March 30, 2026 / Education

Georgia’s Top Education Issues Highlight the Need for Systemwide AlignmentImage

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education’s Top 10 Issues to Watch in 2026 is its 22nd annual, nonpartisan policy brief outlining priority education and workforce challenges across the state. The report organizes 10 issue areas into three themes—investing in talent, optimizing local strategies, and aligning priorities and investments—offering a roadmap for how state and community leaders can address immediate needs while building long-term systems that improve student outcomes and quality of life.

Key insights:

  • Systems alignment is central: 10 priority issues are grouped into 3 cross-sector strategy areas, signaling a shift from isolated interventions to coordinated education, workforce, and health solutions.
  • Talent pipeline gaps start early: Early learning, career pathways, and teacher quality are identified as the core levers to close long-term skills gaps and improve workforce readiness.
  • Local outcomes drive statewide progress: Attendance, literacy, healthcare access, and rural investment are highlighted as place-based challenges requiring coordinated community-level action alongside state policy.

Read the brief here.

February 24, 2026 / Equity

Black entrepreneurship is strong in Atlanta, yet firm size and payroll trends signal challengesImage

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Research & Innovation team revisited its analysis of Black-owned employer businesses in the metro area for February 2026, building on last year’s research and incorporating the latest data from the Census Annual Business Survey (ABS). This analysis spans trends from 2017 to 2023 and compares the Atlanta MSA with national averages and peer Sunbelt metros like Charlotte, Houston, and Miami. By tracking both the number of businesses and their economic footprint, the report highlights where Black entrepreneurship is thriving and where gaps in representation and business scale remain.

Key insights:

  • High ownership share: 10.7% of all employer businesses in metro Atlanta are Black-owned, far above the national average of 3% and leading peer Sunbelt metros (Charlotte 6.5%, Houston 5.9%, Miami 5.4%).

  • Representation gap persists: Black residents make up 34% of the metro population, meaning business ownership still trails population share despite high absolute numbers.

  • Stable business scale: Black-owned firms in Atlanta employ an average of just over 6 people, slightly below the national average, with average annual payroll around $35,500—rising steadily since 2017 but still slightly under the U.S. average.

Read the full post here.

February 24, 2026 / Education, Equity

Connecting students to tailored supports delivers measurable gains from middle school to adulthoodImage

In a publication in December 2025, Opportunity Insights, this study analyzed the impacts of the Communities In Schools (CIS) model, which places site coordinators in high-poverty schools to connect students with personalized academic and non-academic supports such as tutoring, mentoring, food, housing, and health services. Using longitudinal education, Census, and tax data, the paper evaluates how these coordinated supports affect academic outcomes and long-term economic mobility.

Key findings:

    • Personalized supports drive measurable gains: Students connected to tailored services see improvements in test scores, attendance, behavior, and discipline — outcomes that compound over time.

    • Relationships amplify the impact of resources: Having a trusted adult to coordinate services helps students overcome logistical and personal barriers that often limit engagement with school programs.

    • Long-term mobility improves: Multi-year exposure to supports increases high school graduation, college enrollment, and earnings, indicating lasting effects beyond the classroom.

    • Non-cognitive skills matter as much as academics: Improvements in attendance and behavior explain a substantial share of long-run gains, underscoring the importance of whole-student supports.

    • Personalization is efficient at scale: Students receive different mixes of services but achieve similar long-term benefits, suggesting flexible support models can be both effective and scalable.

    • Strong return on investment: Relatively modest per-student costs generate sizable increases in lifetime earnings, making coordinated supports a high-value intervention.

Read the full summary of the publication here.

February 24, 2026 / Basic Needs, Housing

A Major Share of Local Homelessness Is Hidden in Extended-Stay HotelsImage

A January 2026 countywide assessment led by the Single Parent Alliance & Resource Center (SPARC), in partnership with the Georgia State University’s Center on Health and Homelessness and School of Public Health, set out to document and better understand families living in extended-stay hotels across DeKalb County. Through door-to-door enumeration, surveys, and analysis of living conditions, the project captures a population largely excluded from traditional homelessness counts, providing new evidence on the scale, drivers, and daily realities of this form of housing instability, and revealing critical gaps that have implications for policy, funding, and service delivery.

