Reports highlight hard facts prior to coalition summit
Although registration for the Potts Family Foundation’s Oklahoma Early Childhood Coalition Business Summit is sold out, a couple of timely studies are in the news as the event approaches on Wednesday.
Brookings Institution influencing policies
On Thursday, KOSU’s Emily Wendler reported on City Councilman Ed Shadid’s initiative petition seeking a 0.25 percent city income tax to help fund teachers’ salaries. Although there are a lot of uncertainties associated with Shadid’s campaign, some sort of a tax increase would be a no-brainer if we were just discussing what is best for businesses (not to mention families).
Wendler cites Positioned for Growth: Advancing the Oklahoma City Innovation. (The report was previously described in Non Doc.) It recommended that the city:
Form a standing committee on diversity and inclusion … The committee would comprise and/or work more broadly with representatives from the district’s institutional and private-sector stakeholders; education providers such as Oklahoma City Public Schools, local community colleges, and technology (CareerTech) centers; area workforce entities; and the nonprofit community, including neighborhood groups. The committee would focus on issue areas like education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and placemaking/neighborhood development.
In her article, Wendler also notes that Shadid frequently cites the Brookings Institution’s warning that Oklahoma City is running out of time for addressing its education problems. Brookings researcher Scott Andes was quoted as saying that the city has a lot of strengths in terms of competing in the global marketplace, but it needs “a clear pipeline through your education system.”
Andes also praised the OKC innovation district, but he “questions whether the state itself is spending enough money to get Oklahoma school children where they need to be to thrive in the 21st-century economy.” Andes advised, “When companies and others start making their bets around the world, are they going to look at Oklahoma City? If you don’t have the workforce it won’t happen.”
The business case for early education
Katharine Stevens of the conservative American Enterprise Institute issued another major report last week. Echoing Brookings, the AEI’s report concludes:Reports highlight hard facts prior to coalition summit - NonDoc: