Homelessness is the biggest issue facing Portland—and the state of Oregon—today. Tarps, tents, and heaps of garbage are a common sight in nearly every neighborhood of the city. But how did the crisis get so bad? In an interview with Greg Frick of HFO-TV, Cascade Policy Institute’s VP of Research Dr. Eric Fruits outlines the […]
Every student deserves access to a quality education. Despite the setbacks caused by closing public school buildings, many Oregon students were already struggling to succeed in the public school system before the pandemic. According to the National Association of Education Progress, only 34% of Oregon fourth-graders tested “proficient” in reading in 2019. Moreover, Oregon continues […]
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, is advocating for expanding the unemployment system with $600 weekly federal benefits. However, Dr. Eric Fruits, Vice President of Research at Cascade Policy Institute, warns in an interview with KATU News that increasing unemployment benefits can have consequences for employers.He observed, “We’re going to have […]
A recent article in The Atlantic argues that developments during the COVID-19 pandemic have disproven the claim that new housing construction causes gentrification. The author writes: “The pandemic has radically decreased demand for big-city living while also increasing the quantity of available apartments. Yet this basic fact, plain for all to see, flies in the […]
Did you know that more than three-fourths of Metro’s park lands purchased with bonds since 1995 are hidden from the public? You might as well call Metro’s lands haunted. Metro has no problems with this fact, no matter how shocking this number is to its residents. In fact, with its newest land acquisition — an […]
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents now find themselves adding the position of “teacher” to their LinkedIn profiles. According to a recent Gallup poll, 1 in 10 American families are now officially homeschooling. Many more are supplementing the school system’s online programs with additional learning in the home or with “pandemic pods.” What has […]
Oregon guidelines for the 2020 fall semester have been remarkably inconsistent, causing confusion and mayhem for faculty, parents, and students alike. The Oregon Department of Education recently released new guidelines that allow students with special needs to have limited in-person instruction but with reduced hours and class size. This includes students with disabilities, English language […]