New America Policy Papers: 2013

Papers and other formal publications from our policy programs are available below. To jump to another year in the archives, please use the links at right.

The Next Generation University

  • By
  • Kevin Carey,
  • Rachel Fishman,
  • New America Foundation
  • and Jeff Selingo, editor at large for The Chronicle of Higher Education; Hilary Pennington, director of the Generations Initiative; and Iris Palmer, senior associate of HCM Strategists
May 21, 2013

As the nation struggles to find new ways to increase college access and completion rates while lowering costs, a handful of "Next Generation Universities" are embracing key strategies that make them models for national reform.

Programs:

An Ocean of Unknowns

  • By
  • Laura Bornfreund,
  • New America Foundation
May 15, 2013

What is the best way to use data to measure teacher impact on student learning? States and school districts are attempting to navigate these uncharted waters. As of 2012, 20 states and DC require evidence of student learning to play a role in evaluating teacher performance. As a result, better information on student learning is in high demand, and no grade level is immune. Historically, most states have required standardized testing only in grades three through eight.

Programs:

Undermining Pell

  • By
  • Stephen Burd,
  • New America Foundation
May 8, 2013

Nearly fifty years ago, the federal government committed itself to removing the financial barriers that prevent low-income students from enrolling in and completing colleges. For years, colleges complemented the government's efforts by using their financial aid resources to open the doors to the neediest students. But those days appear to be in the past.

Programs:

Federal Education Budget Update: Fiscal Year 2013 Recap and Fiscal Year 2014 Early Analysis

  • By
  • Jason Delisle,
  • Clare McCann,
  • New America Foundation
April 30, 2013

The New America Foundation’s Education Policy Program released an issue brief detailing the completion of the fiscal year 2013 appropriations process and the start of 2014 budgeting. The brief explores congressional budget actions over the past year and describes their effects on federal education programs.

Programs:

Renewing the American Social Contract: A New Vision for Improving Economic Security

  • By
  • Michael Lind,
  • Joshua Freedman,
  • New America Foundation
  • and Greg Anrig, The Century Foundation; Steven Attewell, University of California -- Santa Barbara; Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research; Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times; Lauren Damme, New America Foundation; Steven Hill, Author and Researcher; Robert Hiltonsmith, Demos; Mike Konczal, Roosevelt Institute; Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect and Demos; Peter Lindert, University of California - Davis; Jeff Madrick, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis; Steven Teles, Johns Hopkins University; Bruce Stokes, Pew Research Center; Ron Unz, The American Conservative
April 29, 2013

[Click here to download the full collection, Renewing the American Social Contract: A New Vision for Improving Economic Security, as a PDF.]

Programs:

The California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program

  • By
  • Aleta Sprague,
  • New America Foundation
April 26, 2013

Until recently, the “three-legged stool” was the reigning metaphor for achieving retirement security. Workers could anticipate being supported as they aged by a combination of Social Security benefits, private pension income, and personal savings. This model no longer holds. Traditional pensions have almost disappeared from the private workforce, personal savings are low, and Social Security benefits face political and actuarial threats. The new model relies on defined contribution (“DC”) plans like the 401(k).

Programs:

State U Online

  • By
  • Rachel Fishman,
  • New America Foundation
April 23, 2013

Mention online learning in higher education and the conversation quickly turns to the explosion of Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, and the opportunities for delivering quality education to the greatest number of students. Indeed, online learning is increasingly becoming a permanent fixture in higher education. But the nation’s public higher education system--the two-year colleges and four-year universities that educate the large majority of all college students--has been visibly slower to embrace the potential of online education.

Programs:

The Rise of the Dynamic Welfare State

  • By David Stoesz, Mississippi Valley State University
April 23, 2013

The American welfare state has been more malleable than its European counterparts. While this can be attributed to historical circumstances, adverse effects of social programs, notably public assistance and child welfare, are contributing factors. In recent decades, the private sector has become more influential in shaping American social welfare through demonstrations emerging from the nonprofit sector, the shaping of public philosophy by policy institutes, and the ability of corporate providers to conform policy to their preferences.

Programs:

Key Questions on the Obama Administration’s 2014 Education Budget Request

  • By
  • Clare McCann,
  • New America Foundation
  • and Education Policy Program
April 10, 2013

President Obama sent his fiscal year 2014 budget request to Congress on April 10, 2013. The New America Foundation’s Education Policy Program released this subsequent issue brief, “Key Questions on the Obama Administration’s 2014 Budget Request."

Programs:

Expanded Social Security

  • By
  • Michael Lind,
  • Joshua Freedman,
  • Steven Hill,
  • New America Foundation
  • and Robert Hiltonsmith, Demos
April 3, 2013

Executive Summary
The conventional wisdom about Social Security is profoundly misguided. According to today’s mistaken consensus, the U.S. as a society cannot afford to allocate the money to pay for the present level of Social Security benefits for retirees in future generations. The solution, it is widely argued, is to cut benefits – either directly by means-testing or indirectly by raising the retirement age or allowing inflation to erode their real value over time. In this narrative, tax-favored private savings vehicles like 401(k)s and IRAs should be expanded in order to compensate for the allegedly necessary cuts in Social Security.

Programs:
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