visit the link



New Laws Assist Food Pantries
USA Today( July 13, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 21, 2009


As pantries across the nation face increasing demands for help, a growing number of states have enacted or are considering laws to make it easier for restaurants to donate leftover food to charities. Ross Fraser of Feeding America, a national association of food banks, says the demand for free meals rose by an average of 30 percent in 2008, but some areas saw an increase of up to 70 percent. Many of the new laws are designed to add extra liability protection for food donors.
Access the article link here



Addressing Unemployment in Low-Income Communities
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 21, 2009


The Spring 2009 issue of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's Community Investments magazine focuses on unemployment in low-income communities. It includes an examination of a range of complex issues, such as the particular employment challenges facing immigrant communities and the role of community colleges in meeting the training and education needs of low-income workers. It also explores the workforce development efforts of community development corporations and considers how the lessons learned from the past two decades of workforce development apply in today's economic climate.
For more information, visit the link



Annual Indicators of Child Well-Being
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 21, 2009


America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009 continues a series of annual reports to the nation on conditions affecting children in the United States. Three demographic background measures and 40 selected indicators describe the population of children and depict child well-being in the areas of family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. This year's report has a special feature on children with special health care needs.
Visit the website here



Arkansas Program Links Teachers with Businesses
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 21, 2009


Governor Mike Beebe recently announced The Modern Workplace program, designed to strengthen Arkansas workforce. This program creates a connection between classroom teachers and Arkansas companies to better prepare students for the complex jobs of the 21st century.
For more information, visit the link



New Model for Funding Small Business Passes Tennessee Legislature
SSTI( July 1, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 14, 2009


After near unanimous passing in both chambers of the state legislature, the "Tennessee Small Business Investment Company Credit Act" was sent this week to Gov. Phil Bredesen for his signature. The legislation, designed to create a pool of at least $84 million in capital, utilizes a competitive process to select several venture capital funds to make direct investments in small business headquartered in Tennessee. These venture capital funds can be for-profit or non-profit partnerships, corporations, trusts, or limited liability companies.
For more information, visit the link



What Do You Think Will be Invented by 2059?
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 14, 2009


In honor of National Inventors Month in August, Inventors Digest magazine and partners are sponsoring the 2059 Essay Contest for middle school and high school students. The assignment: What will the world look like in 2059? Students aged 12-17 are eligible.
Access the article link here



Missouri Researchers Launch Algae Research
Biomass Magazine( June 26, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 14, 2009


Researchers at two centers in St. Louis are gearing up to launch five-year research programs on algae, backed by U.S. DOE grants. The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center received $15 million and Washington University $20 million from the DOE's fund for Energy Frontier Research Centers. A total of 46 centers were funded from a pool of some 260 applications.
Access the article link here



Asia’s Export Trap
Yale Global Online( June 29, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 14, 2009


Despite much talk of a rising middle class that can support domestic growth, Asia's dependence on exports has increased, not fallen. Although interregional trade has risen, most of it is in components, with the finished goods destined for the US and Europe. And in China, personal consumption as a percentage of GDP has actually shrunk. Indeed, as one expert argues, export economies are set up to export. So transforming into a domestic demand driven economy would require a massive change in incentives.
Access the article link here



IMF Upgrades Global Economy
IMF Online( July 8, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 14, 2009


The global economy is beginning to pull out of a recession unprecedented in the post World War II era, but stabilization is uneven and the recovery is expected to be sluggish, according to the IMF's (International Monetary Fund) latest forecast. Economic growth during 2009-10 is now projected to be about one-half percentage points higher than forecast by the IMF in April, reaching 2.5 percent in 2010, according to the World Economic Outlook Update, published on July 8. Among the major economies, growth rates have been marked up mainly for the United States and Japan.
Access the article link here

For more information, visit the link


Why Has Globalization Made Bigger Cities?
New York Times Online( May 19, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 14, 2009


If the world is so flat, then why are cities growing so quickly, especially in the third world? One might have thought that striking declines in the costs of shipping goods and communicating knowledge across space would have led to a great dispersal of population. After all, it is at least technically possible to telecommute over great distances. Yet the share of the world living in urbanized areas increased from 40.9 percent in 1985 to more than 50 percent today.
For more information, visit the link

View the article link here


Report Examines Effects of Foreclosures on Families and Communities
Urban Institute( May 1, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 14, 2009


The foreclosure crisis is now having dramatic effects throughout America. In mid-2008, recognizing that this phenomenon was still quite new, the Open Society Institute asked the Urban Institute to scan available research to document what we know about: (1) the way foreclosures impact families; (2) how foreclosures affect communities; and (3) the efforts now underway, or being suggested, to address the crisis, focusing on actions at the local level. This report summarizes a longer report presenting the results of this review.
For more information, visit the link



Report Highlights Economic Impacts of Child Hunger
Feeding America( July 1, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 14, 2009


The direct and indirect effects of child hunger in the U.S. is a contributing factor to the nation's economic woes and puts America at a competitive disadvantage, according to a new report issued today by Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization. Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact On Our Nation, a report on research on the impact of food insecurity and hunger on child health, growth and development, details the economic effect of child hunger in the United States. It articulates the lifelong consequences child food insecurity has on individuals and families. The report states that the U.S. economy is losing its competitive edge to countries doing a better job of addressing nutrition and food insecurity in preparing children to learn and achieve their full potential.
Read the news release here



Obama Proclaims Support for Community Grassroots Organizations
CBSNews.com( June 30, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 14, 2009


President Barack Obama on Tuesday promised that the White House will do its part to support grassroots organizations that are successful in their efforts to improve communities. "Solutions to America's challenges are being developed every day at the grassroots. And government shouldn't be supplanting those efforts, it should be supporting those efforts," Obama told representatives of nonprofit programs during a White House gathering. The president said he was asking Domestic Policy Council director Melody Barnes and the White House innovation team to travel across the country to discover and evaluate the best programs making strides in such areas as education, training and health care. Obama noted that the community service act he signed into law contained a $50 million innovation fund that he wanted to use to provide aid to the most promising nonprofits in the country.
For more information, visit the link



An Examination of College Completion Rates
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 14, 2009


In the fall of 2001, nearly 1.2 million freshmen began college at a four-year institution of higher education somewhere in the United States. Nearly all of them expected to earn a bachelor's degree. For many students, however, that confidence was misplaced fewer than 60 percent of new students graduated from four-year colleges within six years. A new report from the American Enterprise Institute documents the dramatic variation in graduation rates across more than 1,300 of the nation's colleges and universities, even between those with similar admissions criteria and students. While student motivation, intent, and ability matter greatly when it comes to college completion, this analysis suggests that the practices of higher education institutions matter, too.
Access the report here



Is the Emphasis on "Proficiency" Shortchanging Higher- and Lower-Achieving Students?
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 14, 2009


A new study from the Center on Education Policy (CEP) provides an in-depth look at the full range of student performance in order to better understand whether the No Child Left Behind Act's focus on proficiency has caused teachers to shortchange students at either end of the academic spectrum. This is the first in a series of reports describing results from CEP's third annual analysis of state testing data. The report provides an update on student performance at the proficient level of achievement, and for the first time, includes data about student performance at the advanced and basic levels. Also included are profiles for each state, which show trends in reading and math for basic, proficient, and advanced levels in elementary, middle, and high school.
For more information, visit the link



Technology Skills of U.S. Students
Education Week's Digital Directions( June 16, 2009 )
Workforce
Jul 14, 2009


Experts say the attention and resources being paid by educators and policymakers in other countries to developing students' technical skills could put U.S. students behind the curve very soon. The U.S. is, ironically, kind of leading this movement of talking about the importance of 21st-century skills, but in terms of the classroom, we're behind some of our competitors, says Ronald E. Anderson, a researcher at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and co-editor of the 2009 edition of Cross-National Policy and Practices in Technology Education. The book, published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, outlines the use of technology in education across more than 30 countries.
Access the article link here



Engineers Losing Jobs Faster Than Any Other Sector
Marketplace( June 17, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 07, 2009


Even in a recession, a lot of people think tech jobs are a safe bet. But American engineers are losing their jobs faster than any other professional sector. Listen to the segment or read the transcript.
For more information, visit the link



Home Broadband Adoption Increases Sharply in 2009
Pew Charitable Trusts( June 17, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 07, 2009


An April 2009 survey, by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, shows 63% of adult Americans now have broadband internet connections at home, a 15% increase from a year earlier. April's level of high-speed adoption represents a significant jump from figures gathered by the Project since the end of 2007 (54%). The growth in home broadband adoption occurred even though survey respondents reported paying more for broadband compared to May 2008. The survey found that people are twice as likely to say they have cut back or cancelled a cell phone plan or cable TV service than internet service.
For more information, visit the link



Department of Energy Revives Carbon Capture Projects
MIT Technology Review( June 24, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jul 07, 2009


Fifteen months after the FutureGen Alliance's ambitious project to build America's first commercial scale clean-coal plant was shelved by the Bush administration, the plan has been given new life thanks to a billion dollar commitment from the Department of Energy, which will be dipping into stimulus money allocated for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) research. The project will be a 275-megawatt Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant designed to gasify coal, creating synthesis gas composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The syngas will be reacted with steam in a process that converts the carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and produces more hydrogen. The carbon dioxide will be captured and pumped into a saline aquifer thousands of meters underground. The hydrogen will be combusted to generate electricity.
For more information, visit the link



World Economy Bottoming Out
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ( June 24, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 07, 2009


The slowdown in OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) economies is reaching the bottom following the deepest decline for more than 60 years, says the OECD's latest Economic Outlook. But recovery is likely to be weak and fragile, and the economic and social damage caused by the crisis will be long-lasting. The latest edition of the Economic Outlook is the first in two years to see previous projections for economic growth revised upwards most clearly for the large emerging economies and the United States–rather than downwards. But the prospects for the euro area this year have worsened and Japan's have changed little since the OECD's previous projections were published in March.
For more information, visit the link



A Quarter of the World's People are Online
DLC Trade Fact of the Week( June 17, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 07, 2009


Global Internet use reached 100 million in 1996, topped half a billion in 2001, and reached 1.6 billion in April or May. Thus, thirty-six years after the design of ArpaNet in 1973 and a mere sixteen since the World Wide Web went public, a quarter of the world's population is on-line.
For more information, visit the link



China Business Management and the World
Knowledge@Wharton ( June 24, 2009 )
Globalization
Jul 07, 2009


During a keynote address at the Wharton Global Alumni Forum held in Beijing this month, Zhang Ruimin, the 60-year-old CEO and chairman of Haier Group, offered some reflections on his career in corporate management, which has spanned more than 30 years. In keeping with the forum's theme Global Crossroads for the 21st Century Zhang spoke about the balancing act required to lead a global company while remaining deeply rooted in China, and he questioned the adaptability of Western management theories to China's business realities. Despite these differences, however, it's imperative for Chinese businesses to continuously improve management quality, he said especially during the current economic crisis, when companies are tempted to focus solely on survival.
Access the article link here



The Future of Megaregions
Planetizen( June 25, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 07, 2009


The growing population of America is creating major metropolitan regions that can span state lines and encompass tens of millions of people. These emerging regions are projected to continue to grow, and as they do, their infrastructure is expected to struggle to keep up with the pace of expansion. In areas like transportation, energy and water, how these regions meet the needs of the near future is a question nobody quite knows how to answer. What's needed is a "third century vision", says Mark Pisano, West Coast Director of America 2050, an effort to develop a nationwide infrastructure strategy. The group has been holding collaborative conferences with policymakers in each of the 11 "megaregions" forming in the U.S. to try to jumpstart regional thinking and cooperation. Due to their cross-border nature, these megaregions are seen by the group as stepping stones towards development of a national policy on infrastructure.
For more information, visit the link



Community Planning Award Announced
HUD User News( June 23, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jul 07, 2009


The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Planning Association (APA) have announced the criteria for the 13th annual HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award. The award is part of the APA's 2010 National Awards Program, for which winners will be announced at APA's National Planning Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 10-14, 2010. The award honors excellence in community planning that has led to measurable benefits in terms of increased economic employment, education, or housing choice or mobility for low- and moderate-income residents. The emphasis of the award is on how creative housing, economic development, and private investments have been used in or with a comprehensive community development plan to produce tangible results.
For more information, visit the link



Using Stimulus Funds to Meet Education Needs of Dislocated Workers
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 07, 2009


A new ECS Alert describes the various sources of stimulus funds and offers suggestions for how states and postsecondary institutions might use this funding for one-time investments in education technology and curriculum development. Such investments would help meet the education and training needs of the growing dislocated worker population while also increasing the long-term level of institutional productivity.
For more information, visit the link



Results of National Arts Assessment Released
IES Newsflash ( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 07, 2009


The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has released the results of the 2008 national arts assessment. Major findings include:


• Average responding scores in both music and visual arts were higher for White and Asian/Pacific Islander students than Black and Hispanic students. The pattern was also the same for the visual arts creating task scores.
• Female students had higher average responding scores in both music and visual arts than male students. Female students also had a higher average creating task score in visual arts.
• Thirty-three percent of eighth-graders reported that their teachers asked them to write down music at least once a month in class; this figure has increased by seven percent since 1997, when only 26 percent of students reported the same.
  
 View the full Report Card and download the PDF.
For more information, visit the link


Lessons Learned from Rural Schools
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jul 07, 2009


A new report from The Center for Rural Alabama offers lessons learned from rural schools. In the words of the report's authors, the report is an honest attempt to shed light on one of Alabama's most pressing needs how do we better prepare the 30 percent of the state's children who go to public schools in rural communities for a future where a quality education will be the rule and not the exception? The report highlights the experiences of ten rural schools and communities from across the state, offering glimpses of what is possible when expectations, teamwork, collaboration and pride become a way of life. Download Lessons Learned from Rural Schools.
For more information, visit the link



Global Economic Slide to Continue
World Bank( June 11, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 30, 2009


The world economy is set to contract this year by more than previously estimated, and poor countries will continue to be hit hard by multiple waves of economic stress, said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick today. Even with the stabilization of financial markets in many developed economies, unemployment and under-utilization of capacity continue to rise, putting downward pressure on the global economy.
For more information, visit the link



Comparing Technology Innovations in the Public and Private Sector
Brookings Institute( June 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 30, 2009


A new Brookings report evaluates the websites of leading U.S. corporations with state and national governments, grades their overall performance, and examines nearly two dozen features of digital innovation, including: personalization, interactivity, transparency, PDA access, disability access, language translation, number of online services, privacy, security, and user feedback. It was found that many government websites lacked multimedia, interactivity, and personalization. On the other hand, public sector agencies were more effective at providing disability access than commercial enterprises. When it came to privacy policies, public sector websites also offered stronger consumer protections than commercial sites. Also included in this paper are interviews with key leaders from companies that have implemented successful strategies for developing and maintaining first-rate websites.
For more information, visit the link



Doing Science and Math Education Differently
Carnegie Institute for Advanced Study( June 10, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 30, 2009


The Carnegie Corporation of New York Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education kicked-off a national mobilization to achieve much higher levels of math and science learning with the release of its report, The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy. The report recommends concrete actions to a range of organizations from labor and business to federal and state government, colleges and universities, and donors who must coalesce to do school differently to transform math and science education. The report's detailed set of recommendations include: Establishing new common standards in mathematics and science; Improving teaching and professional learning; Redesigning schools and school systems to deliver excellent, equitable math and science learning more effectively; and Initiating a national mobilization that includes public awareness campaigns, increased public understanding about the links between effective math and science learning and the job market, and a focus on improving outcomes among historically underperforming groups through new benchmarking to evaluate school improvement efforts at all grade levels for all students.
Access the report here



Southeast Bioenergy Conference
August 11-13, 2009 - UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton, GA
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 30, 2009


No one source of renewable energy biofuels, solar, or wind is enough to break our reliance on fossil fuels. The 2009 Southeast Bioenergy Conference will focus on how each of these renewable energy technologies can work together to make change. Leading off the discussion will be Robert Zubrin, author of Energy Victory, who will set the tone for a convergence of our technologies. Co-keynoter Jack Boykin of Cello Energy, will provide an overview of his new biofuel process.
For more information, visit the link



China Plans Strict Gas Mileage Rules
New York Times( May 27, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 30, 2009


Worried about heavy reliance on imported oil, Chinese officials have drafted automotive fuel economy standards that are even more stringent than those outlined by President Obama last week, Chinese experts with a detailed knowledge of the plans said on Wednesday. The new plan would require automakers in China to improve fuel economy by an additional 18 percent by 2015, said An Feng, a leading architect of China's existing fuel economy regulations who is now the president of the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation, a nonprofit group in Beijing.
Access the article link here



The Global Economy's Secret Weapon: Mega Research Parks
BusinessWeek Online( June 4, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 30, 2009


Around the world, nations are plowing big money into science parks to attract the sharpest minds. On-site housing and good restaurants help. There are a collection of science parks in an article in BusinessWeek Online.
Access the article link here



Report Ranks 60 Best Cities for Young, Talented Workers
Next Generation Consulting ( Mar 10, 2010 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 30, 2009


Next Cities are places with the assets and amenities that attract and keep a young, educated workforce. Think bustling city centers, walkable neighborhoods, diverse career opportunities, and a vibrant art and music scene. Next Cities are places the next gen proudly calls home. The 2009-2010 U.S. Next Cities list features many cities that you already know are great, places like Nashville and Austin, Seattle and San Francisco. It also raises the profile of cities that have the potential to be next gen hotspots because they nurture the attributes and attitudes the next generation values. These are grouped into seven indexes: Vitality, Earning, Learning, After Hours, Around Town, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital.
For more information, visit the link



State Tax Revenues Down Sharply
Wall Street Journal( June 18, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 30, 2009


State income-tax revenue fell 26% in the first four months of 2009 compared to the same period last year, according to a survey of states by the nonprofit Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. The report, conducted by the public-policy research arm of the State University of New York, is one of the most up-to-date measures of how deep the recession is digging into Americans' wallets and, consequently, state coffers. The sharp decline was a rude awakening for many states, both because income tax is the main source of revenue and because the drop was deeper than expected. It was steepest in Arizona, South Carolina, Michigan, California and Vermont. Only Utah, Alabama and North Dakota posted gains.
For more information, visit the link



Brookings Releases First MetroMonitor Analysis
Brookings Institute( June, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 30, 2009


Beneath the constant drumbeat of headline numbers emanating from Washington on U.S. jobs, national unemployment, GDP, and home prices lies a complex, diverse set of 366 metropolitan economies. While no metro area has been immune from the current economic downturn, the pain is unevenly distributed. Some have felt only modest effects, and a few show early signs of recovery, while others are undergoing a wrenching restructuring that may fundamentally alter their economic trajectory. The MetroMonitor, an interactive barometer of the health of America's metropolitan economies, looks "beneath the hood" of national economic statistics to portray the diverse metropolitan landscape of recession and recovery across the country. It aims to enhance understanding of the underpinnings of national economic trends, and to promote public- and private-sector responses to the downturn that take into account metro areas unique starting points, weaknesses, and strength the potential "grassroots green shoots" for eventual recovery.
Access the report here



Call for Revamping Teacher Evaluation Systems
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 30, 2009


Effective teachers are the key to student success. Yet our school systems treat all teachers as interchangeable parts, not professionals. Excellence goes unrecognized and poor performance goes unaddressed, says a report released by The New Teacher Project. The report, entitled The Widget Effect, is based on research across 12 school districts in four states, including Arkansas. It reflects survey responses from approximately 15,000 teachers and 1,300 administrators, and insights from more than 80 local and state education officials, teachers union leaders, policymakers and advocates who participated in advisory panels in each state.
Access the report here



Intergenerational Mobility
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 30, 2009


Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a new report from the Urban Institute considers how parental education relates to four outcomes in the children's generation: education, lifetime earnings, health, and wealth. Their results show relatively high intergenerational mobility except at extremes, where very low-ranked parents are much more likely to have very low-ranked children and very high-ranked parents are much more likely to have very high-ranked children. Download the report, A Detailed Picture of Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital.
Access the report here



Common Core State Standards Initiative
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 30, 2009


The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have announced that 47 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, have joined the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The Initiative is a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills. The goal is to have a common core of state standards that states can voluntarily adopt. States may choose to include additional standards beyond the common core as long as the common core represents at least 85 percent of the state's standards in English-language arts and mathematics. The grade-by-grade standards work is expected to be completed in December 2009.
For more information, visit the link



Asheville, NC to House Climate Institute
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration( May 28, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 23, 2009


NOAA scientists have teamed up with experts from the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University to form the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites. The new institute will use satellite observations to detect, monitor and forecast climate change, and its impact on the environment, including ecosystems. "To help us understand climate change, we have to find ways to best leverage all of our available resources, including the information we get from satellites," said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Science. "Bringing together some of the best minds to study satellite imagery and data will shed more light on how our climate is changing." The institute will have two Centers - one in College Park, Md., adjacent to the site of the planned NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, and the other at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
For more information, visit the link



Pew Counts Clean Energy Jobs and Finds Significant Growth
Pew Charitable Trusts( June 10, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 23, 2009


