• Youth Unemployment Reached Record Highs: What Can Officials Do About It?
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   April 29, 2013
• The number of out-of-work teens and twenty-somethings climbed to record levels during the recession. View data for each state.

• Should Universities Move Away From a Liberal Arts Education?
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 29, 2013
• Some governors have proposed prioritizing funding for high-demand degrees in science and technology fields.
• 6 Comments

• What Anthony Foxx's Nomination Means for Transit
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   April 29, 2013
• The Charlotte mayor's nomination as DOT secretary is being viewed as an overture to the role of metro areas in transportation planning.
• 1 Comments

• Why States Are Using Welfare to Pay for Housing
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   April 29, 2013
• A program to lift people out of homelessness under President Obama's stimulus package yielded some encouraging early results, but lacks a long-term funding source. Some states are turning to welfare.

• State Pre-K Funding Hits Historic Low
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 29, 2013
• As Obama pushes for universal preschool, a new report shows that states endured a historic drop in pre-K funding last year, and enrollment stagnated for the first time in years.
• 1 Comments

• America’s Rural-Urban Divide is Growing
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   April 28, 2013
• Rural populations are shrinking as Americans migrate to cities and suburbs. As a result, rural areas are mobilizing to grow and convince residents to stay.
• 2 Comments

• Do Tax Breaks for Senior Citizens Pay for Themselves?
• BY: Penelope Lemov   |   April 25, 2013
• Cash-strapped states are questioning the tax exemptions they offer the elderly.
• 4 Comments

• What's the Back-Up Plan for Health Insurance Exchanges?
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 25, 2013
• Nobody knows for sure, as critical deadlines approach.

• Can Vocational Education Produce the Citizens We Need?
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   April 24, 2013
• Students on the technical track need solid academics, not just job training. It's important to spend these public-education dollars wisely.

• Just How Screwed is the Highway Trust Fund?
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   April 24, 2013
• A new report from the Congressional Budget Office warns that Congress will have to dramatically cut transportation spending or raise the gas tax.
• 4 Comments

• Leadership and the Power of Killer Bees
• BY: Otis White   |   April 24, 2013
• Attacking a problem with a single masterstroke is appealing. But sometimes the best approach is swarming it from all directions.

• Ariz. May be 2nd State to OK Gold, Silver Currency
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   April 24, 2013
• Ditching dollars for gold has become a popular notion among some conservative leaders and pundits (perhaps most notably Glenn Beck) in recent years.
• 5 Comments

• A Powerful Measure of Urban Health: Strollers
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   April 24, 2013
• Cities compete for residents and tax base. Nothing defines urban livability more than a city that's kid-friendly.
• 3 Comments

• Are States Deepening the Nation's Red-Blue Divide?
• BY: Louis Jacobson   |   April 24, 2013
• Some Democratic and Republican states are pushing more ideological policies, but not all.
• 3 Comments

• Conservatives Target Illinois for Job Poaching
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 23, 2013
• Red states are trying to convince businesses to leave Illinois as the state struggles economically and fiscally.
• 10 Comments