Fallout from the state Supreme Court’s rejection of Washington’s charter school law continues. Poverty rates in most states, including ours, have fallen in another sign of an improving (if uneven) economy. Japan’s aging and shrinking population spurs investment in robotics that may have global implications.
Below we have links to interesting articles that showed up on our feeds this week, but didn’t make it into the blog.
Stateline: Poverty rate drops in 34 states, DC. (Washington fell from 14.1 percent to 13.2, ranking us 33 of 51, with 1 representing the state with the highest poverty rate.)
Puget Sound Business Journal: How state ranks: the highs and lows (Review of Washington Roundtable Benchmarks)
Washington Research Council: 90 Seconds podcast: Charter schools help urban minority, low-income students most
The Olympian: Charter ruling hurts poorer students (Op-ed by Rep. Eric Pettigrew.)
The American Interest: The world is changing faster than you think (Japanese innovation, robotics)
The Brookings Institution: Not just the 1%: Upper middle class income separation (An excellent, nuanced look at income inequality.)
Stateline: In Every State, Gains in Income Trail Growth in the Economy (Another look at income inequality, demonstrating just how complicated the issue can be; read it with the Brookings report.)