The number of jobs in America's emerging clean energy economy grew nearly two and a half times faster than overall jobs between 1998 and 2007, according to a report released by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew developed a clear, data-driven definition of the clean energy economy and conducted the first-ever hard count across all 50 states of the actual jobs, companies and venture capital investments that supply the growing market demand for environmentally friendly products and services. Pew found that jobs in the clean energy economy grew at a national rate of 9.1 percent, while traditional jobs grew by only 3.7 percent between 1998 and 2007. There was a similar pattern at the state level, where job growth in the clean energy economy outperformed overall job growth in 38 states and the District of Columbia during the same period. The report also found that this promising sector is poised to expand significantly, driven by increasing consumer demand, venture capital infusions, and federal and state policy reforms. Download the report.
Access the report here



New Research on Women in Hiring and Tenure Process for Science and Engineering Jobs
National Academies( June 2, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 23, 2009


Although women are still underrepresented in the applicant pool for faculty positions in math, science, and engineering at major research universities, those who do apply are interviewed and hired at rates equal to or higher than those for men, says a new report from the National Research Council. Similarly, women are underrepresented among those considered for tenure, but those who are considered receive tenure at the same or higher rates than men. The report's conclusions are based on the findings of these surveys of tenure-track and tenured faculty in six disciplines -- biology, chemistry, mathematics, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and physics -- at 89 institutions in 2004 and 2005. The study committee also heard testimony and examined data from federal agencies, professional societies, individual university studies, and academic articles. In each of the six disciplines, women who applied for tenure-track positions had a better chance of being interviewed and receiving job offers than male applicants had. For example, women made up 20 percent of applicants for positions in mathematics but accounted for 28 percent of those interviewed, and received 32 percent of the job offers. This was also true for tenured positions, with the exception of those in biology. However, women are not applying for tenure-track jobs at research-intensive universities at the same rate that they are earning Ph.D.s, the report says. The gap is most pronounced in disciplines with larger fractions of women receiving Ph.D.s; for example, while women received 45 percent of the Ph.D.s in biology awarded by research-intensive universities from 1999 to 2003, they accounted for only 26 percent of applicants to tenure-track positions at those schools. Research is needed to investigate why more women are not applying for these jobs, the committee said.
For more information, visit the link



U.S. Interests and the International Monetary Fund
Peterson Institute for International Economics, Policy Brief( June, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 23, 2009


The US Congress is now considering legislation to approve President Obama's pledge, made at the G-20 London summit in April, to increase the US commitment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This pledge is part of a collective effort by the G-20 leaders to triple the resources available to the IMF so that it can better respond to the ongoing global economic crisis. To this end, President Obama has submitted a four-part package to Congress for approval. The package would increase the US quota contribution to the IMF by about $8 billion, raise an emergency line of credit for the Fund by nearly $100 billion, endorse the IMF's plan to endow an investment fund through sales of some of its gold reserves in order to provide for its operational expenses, and approve a special allocation of the IMF's synthetic reserve asset, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
View the brief here



Fixing Trade Finance: Keeping the Engine of Commerce Humming
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, International Policy Backgrounder( May, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 23, 2009


Global trade is projected to fall by 9% in 2009, and 10-15% of this decline is attributed to the financial crisis and its impact on trade finance credit lines and guarantees that lend certainty to trade transactions. In this context, the United States needs to devise an overarching strategy to give exports a central role in ongoing economic recovery efforts, with a prominent place for trade finance initiatives.
Access the report here



Renewable Energy Receives More Investment Than Traditional Sources
New York Times( June 3, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 23, 2009


Global investors spent about $250 billion building new power capacity in 2008, and for the first time the lion's share of that money went to renewable sources, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Renewable sources accounted for 56 percent of investment dollars, worth $140 billion, while investment in fossil fuel technologies was $110 billion, the U.N. program said in a report, Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009, released on Wednesday and produced in collaboration with New Energy Finance, a research company based in London.
Access the article link here



New Report Encourages Mixed-Income Transit-Oriented Development
HUD Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse( June, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 23, 2009


Low-income families spend a disproportionate amount of their income on transportation-related expenses, as they often trade shorter commutes for the reduced housing costs found in outlying areas. Creating affordable housing close to public transit facilities can increase overall housing affordability (and reduce the cost of living) for low- and moderate-income families. A report from the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Tools for Mixed-Income TOD, discusses resources and strategies that local governments can bring to bear when integrating mixed-income housing within transit-oriented developments.
Access the report here



Broadband Adoption More Widespread, More Expensive
Pew Internet & American Life Project( June 17, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 23, 2009


An April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows 63% of adult Americans now have broadband internet connections at home, a 15% increases from a year earlier. April's level of high-speed adoption represents a significant jump from figures gathered by the Project since the end of 2007 (54%). The growth in home broadband adoption occurred even though survey respondents reported paying more for broadband compared to May 2008. Last year, the average monthly bill for broadband internet service at home was $34.50, a figure that stands at $39.00 in April 2009.
Access the report here



New Reports Cover Trends in Youth Gangs and Juvenile Crime
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 23, 2009


Two new reports from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention highlight recent trends in gang problems and juvenile arrest rates. In a fact sheet titled Highlights of the 2007 National Youth Gang Survey, findings suggest that gang problems have started to increase in recent years, after a former decline in youth gang activity seen from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. One in five larger cities reported an increase in gang homicides in 2007 compared with 2006, and approximately two in five reported an increase in other violent offenses by gang members. Findings from the bulletin titled Juvenile Arrests 2007 suggested more positive trends in juvenile behavior, with the number of juvenile arrests overall declining by 2% and the number of juvenile arrests for violent crimes declining by 3% from 2006 to 2007. These positive findings are also reflected in the data for males and females, for white and minority youth, and for most offense categories as well. Download the fact sheet and the Bulletin on juvenile arrests.
Access the report here

Access the report here


Career Changes at Older Ages
Urban Institute Update ( May 29, 2009 )
Workforce
Jun 23, 2009


Twenty-seven percent of workers employed full time at age 51 to 55 change occupations by age 65 to 69, oftentimes because of layoffs or health problems. Workers who change careers typically move into jobs that pay less and are less likely to offer pension and health benefits. However, new careers tend to offer more flexible employment arrangements, less stressful working conditions, and fewer managerial responsibilities. Download the report, Older Workers on the Move: Recareering in Later Life.
Access the report here



New Poll Measures Student Attitudes
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 23, 2009


A new poll by Gallup and America's Promise Alliance shows that more than one-third of students surveyed in grades 5 - 12 are struggling or suffering, and half are not hopeful. At the same time, more than one in nine say they will graduate from high school and one in eight believe they will find a good job waiting for them after graduation. The survey findings are based on a March 2009 online poll of over 70,000 public school students in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
For more information, visit the link



International Testing: Lessons for the U.S.
ECS e-Connection( May 27, 2009 )
Workforce
Jun 23, 2009


International benchmarking tests consistently show nations surpassing the achievement levels of American students. For example, the United States came in 25th in the performance of 15-year-old students on international mathematics tests in 2006. The performance of U.S. 15-year-old students on the science tests that same year resulted in 21st place. A new Issue Brief from the Education Commission of the States reports on lessons that policymakers might consider, including: 1) Time spent learning; 2) establishing world-class standards; 3) teacher selection and preparation; 4) professional development; and 5) assessment and curriculum review. Download the Issue Brief.
View the brief here



Federal Agencies Team Up to Foster Growth in Green Jobs
U.S. Department of Energy( May 27, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 02, 2009


The White House announced on May 26 that DOE and other federal agencies have committed to new agency partnerships that will help encourage job growth for a new green economy. DOE is responsible for distributing much of the clean energy funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, so the agency has agreed to notify the Department of Labor as funding commitments are made and jobs are created. The Department of Labor will, in turn, provide that information to local One-Stop Employment Centers, which will connect unemployed workers with jobs, training, and education opportunities, while the Department of Education will help identify the educational resources needed for worker training. DOE will also work with the departments of Education and Labor to help create career development opportunities in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
For more information, visit the link



Taking the Pulse of Bioscience Education in America: A State by State Analysis
Biotechnology Industry Organization( May 29, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Jun 02, 2009


States across America are failing to prepare students for pursuing biosciences in higher education a key pipeline for developing the bioscience workforce of the future. This report is the first ever comprehensive study of middle and high school bioscience education in the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The findings of this document demonstrate a wide disparity across measures of student achievement in overall science and biosciences, and an uneven record across states in incorporating the biosciences in state science standards, supporting focused bioscience education programs and higher level bioscience courses and ensuring well-qualified science and bioscience teachers.
Access the report here



Leading Economies Experience Record Decline
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development( May 25, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 02, 2009


Gross domestic product (GDP) in the OECD area fell by 2.1% in the first quarter of 2009, the largest fall since OECD records began in 1960, according to preliminary estimates, and followed a fall of 2.0% of GDP in the previous quarter. In the United States GDP fell by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2009, the same rate as in the previous quarter. Japan's GDP declined by 4.0%, following a 3.8% decrease in the previous quarter. GDP in the euro area was down 2.5%, following a 1.6% fall in the previous quarter.
Read the news release here



Climate Without Borders
YaleGlobal Online( May 26, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 02, 2009


Even before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen convenes in December, a stalemate has occurred. Developed nations want the developing nations to accept carbon dioxide emission limits. Meanwhile, developing nations argue that they’re not responsible for the majority of the build-up of greenhouse gases, so shouldn’t be forced to pay the price. But such a blame game belies the real tragedy of this situation: carbon-innocence. Millions of potential victims with a very small carbon footprint have never enjoyed the benefits of industrialization, but may now suffer the costs. Politicians do not want to commit to career-ending policies, but that may be ultimately what is required. Even if political actors want to argue about emissions on a per capita basis, environmental damage is experienced by all.
Access the article link here



Stimulus Money Not Consistently Reaching States Most in Need
USA Today( May 27, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 02, 2009


States hit hardest by the recession received only a few of the government's first stimulus contracts, even though the glut of new federal spending was meant to target places where the economic pain has been particularly severe. Nationwide, federal agencies have awarded nearly $4 billion in contracts to help jump-start the economy since President Obama signed the massive stimulus package in February. But, with few exceptions, that money has not reached states where the unemployment rate is highest, according to a USA TODAY review of contracts disclosed through the Federal Procurement Data System.
For more information, visit the link



A Tale of Two Cities
Two Michigan towns, 50 miles apart, are on different paths that reflect economic transformations affecting much of the nation.
Wall Street Journal( May 26, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 02, 2009