Key findings:

  • A hidden population far larger than official counts: An estimated 4,664 people — including 1,635 children — are living in extended-stay hotels, far exceeding Continuum of Care and school system counts, revealing a major gap in how homelessness is measured.

  • Hotels as de facto long-term housing: Extended-stay properties are functioning as permanent housing because existing systems offer few pathways into stable, affordable homes.

  • Economic shocks drive displacement: Evictions, rising rents, and job disruptions — not individual failings — are the primary reasons families end up in hotels, pointing to structural drivers of housing instability.

  • Families pay more for less stability: Monthly hotel costs often exceed local apartment rents, meaning families are paying above-market prices for a single room without tenant protections or long-term security.

  • Most families are working but blocked by barriers: Despite high employment rates, upfront costs, income thresholds, and credit requirements prevent families from securing leases, trapping them in a cycle of temporary housing.

  • Implications for planning and resource allocation: Excluding these families from official counts risks underestimating need and misdirecting funding, while the new data provide a stronger foundation for targeted housing strategies and prevention efforts.

Read the full report here.

January 27, 2026 / Housing

Housing Supply Lags Far Behind Low-Income Need in GeorgiaImage

The Builders Patch Housing Count Dashboard tracks the scale of the rental housing shortage nationwide and in Georgia, pairing hard numbers with local housing news to ground the data in real-world context and show where affordability pressures are most acute.

Key takeaways:

  • Across the U.S., there is a severe shortage of affordable rental housing for the lowest-income households, with 25 states facing critical gaps, 82% of households earning under 50% of AMI rent-burdened, and an estimated nationwide shortage of 5.1 million affordable units

  • Housing strain is most concentrated among the lowest-income renters, underscoring that affordability challenges are not evenly distributed across income levels

  • In Georgia, housing affordability remains out of reach for many low-income renters, with only 76 affordable units available for every 100 low-income renter households

  • The state faces a shortfall of more than 80,000 rental units affordable to households earning 60% of AMI or less

  • Renters make up 35.5% of Georgia households, while 40.7% are low-income and 46.0% are rent-burdened, highlighting how closely housing cost pressures align with income insecurity

Explore the data dashboard here.

January 27, 2026 / Equity, Workforce

Burnout, Backslides, and Barriers: Inside Women in the Workplace 2025Image

Lean In published its 2025 Women in the Workplace report. It shows that after years of slow progress, many companies are pulling back on their commitment to women’s advancement. Fewer organizations are prioritizing gender equity, workplace flexibility is shrinking, and women—especially women of color—are facing growing barriers early and late in their careers. Together, these trends risk locking in inequality at every level of the corporate pipeline.

Key insights to know:

  • For the first time, women are less likely than men to say they want a promotion (80% vs. 86%), with the gap especially wide at entry and senior levels—likely reflecting burnout and stalled opportunities, not lack of commitment.

  • Women continue to be promoted to manager at lower rates than men, and disparities are stark for women of color.

  • Six in 10 senior-level women report frequent burnout, and many feel their gender makes advancement harder and job security shakier.

  • Women who work remotely are less likely to be promoted or sponsored, while men see no such penalty. At the same time, companies are rolling back remote and hybrid options at record rates.

  • While most companies still say diversity and inclusion matter, fewer are backing it up with training, resources, or tailored career development.

  • Employees value respectful and fair workplaces, but many entry- and mid-level women still don’t feel supported or comfortable speaking up, meaning organizations are leaving talent on the table.

Read the full report here.

December 17, 2025 / General

Federal Data Agencies Have Lost Up to 30% of Their WorkforceImage

A new December 2025 report from the American Statistical Association warns that the U.S. federal statistical system is facing a severe erosion of capacity at a moment when demand for trustworthy data is growing. Staff losses, declining purchasing power, leadership instability, and weakening public trust are limiting agencies’ ability to deliver the objective, timely statistics that underpin economic policy, democratic accountability, and public understanding.

