SPOTLIGHT: Washington DC
David F. Garrison, Margery Austin Turner, Jennifer Comey, Barika Williams, Elizabeth Guernsey, Marni Allen, Mary Filardo, Nancy Huvendick and Ping Sung, September 29, 2008
New analysis by Greater Washington Research at Brookings, the Urban Institute and 21st Century School Fund argues that Washington, DC can become a more family-friendly city by improving its public schools, expanding affordable housing, and revitalizing its neighborhoods. The paper examines families’ current public school choices and recommends that the city strategically link its policies and investments in education, affordable housing, and neighborhood revitalization in order to better serve those already living here, attract new families with children to city neighborhoods, and encourage young couples with preschool-age children to stay in the city.
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Washington DC, Economic Mobility, Education, Cities, Urban and Inner-city Schools
SPOTLIGHT: Economic Mobility
Istock/Lisa F. Young - Adult education class raising hands to ask questions
Brooke DeRenzis, Martha Ross and Alice M. Rivlin, June 06, 2008
Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, Washington, D.C. is the only one without a fully fledged community college. Washington needs a community college in order to provide all District residents with increased opportunities for employment and further education in an affordable and flexible manner, argue the authors of this report, who offer three options for creating a community college in the nation's capital.
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Economic Mobility, Education, Washington DC, Cities, Urban and Inner-city Schools
SPOTLIGHT: Demographics
Reuters - Visitors walk past the Freedom Wall in Washington, DC.
Brooke DeRenzis, January 2008
Evidence from a variety of sources indicates that there is renewed interest in living in the District of Columbia. Brooke DeRenzis reviews changes among D.C.’s population since 2000 and examines movement in and out of the city. She finds that the city has drawn newcomers from across the country. Many of those leaving the District are settling in the Washington region’s suburbs.
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Demographics, Washington DC, Cities, Community Development, Development
SPOTLIGHT: Health Care
Martha Ross and Kathy Patrick, October 24, 2007
Focus groups of low-income Washington, DC residents conducted by the DCPCA Medical Homes DC project identified multiple barriers to health care access and problems within the system. The identified barriers are common across the country, especially among low-income and minority populations, and the paper recommends several promising practices that health centers can enact to improve access to care and the patient experience.
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Health Care
SPOTLIGHT: U.S. Poverty
Reuters/Tim Shaffer- Students work on their laptops on the first day of school
Alice M. Rivlin, January 16, 2008
In testimony before the D.C. City Council Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, Alice M. Rivlin presents recommendations for reducing poverty in the District. She gives examples of education and training programs that could be funded in the FY2009 budget and reviews longer-term workforce development strategies.
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U.S. Poverty, Washington DC, Income Distribution, Pensions, Quality-of-Life Issues