Michigan's economic future rests on making the state look more like Ann Arbor, and less like Warren, 50 miles to the northeast, where factory buildings and warehouses built on the riches of the Big Three auto makers bear signs saying they are "priced to sell." The latest blow came earlier this month, when Chrysler LLC shut down its two plants in Warren as part of its bankruptcy filing. The divide between Ann Arbor, with a population of 116,000, and Warren, population 126,000, is large and widening. Ann Arbor's unemployment rate of 8.5% in March trailed the nationwide rate of 9% and was well below Michigan's overall rate of 13.4%, based on nonseasonally adjusted figures. By contrast, Warren's unemployment rate of 17.3% is among the highest in the state. The average family income in Ann Arbor was $106,599 in 2007, compared with $69,193 nationally and $60,813 in Warren. That economic gulf wasn't always there. In 1979, the average family in Warren made $28,538 annually, not much below Ann Arbor's average of $29,840. But in the past 30 years, the U.S. economy has undergone a sweeping transformation that has benefited cities like Ann Arbor and hurt manufacturing hubs like Warren.
Access the article link here



Article Details High Costs Associated with Being Poor
The Washington Post( May 18, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Jun 02, 2009


You have to be rich to be poor. That’s what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand. Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain. So we'll explain it here. Consider this a primer on the economics of poverty.
Access the article link here



Language Translation Industry Still Growing
Common Sense Advisory( May, 2009 )
Globalization
Jun 02, 2009


Common Sense Advisory has published an annual list of the largest language service providers (LSPs) since 2005. Increased market visibility and transparency have led us to increase the number of vendors we cover in this year’s report. The revenue data reveals that 2008 was a strong year for many suppliers in the language services industry. Among the Top 25 players that appeared in our 2007 ranking, the average year-over-year growth rate was 19.7 percent, a slight decrease from the previous year, in which the average was 26.68 percent. The change relates in part to revenue from a large-scale military linguist contract that shifted from L-3 Communications to Global Linguist Solutions, the new number one company in our ranking. Excluding L-3’s 42 percent decrease in revenue, the average is 22.3 percent, closer to the previous year’s numbers.
For more information, visit the link



Focus on Out-of-School Youth
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 02, 2009


Too many young people are disconnected from the worlds of school and work, putting them at serious risk for getting into trouble today and not succeeding in the future, says a new Issue Focus from MDRC. Unfortunately, the overall record for programs for out-of-school youth has been largely discouraging — although there are some glimmers of hope, they continue. One of the few bright spots came from an evaluation of Conservation and Youth Service Corps, which found a variety of modest but positive impacts on employment and education outcomes, particularly for African-American males, over a relatively short follow-up period. A current evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a 22-week residential program with a one-year nonresidential mentoring component, also shows early signs of success, particularly on educational outcomes.
For more information, visit the link



New Data on School Crime and Violence
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 02, 2009


In the U.S., during the 2007–08 school year, the rate of violent incidents per 1,000 students was higher in middle schools (41 incidents) than in primary schools (26 incidents) or high schools (22 incidents). While 48 percent of schools reported at least one student threat of physical attack without a weapon, nine percent of schools reported such a threat with a weapon. Among the factors that were reported to limit schools’ efforts to reduce or prevent crime “in a major way,” three were more likely to be reported than others: a lack of/or inadequate alternative placements or programs for disruptive students (25 percent); inadequate funds (24 percent); and federal, state, or district policies on disciplining special education students (18 percent). These and other findings are highlighted in a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics, based on a school survey of crime and violence.
For more information, visit the link



Other Nations Offer Lessons on National Education Standards
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Jun 02, 2009


A new policy brief from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute presents six key lessons gleaned from an in-depth study of national education standards in ten countries: Russia, France, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Germany, South Korea, Singapore and the Netherlands. These ten countries are making significant improvement in mathematics and science achievement and operate along a spectrum of national and local educational control. They’re lessons that heed American cultural and political realities and could help us navigate the national standards terrain, the authors note.
Access the report here



University of South Carolina Selected to Host Energy Center
SwampFox( May 4, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
May 25, 2009


The University of South Carolina has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to house a research center that is expected to bring $12.5 million in federal funding—the largest award in the university's history—to a team of internationally recognized energy researchers in the College of Engineering and Computing. The University will concentrate on designing and creating materials essential for engineering devices such as: fuel cells, electrolyzers, electrodes, photovoltaics, combustion devices, fuel-processing devices, and functional membranes and coatings. A key element of the center's research will focus on understanding the nano-structure and functionality of such materials.
For more information, visit the link



Southern Universities Ranked High in Nano Research and Commercialization
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 25, 2009


The current issue of Small Times magazine ranks the top U.S. universities in nanotechnology research and commercialization. North Carolina State University, Louisiana Tech, and Louisville were in the top ten schools for commercialization of nanotechnology. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University were in the top ten schools for nanotechnology research. Georgia Tech was recognized by its peers as being one of the best universities for micro research and commercialization.
Access the article link here



Webinar: Utility Partnerships for Economic Growth
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 25, 2009


The International Economic Development Council is presenting a webinar entitled Collaboration for Success: Utilities for a Green Future on May 28th. Representatives from American Electric Power Service and Georgia Power will provide insight and tips into the benefits of economic development-utility partnerships. Discussion topics include: find out how renewable energies can benefit businesses and create new jobs; understand the roles that utility companies can play in sustainable economic development; and explore how to work collaboratively with your local utility company.
For more information, visit the link



The New Normal
The McKinsey Quarterly( March 2009 )
Globalization
May 25, 2009


The business landscape has changed fundamentally; tomorrow’s environment will be different, but no less rich in possibilities for those who are prepared. It is increasingly clear that the current downturn is fundamentally different from recessions of recent decades. We are experiencing not merely another turn of the business cycle, but a restructuring of the economic order. For some organizations, near-term survival is the only agenda item. Others are peering through the fog of uncertainty, thinking about how to position themselves once the crisis has passed and things return to normal. The question is, “What will normal look like?” While no one can say how long the crisis will last, what we find on the other side will not look like the normal of recent years. The new normal will be shaped by a confluence of powerful forces—some arising directly from the financial crisis and some that were at work long before it began. Read the essay, “The New Normal,” in the McKinsey Quarterly.
Access the report here



Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership
Pew Hispanic Center( May 12, 2009 )
Globalization
May 25, 2009


The boom-and-bust cycle in the U.S. housing market over the past decade and a half has generated greater gains and larger losses for minority groups than it has for whites, according to an analysis of housing, economic and demographic data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.
For more information, visit the link



A Service to the Economy: Removing Barriers to "Invisible Trade"
Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies( February 2009 )
Globalization
May 25, 2009


Although they are part of a large and growing segment of world trade—and a prominent feature in healthy, vibrant economies—services are often overlooked in trade negotiations in favor of higher-profile trade in agriculture and manufactured goods. Yet countries with more open services markets benefit from higher growth rates and living standards. Because services are an input to most other sectors of the economy, the benefits from open and competitive markets are pervasive. Indeed, the gains from lowering remaining trade barriers in services would eclipse the gains from trade liberalization in agriculture and manufacturing. The recently derailed Doha round of global trade talks seem to have put globally coordinated efforts towards liberalizing services trade on the back burner for the foreseeable future. Read A Service to the Economy: Removing Barriers to “Invisible Trade”.
Access the report here



SRDC and Partners Offering Community Development Training
Southern Rural Development Center’s Around the South News( May 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 25, 2009


Want to know more about the principles of doing good community development work? If so, take a close look at the new “Foundations of Practice in Community Development” that the SRDC and its sister regional centers are kicking off in September. The distance education program will provide Extension educators with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to work more successfully in communities. The initial training program will consists of a series of seven, one and one-half hour sessions featuring topics such as demographics, understanding the local leadership structure, the community’s economy, and approaches to do community development. A nationally recognized team of faculty drawn from universities across the U.S. will be serving as instructors. All sessions will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Central Standard Time. The first session is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 29.
For more information, visit the link



Editorial: Regional Governance Approach is Needed
Citiwire.net( May 17, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 25, 2009


As we stare down the economic recovery and a post-carbon future, we’ve got a lot of retrofitting to do. Water heaters, furnaces, windows, and older buildings await energy efficiency upgrades. Transit systems need technology overhauls to communicate with riders on their mobile phones. Underground, aging water, sewer and steam pipes can’t stand much more deferred maintenance. Automakers need to revamp assembly lines to produce low-emission buses–and maybe even streetcars and trolleys. Add one more thing that badly needs an update: governance. At the local level, a more regional approach is necessary to marry land use and transportation, for example. Read the editorial by Anthony Flint, a writer at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Access the article link here



Contracts for College Success
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 25, 2009


Increasing college readiness and access among young adults from low-income households is a critical component in states’ efforts to boost their citizens’ educational attainment rates. One strategy being utilized by a small but growing number of states is early commitment programs that involve a contract between states and middle school students. These contracts call for students to complete a rigorous high school core curriculum in exchange for student financial aid. Such early-commitment programs seek to fundamentally improve college readiness and expectations of pursuing higher education among low-income students. Oklahoma’s Promise is one such program highlighted in a new report from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Access the report here



Nashville to Host 2009 ECS National Forum on Education Policy
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 25, 2009


Nashville, Tennessee will be the setting for the Education Commission of the States’ 2009 National Forum on Education Policy. Among the topics that the conference will explore is how education can be an engine to ignite the economy. The conference is scheduled for July 8-10 at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel.
For more information, visit the link



Community Colleges Offering Bachelor's Degrees
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 25, 2009


According to a recent article in The New York Times, 17 states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia, have allowed community colleges to award associate's and bachelor's degrees, and in some, the community colleges have become four-year institutions. Others states are considering community college baccalaureates. In most cases, the expanding community colleges argue that they are fulfilling a need, providing four-year degrees to working people who often lack the money or the time to travel to a university. But some universities are fighting back, saying the community colleges are involved in a mission that may distract them from their traditional mission and lead to watered-down bachelor's degrees.
Access the article link here



Trade Numbers Reflect Slump
New York Times Online( May 12, 2009 )
Globalization
May 18, 2009


The government reported that the United States’ trade deficit widened for the first time in eight months in March, primarily because of a drop in exports. But economists said the sharp declines in the value of trade between the United States and the rest of the world appeared to be hitting a plateau. For economists, the new figures added another small piece of evidence to theories that the worst declines were over, and that the economy was beginning to stabilize, although at lower levels.
Access the article link here



Florida Farm-to-Fuel Summit
Summit to be held July 29-31, 2009 in Orlando, Florida
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 18, 2009


The Farm to Fuel Summit has established itself as the major gathering place where stakeholders assemble each year to help advance the development of the state's bioenergy industry. In July 2009, leaders from the agricultural, government, academic, technology, and financial communities will again gather to report on their activities, consider the next steps forward, and share their progress in reaching the commercial production of biofuels and renewable energy in Florida.
For more information, visit the link



USA National Innovation Marketplace
EntrepreneurshipBlog( May 11, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
May 18, 2009


The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently unveiled a great new resource designed to link inventors with potential investors and business partners. The National Innovation Marketplace was developed in cooperation with Planet Eureka!, a private consultancy. The site, still in beta format, allows inventors to post innovations which can then be reviewed and accessed by potential investors and businesses. It is hoped that the site will make it easier to move innovations from the idea phase into the commercial marketplace.
For more information, visit the link