Key findings:

  • Most federal statistical agencies have lost 20–30% of their staff since FY2009, and 8 of 13 have seen purchasing power fall by at least 16%, leading to data delays, cancellations, and reduced detail.

  • Public confidence in federal statistics declined between June and September 2025, including trust in data accuracy, privacy protections, and data-sharing for decision-making.

  • Cuts to funding and innovation capacity are weakening coordination across agencies, impairing the production of interconnected datasets like GDP and slowing modernization efforts needed to meet future data needs.

Read the full report here.

December 17, 2025 / Commuting, Safety

Traffic Deaths Now Exceed Homicides Across Metro Atlanta’s Core CountiesImage

A new story map, The Human Cost of Mobility: 2024, reveals that traffic crashes have become one of the deadliest—and least visible—public safety crises in Metro Atlanta. Across five core counties, roadway deaths now surpass homicides, with fatalities concentrated in historically disinvested communities and along a small number of high-risk corridors, underscoring how transportation policy choices continue to shape who is most at risk.

Key takeaways:

  • In 2024, traffic crashes killed 425 people across Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties—more than the 410+ homicides recorded in the same area.
  • Traffic deaths are deeply inequitable: predominantly Black neighborhoods make up 43% of census tracts but account for more than 61% of all traffic fatalities.
  • A small share of infrastructure drives a large share of harm: just 1.2% of roadways account for nearly 11% of fatal crashes across the five-county region.

Read the full report here.

October 24, 2025 / General

Housing affordability overtakes traffic as metro Atlanta’s top concernImage

Housing affordability has emerged as the top concern for metro Atlanta residents in the 2025 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey. Nearly one in three respondents cited housing costs as the region’s biggest problem, surpassing traffic, crime, and the economy. The survey also highlights growing financial strain, pessimism about the region’s future, and new concerns around technology and economic opportunity.

Metro Atlanta Speaks is the Atlanta Regional Commission’s annual survey tracking residents’ top concerns and priorities across 11 metro counties.

Key takeaways:

  • 28% of residents said housing affordability is the region’s biggest problem, followed by traffic (24%) and crime and the economy (13% each).

  • 62% of respondents reported they couldn’t afford to move within their own neighborhood.

  • 44% blame developers for building homes that are too expensive; 35% point to investors buying up properties to rent.

  • 61% believe AI will increase productivity, but 73% worry it will reduce available jobs.

  • 53% say it’s a bad time to find a well-paying job, up from 41% last year.

  • Nearly 47% expect living conditions in metro Atlanta to worsen over the next 3–4 years.

Read more about the survey and results here.

October 24, 2025 / General

Georgia Nonprofits Face Rising Demand Amid Financial Strain and Staffing ChallengesImage

A new state analysis from the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2025 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey reveals both the resilience and strain within Georgia’s nonprofit community. Drawing on responses from 323 organizations statewide, the report offers a snapshot of how nonprofits are navigating inflation, workforce shortages, and delayed funding, while continuing to anchor local economies and community well-being.

Nonprofits in Georgia are serving as critical infrastructure across rural, suburban, and urban regions. However, many are doing so on increasingly fragile financial footing, underscoring the need for stronger, more reliable investment from both public and private funders.

Key takeaways:

  • 85% of Georgia nonprofits saw rising service demand in 2024 and expect another increase in 2025.

  • 38% ended 2024 with an operating deficit, and 56% had three months or less of cash on hand.

  • 71% rely on government funding, and many report late payments and low indirect rates, with one-third (33%) able to charge only 0–5%.

  • 79% receive foundation funding, but fewer Georgia nonprofits than the national average reported seeing more flexible or supportive grant practices since 2022.

  • Workforce strain is high: only 35% of organizations can pay full-time staff a living wage, and many report burnout, hiring challenges, and limited benefits offerings.

Read the full Georgia report here.

October 24, 2025 / General

The Federal Shutdown Could Deepen Nonprofit Financial StrainImage

A new Urban Institute article warns that a prolonged federal government shutdown could compound existing financial instability among nonprofits nationwide. When federal grants, payments, and reimbursements pause, nonprofits may have to scale back or suspend essential community programs.

