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6 Ways the Next President Can Improve Education

by Monique Rizer   •  

‘When our youth do well, our communities do well, and our economy follows’

Economic opportunity is the leading domestic issue of our time—and a key to reinvigorating our economy is providing quality education and training opportunities for the about 5.5 million young Americans who are neither in school nor working. Yet the topic of education and how it affects our economic opportunity as a nation was notably absent from all of the presidential debates, which lacked a rigorous exchange of ideas on how to strengthen the country by ensuring equal opportunity for all.

Currently, young Americans who are not in school or working cost taxpayers an estimated $93 billion annually and $1.6 trillion over their lifetimes in lost revenues and increased social services.

From President Obama’s plan to create Pathways to Opportunity to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s A Better Way agenda, leaders on both sides of the aisle have provided ideas on how to improve education, training and jobs to close the nation’s opportunity gap.

While the presidential campaigns have been mostly lacking in education ideas, the candidates have given us some hints: Secretary Hillary Clinton has shared plans for making college debt free and how to have access to high-quality preschool for all, while Donald Trump has highlighted the importance of school choice for low-income families.

Here are six policy recommendations for the next president to boost opportunity and help make the American Dream a reality by ensuring children and youth get the right start.

Read the full article on TIME.com.

Monique Rizer

Monique Rizer is the Executive Director of Opportunity Nation. Prior to this role, Monique served as Chief of Staff for Opportunity Nation's parent organization, Be The Change, Inc., a national nonprofit organization that creates issue-based campaigns designed to advance positive social change. Read Monique's Bio.

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