Last December, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition - a national organization of more than 600 groups representing knowledge workers, educators, scientists, engineers, and technicians - wrote to President-elect Obama urging him to "not lose sight of the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the United States to remain the economic and technological leader of the 21st century global marketplace." While that imperative appears to have resonated in Washington, has it and should it resonate in Madison? This report attempts to answer that question by examining the extent to which STEM skills are a necessity for tomorrow's Wisconsin workforce, whether our schools are preparing students to be STEM-savvy workers, and where STEM falls in the state's list of educational priorities.
In the latest report from its three-year research project on early childhood care and education, the Public Policy Forum conducts a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of southeast Wisconsin's child care industry. The aim is twofold: to provide policymakers and economic development officials with a sense of the economic magnitude of this industry, and what its condition means to the economic well-being of the region; and to lay the groundwork for a follow-up report - to be released later this year - that will enumerate the costs and benefits of a potential high quality early childhood care and education system in southeastern Wisconsin. Taken together, these reports will provide insight for policymakers as to the scope of investments that would be required to achieve a high quality system, and the returns that might be generated should those investments materialize.
Few issues better capture the complex and controversial nature of urban problems facing Metropolitan Milwaukee than the issue of affordable housing. Encompassing matters of racial segregation, poverty and failed public-private partnerships, the Milwaukee metro area's struggle to provide a safe, decent and affordable supply of housing to low-income citizens has been a difficult one. Even before the national economic meltdown, countless reports documented the severe housing burden facing low-income citizens in Milwaukee County. That burden, combined with the scarcity of affordable housing in suburban parts of southeast Wisconsin, has cemented the region's place as one of the most racially segregated in the country. In today's economy, those problems have intensified.
In May 2006, following the launch of a "reality tour" by the Milwaukee County executive to warn citizens about his government's deteriorating financial situation, and a month-long investigation into Milwaukee County's finances by two of its reporters, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board declared that "without bold steps and aggressive political leadership on all levels...the county is sure to face a fiscal crisis more severe than most people might now imagine." Almost three years later, it is clear that bold steps have not been taken. Yet, the fiscal crisis predicted by editorial writers and top county and civic leaders has not materialized. This report examines how the crisis has been avoided so far, and at what price. Utilizing a commonly used and respected fiscal monitoring system, and conducting perhaps the most rigorous examination of Milwaukee County fiscal data ever undertaken, we assess the county's current fiscal condition.
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