The post highlights that even before the shutdown, many nonprofits were already facing significant funding disruptions and rising demand, leaving little room to absorb additional shocks.

Key takeaways:

  • Two-thirds of U.S. service-providing nonprofits receive at least one government grant or contract, making them highly vulnerable to federal funding pauses.

  • On average, 28% of nonprofit funding comes from government sources (9% federal, 11% state, and 6% local).

  • Without government funding, 60–80% of affected nonprofits would be unable to cover their expenses.

  • In early 2025, one-third of nonprofits experienced funding cuts, freezes, or stop-work orders, leading to staff and program reductions.

  • Two in three nonprofits anticipated higher demand for services in the next year, a trend likely to accelerate as 620,000 federal workers face missed paychecks during the shutdown.

Read original post here.

October 24, 2025 / Economics, Workforce

Fewer Than Half of U.S. Workers Have a Quality JobImage

A new national survey from Gallup, Jobs for the Future, the Families and Workers Fund, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute reveals that only 4 in 10 U.S. workers hold jobs that meet key indicators of quality. Based on responses from 18,000 workers across industries, the American Job Quality Study (AJQS) is one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how people experience work in America, offering data often missing from traditional labor measures.

Researchers define a “quality job” as one that meets thresholds in at least three of five areas: financial well-being, workplace culture and safety, growth and development, agency and voice, and work structure and autonomy. The findings highlight how improving job quality is not only vital for worker well-being but also for business success and economic resilience.

Key data insights:

  • Only 39% of W-2 employees hold quality jobs, compared to 46% of independent or self-employed workers.

  • Job quality varies by region — highest in the West (44%) and lowest in the Midwest (36%).

  • 71% of employees have autonomy over how they do their work, but 62% lack stable, predictable schedules.

  • Nearly 7 in 10 workers feel they have too little influence over their pay and benefits.

  • Half of employees earn at or below 300% of the federal poverty line, and 29% say they’re “just getting by.”

  • Employees in quality jobs report far greater job satisfaction (58% vs. 23%) and better overall health and life satisfaction.

Read the full study here.

August 25, 2025 / Basic Needs

45% of Georgia Families Live Below the ALICE ThresholdImage

The 2025 ALICE Report from United Way of Greater Atlanta shines a light on the growing number of Georgia households struggling to make ends meet. ALICE—Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed—households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but still fall short of affording basic needs like housing, child care, food, transportation, and health care.

When combined with households living below the Federal Poverty Level, nearly half of all households in Georgia (45%) were living below the ALICE Threshold in 2023. That means more than 1.8 million Georgia households face impossible choices every day: pay rent or cover child care, buy groceries or fill a prescription. These families represent every demographic and county in the state, and many of them hold the jobs that keep our communities running.

Key findings:

  • In 2023, 14% of Georgia households lived below the Federal Poverty Level, and 31% were ALICE. Together, 45% of households fell below the ALICE Threshold.

  • The ALICE Household Survival Budget averaged $31,920 for a single adult and $76,884 for a family of four—more than double the federal poverty line. Costs varied significantly by county.

  • Of Georgia’s 20 most common occupations, 13 paid less than $20 per hour, and 35% of workers in these roles lived in households below the ALICE Threshold.

  • Households below the ALICE Threshold include all demographic groups, but systemic racism, ageism, gender discrimination, and geographic barriers leave some groups disproportionately affected.

  • ALICE data shows strong links between financial hardship and other well-being indicators, helping policymakers and advocates understand the broader effects on Georgia families.

Read the latest State of ALICE in Georgia here.

August 25, 2025 / Basic Needs, Policy

Baby bonds could create $1.4 billion in new wealth per generationImage

Kindred Futures’ latest policy report, Securing Georgia’s Future: How Baby Bonds Can Build Wealth and Transform Communities, highlights how a state-level baby bonds program could reshape economic opportunities for children across Georgia, particularly in rural and low-wealth communities. Baby bonds are publicly funded trust accounts for children that invest more in those born into lower-wealth households, aiming to narrow racial and geographic wealth gaps and support long-term economic mobility.

Georgia’s economy may be growing, but prosperity is unevenly distributed. In Forsyth County just north of Atlanta, the median household net worth exceeds $720,000, while nearby rural Chattahoochee County is closer to $15,000. These disparities reflect generations of unequal access to wealth-building opportunities and limit the ability of children born into low-wealth households to climb the economic ladder.

Some key insights:

  • $1.4 billion in new wealth per birth cohort: A universal baby bonds program in Georgia could generate substantial new assets for children.
  • Up to $16,000 per child by age 18: Eligible children could access funds to invest in education, homeownership, or other wealth-building opportunities.
  • Rural communities would benefit most: South and Central Georgia counties, where low-wealth births are higher, stand to gain the most from a universal baby bonds program in Georgia.
  • Advances economic mobility: Baby bonds could reduce future reliance on public assistance and help close Georgia’s racial wealth divide.

Read the policy report here.

 

July 29, 2025 / Aging, Workforce

More U.S. workers now care for aging parents than for young children.Image

For the first time in U.S. history, more working adults are caring for aging parents than for young children. Nearly 23 million people in the workforce now provide eldercare, surpassing the 21 million caring for preschoolers. This shift, highlighted in a recent Harvard Business Review article, marks a major turning point for families, workplaces, and public policy.

With adults aged 65 and older now the fastest-growing age group in the country, caregiving responsibilities are increasingly falling on mid-career professionals, many of whom are at the height of their earnings and leadership roles.

Key takeaways:

  • Eldercare now exceeds childcare among working adults, with 23 million workers caring for an aging parent.

  • 14% of the U.S. workforce are elder caregivers—and that number is growing quickly.

  • Nearly half (45%) of these caregivers are between ages 45–64, often juggling career and family responsibilities at once.

  • 92% of surveyed elder caregivers say they want more support from their employers.

  • Georgia and other states still have time to modernize “two-gen” workforce and family programs to include eldercare—not just childcare.

Read the article here.

June 27, 2025 / Basic Needs, Early Childhood, General

Georgia Falls to 39th for Child and Family Well-BeingImage

Are children and families thriving in Georgia? According to the 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, Georgia now ranks 39th out of 50 states—its lowest position in seven years. The report, released by Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, tracks 16 indicators across four key domains: health, education, economic well-being, and family and community. While some areas have seen progress, the data shows Georgia continues to face persistent challenges—from rising child poverty to increasing teen death rates and limited improvement in maternal and child health.

Key takeaways:

  • Child poverty rises: 18% of Georgia children lived in poverty in 2023—50,000 more than in 2022, totaling 461,000 (5th highest in the U.S.).
  • Housing burden increases: 66,000 more children live in homes spending over 30% of income on housing—an 11% rise since 2019.
  • Education concerns: 70% of 4th graders read below proficiency (up from 68%), and 76% of 8th graders scored below proficient in math—10% worse than in 2019.
  • Health challenges: Georgia ranks 47th for low birthweight (10.2% vs. 8.6% nationally), while uninsured children remain at 6%, but absolute numbers grew by 5,000 in 2023.

See the full report here.

June 27, 2025 / Equity, General

Acceptance Is Up, But LGBTQ Communities Still Report High Rates of DiscriminationImage

June 26, 2025, marks 10 years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. A new Pew Research Center survey of nearly 4,000 LGBTQ adults reflects on how much has changed—and what challenges remain.

The survey reveals that support for same-sex marriage has climbed from 31% in 2004 to 63% in 2023, and two-thirds of LGBTQ adults say the Obergefell ruling improved social acceptance—but many still experience discrimination. Nearly 3 in 4 gay or lesbian adults, and 68% of transgender adults, report being targeted by slurs or jokes.

Key findings:

  • Many LGBTQ adults knew their identity early but delayed coming out. Younger adults tend to come out earlier than older ones.
  • People who identify as bisexual are the least likely to have disclosed their identity to family, friends, or coworkers.
  • Gay and lesbian adults report more family support than bisexual or transgender individuals.
  • 42% say their LGBTQ identity is central to who they are, but only 23% feel strongly connected to the broader LGBTQ community.

Read the full report here.