SAFER Releases Bioenergy State Fact Sheets
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 18, 2009


The SAFER Alliance has completed Bioenergy State Fact Sheets for fourteen Southern states. The fact sheets are a compilation of state-specific data that was presented in the Southern Bioenergy Roadmap. The fact sheets provide data on: current energy use, biomass resources, bioenergy commercial plants, research activity, fueling stations, and more. All fact sheets can be downloaded.
For more information, visit the link



A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the U.S.
Pew Hispanic Center( April 14, 2009 )
Globalization
May 18, 2009


Unauthorized immigrants living in the United States are more geographically dispersed than in the past and are more likely than either U.S. born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with a spouse and children. In addition, a growing share of the children of unauthorized immigrant parents—73%—were born in this country and are U.S. citizens.
Access the report here



Two Views on the Cause of the Global Crisis - Parts I & II
PART I
YaleGlobal Online( May 4, 2009 )
Globalization
May 18, 2009


The global financial crisis that has devastated the world economy has spawned a growing literature on its causes. In part one of our two-part series, World Bank economist and Carnegie Endowment scholar Branko Milanovic argues that while analysts can quibble over the contributing factors to the financial meltdown, a deeper, more fundamental problem was the real cause: income inequality. Growing income inequality led to an abundance of investable funds searching for superior returns, which ultimately could only be achieved through riskier investments. But this only tells part of the story. That real income of the middle class has not risen over the past twenty years created a massive political problem: wealth redistribution. The solution came in the form of easier credit, which allowed the middle class, if not to save like the wealthy, at least to spend like them. But had there been less inequality would the outcome have been any different? As Milanovic notes, the middle class have higher priorities than excess investment returns, so there would have been less money chasing riskier assets. This would ultimately have led to more stable development.
Access the article link here



Mayors at Odds with Governors Regarding Allocation of Stimulus Money
Wall Street Journal( May 11, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 18, 2009


Across the country, fights between local and state authorities have erupted as federal stimulus money is doled out. About $280 billion of the $787 billion federal stimulus package passed in February is set to flow through state and local governments. Many mayors are grateful for getting some money they wouldn't have had otherwise. Still, mayors of several cities have blasted their governors for denying them money for big projects, for favoring suburban requests over urban needs, and for taking back state aid after doling out federal dollars. The governors have said they are trying to balance the needs of many municipalities, and that they must follow the dictates of Congress or their own state laws. The disputes touch on a longstanding area of tension between city halls and state capitols. As more federal money for local needs is funneled through states, cities have complained that they aren't getting as much as they feel they deserve for the size of their population.
Access the article link here



Two Views on the Cause of the Global Crisis - Parts I & II
PART II
YaleGlobal Online( May 6, 2009 )
Globalization
May 18, 2009


Lax regulation may have been the lever that pushed the world into the present financial crisis, but the fulcrum was the twin excesses of over-financialization and over-globalization, according to UC Berkeley economist Ashok Bardhan. In the case of over-financialization, financial asset bubbles rose to several times the global GDP, leading to an overheating of the economy. Meanwhile, over-globalization through global trade imbalances and risky cross-border lending created the pathway for the financial virus to spread. But there is also a self-correcting mechanism to these excesses. Global trade is receding and capital flows are falling thanks to the economic crisis. And government stimulus packages tend to squeeze out foreign investment through their focus on domestic growth. But despite this trend, there are larger issues with which to contend: the conflict between globalization, free-market principles, democracy, and national policy independence. All four cannot share center stage, so something will have to give to return to equilibrium. What that will be remains an open question for the moment.
Access the article link here



New York Times Series Examines Safety Net
New York Times( May 9, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 18, 2009


As millions of people seek government aid, many for the first time, they are finding it dispensed American style: through a jumble of disconnected programs that reach some and reject others, often for reasons of geography or chance rather than differences in need. With hundreds of thousands of jobs lost and major industries on the ropes, America’s array of government aid subsidies, including unemployment, insurance, food stamps and housing, is being tested as never before. Health care, housing, food stamps and cash—each forms a separate bureaucratic world, and their dictates often collide. The result is a hit-or-miss system of relief, never designed to grapple with the pain of a recession so sudden and deep. Aid seekers often find the rules opaque and arbitrary. And officials often struggle to make policy through a system so complex and Balkanized.
Access the article link here



Obama Administration Announces Fund for Nonprofits
New York Times( May 5, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 18, 2009


Recently, the first lady, Michelle Obama, ventured publicly into the policy realm, announcing that the Obama administration planned to create a $50 million “social innovation fund” to help finance and expand promising nonprofit agencies. The fund would offer financial support to nonprofit and community groups that focus on education, health care and economic mobility, among other issues, officials say. The administration plans to encourage foundations, philanthropists and corporations to help raise additional money for the program.
Access the article link here



Misperceptions Keep Many Low-Income Students from College
Pew News Now( May 12, 2009 )
Workforce
May 18, 2009


Many low-income students miss out on college because they don’t know how much it actually costs or how to get access to billions of dollars in financial aid, according to a new report by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project. This matters, say the report's authors, because postsecondary education is among the most important factors in determining whether a person achieves the American Dream of upward economic mobility. The report, Promoting Economic Mobility by Increasing Postsecondary Education, emphasizes that America is no longer a country where a high school diploma is the reliable gateway to getting a decent job and building a good life. It has become increasingly difficult to advance in society without some level of higher education.
Access the report here



NGA Center Releases Education Reports
NGA News( May 11, 2009 )
Workforce
May 18, 2009


The National Governors’ Association’s Center for Best Practices has released three new education publications. The first, a joint report by the NGA Center and the Council of Chief State School Officers titled, The Quality Imperative: A State Guide to Achieving the Promise of Extended Learning Opportunities, examines the impact high-quality Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) have on student success. The report provides examples of high-quality ELO programs from around the states and also offers state leaders a blueprint for ensuring ELO effectiveness. Meanwhile, a new issue brief, Achieving Excellence at Scale: State Support for High-Performing Charter School Expansion, finds that high-quality charter schools consistently demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and college and career success among their students. The brief compares common traits of high-performing charter schools and offers steps policymakers can take to help increase the number of such schools in their states. A third publication, Building a High-Quality Education Workforce: A Governor's Guide to Human Capital Development, highlights the critical role teachers and principals play in producing students who are highly skilled and able to compete in a global economy. The report outlines a comprehensive approach for improving teacher and principal effectiveness and recommends actions states can take to develop a high-quality education workforce.
Access the report here

View the brief here


Webcast on Immigrant Families and the Future of Education Reform
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 18, 2009


One fifth of school children have at least one foreign-born parent. Soon, more than 30 percent of all students will come from homes where English is not the primary language. Linguistic diversity is not unique to New York City, Los Angeles, or other very large school districts in traditional gateway cities. Join the Urban Institute and its partners on Thursday, May 21 from 8:45 to 10:30 am ET to hear what they know about these immigrant families and what federal, state and local policies might increase school success for immigrant and English language students.
For more information, visit the link



Studying Epidemics in Virtual Worlds
BusinessWeek( May 7, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
May 11, 2009


In recent years, public-health officials have turned to computer scientists for aid in fighting a variety of infectious diseases. Techies help harness the growing amount of data people create each day, through Google searches, cell-phone calls, and the like, so officials can detect potential problems faster than before. Google, for example, tracks the number of searches for "flu" and related terms and reports the results to the government. IBM donated to researchers and governments, including Mexico, a program it created that can simulate the outbreak of a pandemic flu in more than 100 cities.
Access the article link here



University of South Carolina Selected for DOE Energy Center
SwampFox( May 4, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
May 11, 2009


The University of South Carolina has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to house a research center that is expected to bring $12.5 million in federal funding, the largest award in the university's history, to a team of internationally recognized energy researchers in the College of Engineering and Computing. The University will concentrate on designing and creating materials essential for engineering devices, such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, electrodes, photovoltaics, combustion devices, fuel-processing devices, and functional membranes and coatings. A key element of the center's research will focus on understanding the nano-structure and functionality of such materials.
For more information, visit the link



Southeast Electrifying Transportation Conference
Conference to be held May 27, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 11, 2009


The Electrifying Transportation Conference will be held May 27th 2009 at the Jane S. McKimmon Center on NC State University’s campus. The event will feature a Technology Exploration and Exhibits session and talks from electric transportation experts such as: Daniel Sperling, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis and author of Two Billion Car; Alan Taub, Executive Director of Research and Development at General Motors; and Chelsea Sexton, co-founder of Plug-In America and the Lightning Rod Foundation.
For more information, visit the link



China Outpaces U.S. in Cleaner Coal-Fired Plants
cnet News( May 10, 2009 )
Globalization
May 11, 2009


China’s frenetic construction of coal-fired power plants has raised worries around the world about the effect on climate change. China now uses more coal than the United States, Europe and Japan combined, making it the world’s largest emitter of gases that are warming the planet. But largely missing in the hand-wringing is this: China has emerged in the past two years as the world’s leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants, mastering the technology and driving down the cost.
Access the article link here



Economies Still Contracting, Gradual Recovery Expected in 2010
International Economic Update, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas ( Dec 31, 1969 )
Globalization
May 11, 2009


The global economy continues to slow. The world's largest economies are seeing their sharpest contractions in several decades, and many developing and emerging markets that showed resilience until late last year are now in decline. First quarter 2009 GDP growth numbers were dismal, and a further drop is expected for the remainder of this year. Contributing to the deterioration are the prolonged global demand slump, the fall in asset prices and wealth, and the continued crunch in trade and investment financing. Among the consequences of the protracted decline are weakened labor conditions and an uptick in protectionism. Efforts to shore up the economy include aggressive fiscal stimulus packages and the continued easing of monetary policies.
For more information, visit the link



How Executives View Globalization
Mckinsey: What Matters( April 22, 2009 )
Globalization
May 11, 2009


The breakdown of financial markets worldwide has raised the question of a slowdown in globalization’s once unstoppable advance, as governments contemplate legislation to protect their own countries’ industries and workers. In McKinsey’s fifth annual survey on global trends, we asked executives around the world for their views on the aspects of globalization that are of primary importance to most companies. Most executives expect globalization to slow as a result of the crisis. Trade, international capital, and labor flows—which are among the most visible aspects of globalization—are expected to slow by a majority of executives.
For more information, visit the link



Google to Begin Publishing Public Government Data
Washington Post( April 29, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 11, 2009


Google launched a new search tool yesterday designed to help Web users find public data that is often buried in hard-to-navigate government Web sites. The tool, called Google Public Data, is the latest in the company's efforts to make information from federal, state and local governments accessible to citizens. It's a goal that many Washington public interest groups and government watchdogs share with President Obama, whose technology advisers are pushing to open up federal data to the public. The company plans to initially make available U.S. population and unemployment data from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, respectively. Other data sets, such as emissions statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency, will roll out in the coming months.
Access the article link here



