Studies
The New Landscape In American Manufacturing: What It Takes To Succeed Today Click here to download the full study as PDF. Findings In Brief 1. The landscape of American manufacturing has changed. Manufacturing has been a key ingredient in America’s success as a nation — an engine of economic growth, innovation and upward mobil ...
Middletown, NY Personalizes Learning To Narrow Achievement Gaps The Enlarged City School District of Middletown, New York is showing the nation how to transform a once-struggling district. Proving that good things come in small packages, this economically challenged district is improving on important metrics — for example, 4-year high school graduation rates have increased from 51 to 80 percent over the past nine years. Now aiming to drive achievement and student engagement even higher, Middletown is implementing personalized learning through a comprehensive, phased approach to blended learning to help students meet the demands of New York’s Common Core standards and aligned assessments.
Incentivizing a New Defense Industrial Base Click here to download the full report as PDF. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It is the contention of this study that private corporations are increasingly disincentivized to do business with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Contracting with DoD has always bee ...
Blue-Green Intersections: Impacts of Water Shortages on Western State Energy Policies Click here to download the full report as PDF. Executive Summary California and Arizona, two of the nation’s leaders in renewable energy growth, are also among the states most severely impacted by severe water shortages. In California, where aggressiv ...
Securing DoD Networks for the 21st Century Click here to download the full report as PDF. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Some forty years ago, the U.S. Armed Forces began a revolution in military affairs based largely on the exploitation of information. A series of advances in position location, accurate mu ...
Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Can Represent an Innovative Solution for America’s Shifting Energy Sector The United States is heavily reliant on nuclear power for its electricity. Last year, six states used nuclear power for more than 45 percent of electricity generation, with 19 percent of the nation’s electricity generated by nuclear reactors. As current U.S. nuclear energy production facilities increasingly approach the end of their planned operational lifespans, an innovative approach around Small Modular Reactors may represent the best and most practical solution available to energy decisionmakers. While solar, windpower and other renewable energy sources are becoming more prevalent, they are still decades away from becoming viable alternatives to nuclear for most Americans. Federal regulatory officials have made important progress modernizing their systems and requirements for approving advanced reactors, a process expected to continue at both federal and state levels, and one which will largely define the future cost-effectiveness of the Small Modular Reactor approach. In particular, plans and requirements for the safe disposition of spent nuclear fuel from new reactors will be crucial. Potential benefits of Small Modular Reactors include cost effectiveness, grid resilience, and improved safety and energy diversity.
What Can Be Learned from the Northeast’s Use of Microgrids As energy decisionmakers pursue strategies to bolster the resilience of the electric grid and to integrate renewable energy sources, an increasing number are turning to microgrids. Microgrids are small-scale electricity generation and distribution systems with control capability, that are capable of operating autonomously and even disconnect from the main grid. More sophisticated microgrids are capable of integrating different energy sources, and providing power sufficient to support industrial operations or university campuses.
Performance Based Funding In New Jersey: Leveraging Education Spending To Close Stark Achievement Gaps Click here to download the full study as PDF. Executive Summary New Jersey has among the highest levels of elementary and secondary education spending in the nation, accounting for at least 6.3 percent of the state’s GDP. But the impact of this investm ...
Missile Defense: Why America Has Almost No Protection From The Greatest Threat It Faces, And What To Do About It Click here to download the full study as PDF. Findings in Brief Nuclear war is the only foreseeable threat to America’s survival in this century, and Russia is the most plausible nation from which a large-scale nuclear attack might originate. Other cou ...
Transforming Education Through Digital And Blended Learning Executive Summary January 2015 -- The growth of innovative new personalized learning models is fast becoming the most compelling story in American elementary and secondary education. These instructional models are underway in most parts of the country, ...