This author has not written his bio yet.
But we are proud to say that Justin Katz contributed 91 entries already.
[Click here for the printable one-page PDF of this post.] In a news report that drifted into this author’s awareness, recently, an analyst explained Rhode Island’s employment boost in terms of seasonal changes. To the contrary, the numbers are supposed to be seasonally adjusted (to bring out underlying trends), and the pattern of this year […]
[Click here for the printable one-page PDF of this post.] Rhode Island’s employment data has developed a seasonal pattern — and it isn’t captured in the “seasonal adjustments” that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) applies to the data. Throughout the spring and early summer, employment numbers in the Ocean State undergo inexplicable improvement […]
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: In tandem with plans to realign the institutional incentives of Rhode Island’s welfare services, the RI Center for Freedom and Prosperity recommends the following specific reforms: Implement a cash diversion program for new enrollees. Thirty-three other states have such measures to provide lump-sum cash assistance in lieu of full enrollment in the state’s […]
[Click here for the printable one-page PDF of this post.] If Rhode Islanders haven’t completely tuned out reports about the state’s unemployment rate, they may have heard the triumphant call, this week, that not only has their state climbed out of the lonely pit in the bottom three of the national ranking, but it’s no […]
[Click here for the printable one-page PDF of this post.] The headline that people invested in Rhode Island’s status quo would like to see, based on the latest employment numbers for the state, is that the unemployment rate is now 6.5% — the best since early 2008 and fully eight slots from worst in the […]
[Click here for the printable one-page PDF of this post.] Labor force and employment numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are due for their annual revision, soon, and there’s reason to believe Rhode Island will see its 2014 lose some of its rosey sheen. However, even before that happens, if it happens, […]
Judging by trends visible using the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity’s online, interactive tool to compare scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, Rhode Island’s period of education reform produced some improvements, but they appear to have hit a political ceiling. Key findings show that for Rhode Island students: Previous performance […]
Return to Ed Choice homepage here | Go to BrightToday.org website The Rhode Island public school system is failing far too many students and families. Collectively, our schools yield one of the lowest values in New England and the nation when it comes to educational performance as compared with per pupil spending. The public recognizes […]
[Click here for the printable one-page PDF of this post.] The United States hit a milestone, in November, with the average state now claiming more employed residents than it had during its pre-recession peak. Rhode Island, by contrast is headed in the other direction. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in November, […]
The commentary coming out of Rhode Island’s monthly employment data for October has generally been about the mixed results. Employment (people who tell interviewers that they are working) was up 1,124 people from September, but the labor force (people telling interviewers that they are working or looking for work) was down 336, while jobs (tax and […]
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