US DOT and HUD Announce Sustainable Communities Initiative
New Urban News( April/May 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 11, 2009


The US Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development are establishing a “Sustainable Communities Initiative” that will make planning grants to metropolitan areas, coordinate land-use and transportation planning, and promote “livability” and transit-oriented development. New urbanists and smart growth advocates are encouraged by the project, which echoes many of the arguments they have been making for years. “I think our movement saw a major milestone last week when the secretaries of HUD and DOT appeared in the House to talk about pairing up to support smart growth and promote affordable neighborhoods near transit,” David Goldberg, communications director for Smart Growth America, said in late March.
For more information, visit the link



States Grapple with Stimulus Funds for Weatherization Programs
Stateline.org( May 5, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 11, 2009


The state-run Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income families was singled out for big stimulus spending partly because it had worked the same way for nearly 35 years and didn’t need adjustments. But governors in some states are proposing brand new approaches that critics say could derail the tried-and-true home insulation program. Targeted for hefty stimulus funding, weatherization has been attacked by members of Congress and taxpayer groups who say the local agencies that run the program won’t be able to spend the windfall fast enough to generate much needed jobs.
For more information, visit the link



A Look at Youth Who are Not Working or in School
ECS e-Connection( April 29, 2009 )
Workforce
May 11, 2009


Policymakers and youth advocates have begun to focus greater attention on young people who are not working or in school. Generally characterized as “disconnected,” these youth may also lack strong social networks that provide assistance in the form of employment connections and other supports such as housing and financial assistance. Without attachment to work or school, disconnected youth may be vulnerable to experiencing negative outcomes as they transition to adulthood. A new report from the Congressional Research Service provides information on the characteristics of disconnected youth, and the circumstances in which they live.
Access the report here



Student Outcomes at Charter Schools
Promising Practices Network Update( April 2009 )
Workforce
May 11, 2009


Since the first U.S. charter school opened in 1992, the number of charter schools has continued to grow and the topic has inspired continued debate. Proponents of charter schools contend that they expand educational choices, increase innovation, improve student achievement, and promote healthy competition with traditional public schools, while opponents argue that charter schools lead to increased racial stratification of students, reduce resources for traditional public schools, and provide no real improvement in student outcomes. New research from the RAND Corporation examines the effects of U.S. charter schools on these issues and is the first study to explore how charter schools affect long-term student outcomes. The most striking finding was that students who attend charter high schools may be more likely to graduate and go on to college--two critical outcomes that have not been examined in previous research--suggesting the need to look beyond achievement-test scores when measuring the effectiveness of charter schools.
For more information, visit the link



New Report on Adolescent Literacy in the South
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 11, 2009


Nationwide, students in the middle grades and high school are failing to develop the reading and writing skills they need in order to meet higher academic standards. A new Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) report on adolescent literacy discusses the urgency of the problem in depth and presents specific solutions for SREB states. Solutions are based on the recommendations of the SREB Committee to Improve Reading and Writing in Middle and High Schools, chaired by Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, the SREB Board chair. The report includes status reports on recent state actions on the issue.
Access the report here



SSTI Now Accepting TBED Award Nominations
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 04, 2009


SSTI is now accepting nominations for its 2009 technology-based economic development (TBED) awards. Award categories include: Expanding the Research Infrastructure; Commercializing Research; Building Entrepreneurial Capacity; Increasing Access to Capital; Enhancing the Science & Technology Workforce; and Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industries. SSTI is looking for programs that have specific and measurable outcomes; serve as a model that can be replicated; demonstrate effective partnerships and leadership; and illustrate effective approaches and stand out among others in its field. The application deadline is June 16, 2009.
For more information, visit the link



SAFER Germplasm Working Group Releases White Paper & Survey
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
May 04, 2009


The Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Energy Resources Alliance (SAFER) has released its first white paper on Community Germplasm Resources for the South. The white paper discusses the issue that in order for the South to "expand its leadership role in bioenergy crop production, it is crucial that community germplasm resources be developed specifically for and tested within the southern region." In addition to the white paper, an online survey is now open to create a database of already existing germplasm resources.
Access the survey link here

Read the paper here


Global Nanotechnology Funding in 2009
Cientifica ( Apr 01, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
May 04, 2009


By the end of 2008, nearly $40 billion had been invested by governments in nanotechnology research. And in 2009 alone, global government funding of nanotechnologies will hit $9.75 billion. Nonetheless, Cientifica’s annual survey of global nanotechnology funding shows government funding slowing down with growth in spending of only 9.3% from 2008 to 2012, compared with the 130% increase recorded from 2004 to 2008. However, from 2012 they see funding picking up again, posting an increase of 16.7% from 2012-2015. The impending slow down is not due to the current recession, but a repositioning of nanotechnology from a pure research discipline to an applied one. After ten years of intense funding with $40 billion being spent in the last five years, nanotechnology is now becoming a useful tool in our armory of 21st century technologies rather than a little understood area of science requiring further exploration.
Read the paper here



A New Effort to Boost Small Businesses in Emerging Markets
Globespotting, BusinessWeek Online( April 1, 2009 )
Globalization
May 04, 2009


Microfinance has improved the quality of life for millions of people at the bottom of the world’s economic pyramid, yet studies have not shown much of an impact on the economies of developing (or declining) nations. Microfinance, whether delivered via Grameen Bank-style rural distribution systems or direct loan operations like Kiva, just isn’t enough of a job creator. That’s why a number of economic development organizations are focusing on the next tier up—small but growing companies. The theory is that if these outfits get their hands on capital, they’ll hire employees and the economic growth snowball will start rolling.
Access the article link here



China Steps Up to World Stage, Cautiously
China isn’t ready to play the big boy on the world’s stage.
YaleGlobal ( Apr 24, 2009 )
Globalization
May 04, 2009


There is no better indication of the fascination that China now exercises than the comments surrounding its participation at the recent G-20 summit. As the world leaders assembled in London, the world’s focus was on the rising economic power China. One wondered how would China stake its position on the growing division between the US and EU over anti-recessionary measures. Also, would it make a contribution to the IMF’s reserves, or claim instead a greater hand in IMF decisions, or perhaps even openly question the role of the dollar as the major international reserve currency? There was also the question of how, at this summit of world leaders, it would behave with Europeans, after a year of rocky relations over Tibet. How China behaved on all these issues could be an important pointer to the future.
For more information, visit the link



Students in the United States and Abroad
General Accounting Office, GA-09-379 ( Apr 01, 2009 )
Globalization
May 04, 2009


The United States and peer governments use higher education for international students to advance diplomatic, development assistance, economic, and other objectives, often concurrently. For example, German officials said that international students studying in science and technology help advance German research and innovation goals while also advancing public diplomacy goals by returning to their home countries as unofficial ambassadors for Germany. A new report from the U.S. General Accounting Office looks at how higher education is used to advance public diplomacy and related goals and at characteristics of major U.S. and peer government programs that fund higher education for international students.
Access the report here



Author Answers Questions about Homelessness
Urban Institute ( Apr 22, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 04, 2009


Mary Cunningham, author of Preventing and Ending Homelessness—Next Steps, answers five questions about how to combat homelessness. Evidence-based approaches have cut homelessness among chronically homeless single adults and new strategies are now being adopted to help homeless families. Investing in proven strategies is crucial as the economic crisis puts more people at risk of ending up in shelters and threatens to reverse the progress communities have made toward ending and preventing homelessness.
For more information, visit the link



Residential Mobility Slows to a Crawl
New York Times ( Apr 22, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 04, 2009


Stranded by the nationwide slump in housing and jobs, fewer Americans are moving, the Census Bureau said Wednesday. The Bureau found that the number of people who changed residences declined to 35.2 million from March 2007 to March 2008, the lowest number since 1962, when the nation had 120 million fewer people. Experts said the lack of mobility was of concern on two fronts. It suggests that Americans were unable or unwilling to follow any job opportunities that may have existed around the country, as they have in the past. And the lack of movement itself, they said, could have an impact on the economy, reducing the economic activity generated by moves.
Access the article link here



Government Innovation Awards Announced
Governments and communities in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia recognized as innovative.
Harvard Kennedy School Ash Institute( March 31, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
May 04, 2009


The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University today announced the 2009 Top 50 Government Innovations competing for the Innovations in American Government Awards. Representing the work of city, county, state, federal, and tribal government agencies, the Top 50 were selected from over 600 applicants. Six Innovations in American Government Award winners will be announced in September. The Top 50 programs underwent rigorous rounds of evaluation by policy experts and practitioners from across the country. The Top 50 programs include 21 cities and towns, seven counties, one school district, 11 states, eight federal agencies, one tribal government, and one regional authority.
For more information, visit the link



Annual Yearbook on State Funded Pre-Kindergarten Programs
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 04, 2009


The 2008 State Preschool Yearbook, from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), is the sixth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded pre-kindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded pre-kindergarten during the 2007-2008 school year. The 2008 Yearbook is organized into three major sections. The first section offers a summary of the data, and describes national trends for enrollment in, quality of, and spending on preschool. The second section presents detailed profiles outlining each state's policies with respect to preschool access, quality standards, and resources for the 2007-2008 program year. The last section of the report contains appendices, including tables that provide the complete 2007-2008 survey data obtained from every state, as well as Head Start, child care, U.S. Census, and special education data.
Access the report here



South Carolina Releases Action Plan on Higher Education
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 04, 2009


In releasing a new action plan on higher education in South Carolina, a legislatively appointed study committee emphasizes that data “shows a striking payoff for South Carolina if we forge ahead to increase significantly the education levels of South Carolina citizens. The data indicate that for every dollar invested between 2010 and 2030, in reaching a goal of achieving at least 29 percent of the population with at least a baccalaureate degree, $11.20 is added to the economy in higher gross state product. After reaching the goal in 2030, the gain in economic activity rises to $25.20.” The report outlines specific steps that can be taken to achieve results, about one-third of which can be implemented with little to no cost.
Access the report here



Ranks of Discouraged Workers Rise
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
May 04, 2009


A new Issues in Labor Statistics paper by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics looks at workers who do not meet the official definition of unemployment but who have been affected by the recession. These individuals—referred to as “marginally attached to the labor force”—wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not actively searched for work in the past four weeks. The number of persons who were marginally attached to the labor force increased sharply during the current recession, rising to 2.1 million in the first quarter of 2009. Among the marginally attached, the number of “discouraged” workers rose to 717,000 in the first quarter of 2009, a 70 percent increase from the first quarter of 2008.
Read the paper here



Assessing the Risk of Nanoparticles
SwampFox ( Apr 17, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Apr 27, 2009


From invisible specks of silver embedded in carpet and socks to carbon nanotubes used in construction of golf clubs and tennis rackets, nanoparticles in manufacturing are popping up everywhere. Despite their commonplace use, little is known about the effects these tiny particles might have on the environment, and that has the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration concerned. The launch of the University of South Carolina’s Center for Nanoenvironmental Research and Risk Assessment couldn’t have come at a better time. The Center for Nanoenvironmental Research and Risk Assessment is endowed with $3 million by the state’s Centers of Economic Excellence program. Most of the matching funds for the center are planned to come from two sources: $1 million from Arnold School of Public Health benefactor Norman J. Arnold as part of his $10 million endowment gift to the school and $200,000 from Michael Bolick, president and CEO of Selah Technologis, a Pendleton, S.C., firm that manufactures nanomaterials used in medical diagnostics. A national search has begun for an endowed chair scientist to lead the center.
For more information, visit the link



Ag Innovation Showcase
May 18-19, 2009 in St. Louis, MO
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Technology and Innovation
Apr 27, 2009


The 2009 Ag Innovation Showcase will feature innovative technologies and approaches in various sectors of agriculture, including ag-bio, biofuels, information technology, animal health, food and nutrition, and sustainable materials. These areas are at the forefront of local and global attention of industry leaders, policymakers, and consumers. This event will exhibit companies positioned to overcome the challenges of commercial viability while confronting issues related to food, energy, and climate change. Along with exhibiting leading agricultural technologies, attendees at the Ag Innovation Showcase will be given the opportunity to discuss trends in investment, partnering, and deployment of innovative products and services.
For more information, visit the link



Americans Support Energy Policies, But Not Tradeoffs
The Energy Learning Curve by Public Agenda ( Apr 03, 2009 )
Globalization
Apr 27, 2009


Despite partisan debate, the American people find common ground on their support for a number of measures to address the nation’s energy problems. At least 10 major energy proposals that would provide incentives for energy efficiency, reduce gasoline usage and support alternative energy have widespread support. But the public may not yet be prepared for the tradeoffs and challenges needed to make these proposals a reality, according to a new survey in the The Energy Learning Curve,™ released today by Public Agenda, the nonpartisan opinion research and citizen engagement organization.
Read the news release here



Export Promotion: Commerce Needs Better Information to Evaluate Its Fee-Based Programs and Customers
General Accounting Office ( Mar 01, 2009 )
Globalization
Apr 27, 2009


Both CS (U.S. Commercial Services, U.S. Department of Commerce) and most states’ trade offices provide various types of export promotion services. However, states have limited resources and scope when compared with CS’s $235 million budget and large overseas staff. Thus, most states responding to GAO’s survey reported that CS's services are important to their export promotion capabilities. State offices often partner with CS on trade missions and other activities.
Access the report here



NAFTA at 15: Building on Free Trade
Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Outlook Report No. (WRS-09-03) ( Mar 01, 2009 )
Globalization
Apr 27, 2009


Implementation of the agricultural provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has drawn to a close. In 2008, the last of NAFTA’s transitional restrictions governing U.S.-Mexico and Canada-Mexico agricultural trade were removed, concluding a 14-year project in which the member countries systematically dismantled numerous barriers to regional agricultural trade. During the implementation period, the agricultural sectors of Canada, Mexico, and the United States have become much more integrated. Agricultural trade within the free-trade area has grown dramatically, and Canadian and Mexican industries that rely on U.S. agricultural inputs have expanded. U.S. feedstuffs have facilitated a marked increase in Mexican meat production and consumption, and the importance of Canadian and Mexican produce to U.S. fruit and vegetable consumption is growing.
Access the report here



Report Highlights Best Practices for Handling Abandoned Properties
HUD Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse ( Apr 01, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 27, 2009


The current housing foreclosure crisis is adding to the number of vacant and abandoned properties in many communities. Left unattended, these properties fall prey to vandalism, attract crime, and contribute to overall neighborhood decline. Not only do local governments face increased expenditures in the form of maintenance and service costs for these properties, they also lose considerable property tax revenue. To help local governments minimize the effects of property abandonment, the United States Conference of Mayors has compiled a report cataloguing successful abandoned property strategies from across the nation. The report, Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Survey and Best Practices, contains 27 strategies that address foreclosure prevention, minimizing the effects of abandoned properties, and encouraging reuse of vacant properties.
Access the report here



State Agencies Burdened by Growing Unemployment Rolls
Stateline.org ( Apr 17, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 27, 2009


Sixteen months into this recession, the total number of jobs lost is nearly twice what it was during the last big recession from 1981 to 1982, and experts predict the American economy has not yet hit bottom. As more workers get laid off each month, adding to the millions still searching for work, more people are collecting unemployment checks than at any time in U.S. history. That has put unprecedented pressure on state unemployment agencies despite nationwide efforts to beef up staffing, phone lines and computer systems. And states’ more than $6.5 billion monthly tab for benefit checks is siphoning so much money from their trust funds that all but a few have either borrowed money from the federal government already or will soon need to do so.
For more information, visit the link



Editorial Calls for New National Infrastructure Plan
Citiwire.net ( Apr 26, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 27, 2009


The good news is that and states cities have begun fixing bridges, paving roads, repairing subway tracks, and upgrading sewage treatment plants. And it’s clear–throwing stimulus money at ad hoc projects, generating jobs in a serious recession, can add value, especially when the funds are targeted at refurbishing aging systems which otherwise might break down or even collapse. But let’s not pretend this short-term, ad hoc spending remotely addresses America’s infrastructure needs. The United States desperately requires a forward-looking plan for 21st century infrastructure that can support and sustain renewed economic growth and accommodate 100 million more Americans over the next 40 years.
For more information, visit the link



Free e-Book on Engaging the Whole Child
ECS e-Connection ( Apr 22, 2009 )
Workforce
Apr 27, 2009


The e-book, Engaging the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practice, is available for free download from April 15 - May 6, 2009. It features a collection of articles from Educational Leadership by authors such as Carol Ann Tomlinson, Richard Sagor, Nell Noddings, Thomas Guskey and Allison Zmuda. It includes sections on inspiring trust and confidence, deepening students’ thinking, building motivation, student empowerment and more.
For more information, visit the link



Closing the Graduation Gap
America’s Promise Alliance Press Release ( Apr 22, 2009 )
Workforce
Apr 27, 2009


Cities in Crisis 2009: Closing the Graduation Gap, prepared for America’s Promise Alliance by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, shows that despite some progress made by several cities from 1995-2005, the average graduation rate of the 50 largest cities is well below the national average of 71 percent, and there remains an 18 percentage point urban suburban gap. Cities in Crisis 2009 finds that only about half (53%) of all young people in the nation’s 50 largest cities are graduating from high school on time. Cities in Crisis 2009 is a follow-up to the original Cities in Crisis report released in April 2008.
Access the report here



Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap
( Dec 31, 1969 )
Workforce
Apr 27, 2009


If the United States had in recent years closed the gap between its educational achievement levels and those of better-performing nations such as Finland and Korea, GDP in 2008 could have been $1.3 trillion to $2.3 trillion higher, claims a new report by the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company. They point out that this represents 9 to 16 percent of GDP. If the gap between black and Latino student performance and white student performance had been similarly narrowed, GDP in 2008 would have been between $310 billion and $525 billion higher, or 2 to 4 percent of GDP. The magnitude of this impact will rise in the years ahead as demographic shifts result in blacks and Latinos becoming a larger proportion of the population and workforce, they add. The report, The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools, shares key findings on the international, racial, income, and systems-based gaps facing the United States. It also assesses the economic impact of these gaps both for individuals and the economy as a whole, and notes potential implications of the findings.
Access the report here



No One Model for New Global Economy
The US, Japan and China should build a tripartite vision, not a new Bretton Woods
YaleGlobal ( Mar 23, 2009 )
Globalization
Apr 20, 2009


As the global crisis deepens and countries seek different ways out, devising new global economic institutions would do little to restore confidence. Instead, the institutions in place — the International Monetary Fund, the Bretton Woods system on exchange rates and the World Bank — should take immediate steps to incorporate a rising Asia into their systems of global governance. Otherwise the countries clinging to power and narrow solutions risk cramping their own economic growth, argues journalist and author Yoichi Funabashi.
Access the article link here



Meltdown Is Causing a Crisis of Confidence in Globalization
The Sydney Morning Herald in YaleGlobal ( Mar 20, 2009 )
Globalization
Apr 20, 2009


Doubts about global connections have emerged in every country, even those that have benefited most from globalization. Recessions, job loss and vanishing savings are not new, but this global crisis struck swiftly, sparing no nation. Many governments look inward, observes Ian Verrender, in the Sydney Morning Herald, and seek to contain their own benefits and restricting any pain from others. “It is precisely this sort of environment that creates hardships on a grand scale and huge social upheaval with potentially dire consequences for security and world peace,” writes Verrender.
Access the article link here



March Madness—For the Mind
Business Week Online
Technology and Innovation
Apr 20, 2009


It's March Madness time, all right. But the competition in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington had absolutely nothing to do with basketball. This annual event, March Madness for the Mind, is organized by the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), a network of more than 200 universities that promote innovation by underwriting and mentoring teams of college student inventors.
Access the article link here



Ceres & UGA Partner on High-Yielding Switchgrass Development
Ceres ( Apr 01, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Apr 20, 2009


Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. will work with University of Georgia researchers to develop new high-yielding switchgrass seed varieties and improved crop management techniques for the southeastern United States. Switchgrass, which can reach yields of 6 to 10 dry tons or more in the Southeast, is widely considered an ideal raw material for next-generation biofuels and biopower. The multi-year project will bring together plant breeders, agronomists and support scientists at Ceres and the University of Georgia to develop improved seed varieties. Field researchers will also evaluate cropping practices in the Southeast, adapting developments made by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, an Oklahoma-based agricultural research institution with which Ceres has a long-term product development collaboration.
Read the news release here



A New World Disorder
McKinsey & Co., Online ( Mar 26, 2009 )
Globalization
Apr 20, 2009


Ian Bremmer explains how a move away from globalization towards state-directed economic activity — as spurred by the downturn — will impact the geopolitical landscape and usher onto the world stage a new lineup of “winners and losers.” McKinsey’s director of publishing, Rik Kirkland, conducted this interview with Ian Bremmer in March 2009 in the New York office of Eurasia Group, the political-risk consultancy of which Bremmer is the president and founder.
For more information, visit the link



SSTI Interviews Technology 2020

Technology and Innovation
Apr 20, 2009


Technology 2020, the 2007 SSTI winner for Building Entrepreneurial Capacity, is the latest TBED interview from SSTI. Tech 2020's Tom Rogers and Shawn Carson to talk about the development and success of the organization. The 12-minute clip can be downloaded.
For more information, visit the link



