General Opportunity

General Opportunity Highlights

• The number of children attending charter schools continues to climb. From 2004 to 2014, charter school enrollment increased by 1.7 million students. “Parental demand for strong educational options is consistently high, and on current trends, the number of students attending charter schools would double in five years,” writes Nina Rees.
• From 2006 to 2016, the percentage of GDP taxed away by the federal government grew by 0.5 percentage point, to 18.1 percent. Sabrina L. Schaeffer focuses on how tax increases specifically affect women, explaining that they “impinge on their freedom and make it harder for their families to succeed and find fulfillment. This is especially true during a time of anemic economic growth when many families are suffering from stagnant wages and increasing costs of living.”
• Average student loan debt now stands at $26,888 in 2014 dollars. From 2003 to 2013, the student loan debt held by each year’s graduates with loans increased by $4,011. In addition, federal assistance contributes to higher tuition fees, as Richard Vedder explains.
• Economic freedom in the U.S. continues to decline. It fell by 5.8 points between 2006 and 2016, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. “[L]ower levels of economic freedom negatively affect several cultural indicators, albeit indirectly,” explains Alejandro A. Chafuen. “Reliance on the state tends to reduce a sense of personal responsibility and commitment to sustaining and protecting the rule of law.”

General Opportunity Indicators & Commentary

• Reading Proficiency
  With commentary by Derrell Bradford: “Time to Turn the Page on Stagnant Reading Achievement
• Charter School Enrollment
  With commentary by Nina Ress: “Charter Schools: Expanding Educational Opportunity for All”
• Private School Choice Participation
  With commentary by Jay P. Greene: “The Overlooked Relationship between Private School Choice and Charter Growth
• High School Graduation Rate
  With commentary by Andy Smarick: “Graduation Rates Are Up, But Not College Preparedness
• Student Loan Debt
  With commentary by Richard Vedder: “Student Loan Debt”
• Employment-Population Ratio
  With commentary by James Sherk: “Employment Has Value Beyond a Paycheck”
• Unemployment Rate
  With commentary by William W. Beach: “What the Unemployment Rate Isn’t Telling Us”
• Job Openings Rate
  With commentary by Mark Wilson: “Job Openings Signal Optimism, But Hiring Lags Behind”
• Job Hires Rate
  With commentary by Rea S. Hederman, Jr.: “Job Hires Rate Slow to Recover”
• Money Taxed Away by Federal Government
  With commentary by Sabrina L. Schaeffer: “Making Washington Works for Women and their Families
• Start-Up Job Share
  With commentary by Ryan Streeter: “The Waning Culture of American Entrepreneurship”
• Economically Significant Federal Regulations
  With commentary by Salim Furth: “Regulatory Barriers to Reaching the Middle Class”
• Economic Freedom
  With commentary by Alejandro A. Chafuen: “The Cultural Conditions of Prosperity”

Next Up in the Index:

Ensuring the Opportunity to Choose a Promising Future

2016 Index of Culture and Opportunity

MAIN SECTIONS:
- Culture
- Poverty & Dependence
- General Opportunity

ABOUT:
- Preface by Jim DeMint
- Executive Summary
- Introduction by Michael Novak

Download the Index in PDF

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