Alternative Frameworks for Measuring Innovation
EntrepreneurshipBlog ( Apr 10, 2009 )
Technology and Innovation
Apr 20, 2009


A new Athena Alliance report presents some alternative frameworks for measuring innovation. It focuses on developing tools to measure three key categories of intangibles: human capital, intellectual capital, and organizational capital. Two separate frameworks are proposed. One approach emphasizes the firm level, and tracks factors such as employer-provided training and R&D spending. The second approach is investment-focused, tracking education spending, information technology spending, and other investments. The researchers do not offer any final conclusions, but instead focus on providing suggested metrics that can be utilized by other researchers.
For more information, visit the link



Survey Highlights Effects of Recession on Youth
Qvisory ( Apr 01, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 20, 2009


At the very moment when young people are supposed to be launching their careers, they are instead facing an uncertain economy that is hitting them where they work and live. Job losses, wage cuts, and disappearing healthcare are especially threatening to a generation that already relies so heavily on credit to survive. As young people struggle to pay their credit card statements and keep up with student loans, we see them compensating in heartrending ways: waiting to start families, putting off school, and incurring even more debt. Most are cutting their expenses and finding ways to save money. But some young adults, especially those who already sense that they are in financial trouble, are taking measures that will likely have long- term effects on their lives. Download the survey results.
For more information, visit the link



One in Nine Homes in U.S. Are Vacant
USA Today( April 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 20, 2009


From Maine to Hawaii, millions of new McMansions, post-World War II bungalows, modern downtown lofts, exurban town homes and inner-city row houses sit empty. This unprecedented glut of vacant homes — one in nine homes across the USA, according to the Census Bureau — will change the real estate landscape for years. Already, rock-bottom prices in the hardest-hit markets are attracting first-time home buyers who could not afford a home during boom times. Some areas may see real estate values stabilize by the end of this year, as buyers seeking bargains begin to reduce the backlog of homes for sale. At the same time, the availability of rental housing will widen, potentially pushing down the cost of renting. "We overproduced by 1 million new units," says Edward Glaeser, economist at Harvard University. "Now we have to work our way through the stock."
For more information, visit the link



Study Ranks Job Growth Potential of U.S. Metro Areas
newgeography.com ( Apr 13, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 20, 2009


Over the past five years, Michael Shires, associate professor in public policy at Pepperdine University, and I have been compiling a list of the best places to do business. The list, based on job growth in regions across the U.S. over the long, middle and short term, has changed over the years — but the employment landscape has never looked like this. In past iterations, we saw many fast-growing economies — some adding jobs at annual rates of 3% to 5%. Meanwhile, some grew more slowly, and others actually lost jobs. This year, however, you can barely find a fast-growing economy anywhere in this vast, diverse country. In 2008, 2% growth made a city a veritable boom town, and anything approaching 1% growth is, oddly, better than merely respectable. So this year perhaps we should call the rankings not the "best" places for jobs, but the "least worst."
For more information, visit the link



Webinar on Using Stimulus Dollars for Ed Tech

Workforce
Apr 20, 2009


The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains several pots of money slated for educational technology. Join Education Week for a free live webinar on how stimulus dollars could be used for ed tech in K-12 schools. Featured guests include: Keith Krueger, Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium for School Networking and Don Knezek, Chief Executive Officer of the International Society for Technology in Education. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, April 30 at 3:00 pm ET.
For more information, visit the link



Building Effective Community College Partnerships

Workforce
Apr 20, 2009


Historically, partnership building has been a routine community college strategy for achieving simple and complex community and economic development goals. However, the process of building and maintaining these relationships over time — surviving shifting personnel, personalities, organizational focus, and varying resource support — requires a great deal of skill and time on task. A new publication from the American Association of Community Colleges, Sustaining Partnerships for Regional Economic Growth, presents case studies, tools and resources to help community college develop successful partnerships. Three Southern models are among the case studies highlighted: Northern Virginia Community College, the Consortium for Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing, and Greater Louisville, Inc.
Access the report here



Report Recommends Cross-Generational Teaching Teams

Workforce
Apr 20, 2009


According to a new report from the National Commission for Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), and a national survey of teachers and principals, the nation stands to lose half of its teachers to retirement over the next decade. The report finds that over 50 percent of the nation's principals and teachers are Baby Boomers. To avoid a potential school staffing crisis, NCTAF recommends the concept of Cross-Generational Learning Teams, in which experienced veterans could stay in teaching longer by working with new teachers, providing mentoring, coaching and instructional assistance that will help to improve student performance and reduce attrition rates for new teachers.
Access the report here



8th Annual Southern Bioproducts and Renewable Energy Conference
May 20-21, 2009

Technology and Innovation
Apr 13, 2009


Advocates for biomass utilization and renewable energy development from across the state and region will gather in Jackson, Mississippi on May 20-21, 2009, to learn, plan and network. The theme of the conference "Stimulating Mississippi's Economy Through Renewable Energy," will be the rallying cry for researchers, project developers, and policy makers who will explore the critical pathway the state and Southern region must take to advance a new energy future that is cleaner, vibrant and more secure. Online registration and downloadable registration forms will soon be available, along with a more detailed agenda. For additional information, contact Andy Whittington, 601-977-4243, awhittington@msfb.com, or Lydia Allison, 662-325-0479, lallison@ios.msstate.edu.
For more information, visit the link



Senate Extends Vital Small Business Programs

Technology and Innovation
Apr 13, 2009


The United States Senate passed a bill last night sponsored by Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Ranking Member Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, to temporarily extend the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) programs through July 31, 2009. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives last month. Specifically, the bill extends the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which would have expired on Friday (March 20), giving Congress more time to pass a comprehensive bipartisan bill that will strengthen and improve the SBIR program and provide long-term stability for the program.
Read the news release here



The Global Green Initiative - "Transportation in Transformation"
April 20-22, 2009

Technology and Innovation
Apr 13, 2009


You are invited to join domestic and international leaders from industry, government and academia for three days of top level dialogue, designed to help evaluate best of class solutions in implementation of green transportation. The FedEx Institute on The University of Memphis campus will be the venue for executive exchange, educational conference sessions and exhibits focusing on corporate strategy, enabling technology and public policy. Evaluate the latest trends and technologies in alternative energy for powering transport vehicles, and participate in collaborative dialogue covering the way suppliers and consumers of transportation services are working together in the greening of their supply chains to make their logistics operations sustainable for the long term. Gain the perspective of the finance community on investment in green technology and hear from policy leaders on green infrastructure and energy priorities and the funding challenges that lie ahead.
For more information, visit the link



Transatlantic Cooperation for Sustainable Energy Security

Globalization
Apr 13, 2009


We are in a decisive interval for the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic community and the 32 member states that belong to either the European Union or NATO, or both—with more yet to come, in and beyond 2009. Traditional concerns—security, economic, political, and societal—have become increasingly bundled into circumstances that cannot be addressed by any nation alone, however powerful, or any single institution, however influential.
Access the report here



Trade Is Antidote to Current Financial Crisis

Globalization
Apr 13, 2009


Increased global trade could be the number one antidote to the current financial crisis, said Scott Davis, Chairman and CEO of UPS. Davis warned that while other important issues are at the forefront of everyone’s concerns, the need for free and open trade is also paramount. “Global trade is one of the most important tools we have to help lift us out of the financial crisis. No argument against free trade can justify the negative impact to economic and human development.”
For more information, visit the link



Farm Locally, Think Globally

Globalization
Apr 13, 2009


Farming may seem like a local enterprise but it’s not—now, more than ever, agriculture is becoming an increasingly globalized field. And colleges and universities are picking up on the trend and helping agriculture students become more internationally aware.
Access the report here



HUD Report Evaluates Community Development Efforts with HBCUs
Report includes in-depth case studies of two Southern institutions

Community & Quality of Life
Apr 13, 2009


Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides grants to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) advance development efforts in their surrounding communities. The HUD-assisted programs of these institutions of higher education must benefit low- and moderate-income persons, aid in preventing or eliminating slums or blight, and/or address a community development need. HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research recently released an analysis of how these projects are implemented, and of the resulting experiences, successes, and lessons learned. Historically Black Colleges & Universities: Three Case Studies of Experiences in Community Development is a two-volume compendium of findings. Volume I summarizes the successful strategies and lessons learned from the grant program in general, and from three HBCU grant recipients in particular. Volume II contains full in-depth case studies of the use of HBCU grant funds by Benedict College in South Carolina, Tennessee's LeMoyne-Owen College, and Texas Southern University in Houston.
For more information, visit the link



Serve America Legislation Moves Through Congress
America’s Promise Alliance ( Apr 03, 2009 )
Community & Quality of Life
Apr 13, 2009


The U.S. House of Representatives voted 275-149 on March 31 for a $5.7 billion bill that triples positions in the AmeriCorps program, its largest expansion since the agency's creation in 1993, and establishes a fund to help nonprofit organizations recruit and manage more volunteers. AmeriCorps offers a range of volunteer opportunities, including housing construction, youth outreach, disaster response and caring for the elderly.
For more information, visit the link



New Report Calls for Comprehensive Efforts to Improve Health of Americans
Report includes recommendations for improving health outcomes at the community level

Community & Quality of Life
Apr 13, 2009


Essential as health care reform is, it will not be enough to close most of the gap between how healthy Americans are and how healthy they could be. Without urgent action to take proven steps that can make a big difference in health, America’s children could have sicker, shorter lives than their parents, according to a prominent national commission. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America today urged all Americans to make healthier choices and society to help remove the obstacles so many people face in making those choices, issuing 10 cross-cutting recommendations for improving the nation’s health.
Read the news release here



International Labor Comparisons

Workforce
Apr 13, 2009


Governments across the globe are grappling with a worldwide recession and its impact on their workers, their families, and their communities. As governments confront these challenges, it is useful to track how key labor market and other national economic measurements compare, so as to gauge trends and to provide government officials and citizens worldwide the opportunity to learn from each other. A Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons, released in March 2009 by the U.S. Department of Labor, focuses on the labor market situation in selected countries for the most recent year available; some charts also show trends.
Access the report here



Community Colleges Re-tooling for Older Learners

Workforce
Apr 13, 2009


There's a new student on campus, and she might be your mom. A new survey by the Plus 50 Initiative at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) finds that community colleges are reaching out to students over the age of 50 and planning to expand programs for them. Eighty-four percent of the 204 community colleges participating in the survey reported that their institutions offer programs for students over the age of 50. Ninety-three percent of these colleges perceive a demand for this type of programming – predominantly from people age 50 and up in their community, but from business and community organizations as well. Seventy percent of colleges offering enrichment courses for plus 50 students said that they plan to expand their offerings. Half of the 14 percent that do not currently have enrichment offerings for baby boomers plan to add them in the future.
Access the report here



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