Dr. Chris King convened the final meeting of the Ray Marshall Center’s Wage Insurance & Supplements Demonstration Advisory Committee at US Department of Labor in Washington on November 20. Joined by Kristie Tingle, RMC research associate and coauthor, they presented and discussed the draft wage insurance and wage supplements demonstration and evaluation paper that will be published early in 2016 along with two other papers in the series.

Dr. Chris King facilitated a meeting with current and potential partners at the Parents As Teachers National Conference in Dallas on November 10. Parents as Teachers works with professionals and organizations in all 50 states, providing information and support for parents as early childhood educators.

Dr. Heath Prince and Dr. Greg Cumpton (pictured in the middle) traveled to Washington, DC, in late June 2015 with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with their 2015 co-chairs, Ben Barnes and Pete Winstead, and a delegation of 50 business and civic leaders.  The purpose of the trip to the nation’s capital was to advocate on behalf of the Central Texas business community.  They met with the Central Texas Congressional Delegation, Speaker John Boehner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Joaquin Castro, key Congressional Committee Chairmen, White House officials, and key staff at federal agencies.  They shared the recently announced ten-year plan to address I-35 congestion in Austin, identified programs, grants, and research dollars to help build the innovation ecosystem, and reiterated the need for immigration reform and flexibility in federal financial aid.  They also encouraged Congress to pass legislation to simplify the tax code and reduce corporate income tax rates.  Photos highlighting the trip can be found here (courtesy of the GACC).

On April 7, RMC Research Scientist Dr. Christopher King joined other Ascend Fellows and leading experts for the release of Two Generations. One Future: An Anthology from the Ascend Fellowship to discuss national programs, policies, and promising research helping children, parents, and families achieve educational success and economic security. The release included best practices for influencing local, state, and federal two-generation policies as well as building beneficial partnerships in the public and private two-generation fields. You can download individual essays or learn more about the project here.

Social Sciences Research Associate Ashweeta Patnaik attended the 5th annual SXSWedu conference held in Austin from March 9-12, 2015.  This four-day event fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds in education – including teachers, administrators, university professors, and business and policy leaders.  This year, many of the sessions in the “Continuing Education & Workforce Development” and “Policy and Funding” strands focused on career pathways and linking education to employment.  Ms. Patnaik also attended sessions focused on college access at the Getting to College Graduation Summit hosted by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In December, the Ray Marshall Center promoted Greg Cumpton to Associate Director. Greg works closely with local school districts on the Central Texas Student Futures Project, an ongoing look at life after high school for graduating seniors.  He also leads research on the National Center for Health Statistics Data Linkage project and is involved with several other projects here at the Center.  Our Director, Dr. Heath Prince, noted:

I am happy to announce that Greg Cumpton has accepted the Associate Director position at the Ray Marshall Center. As you may know, Greg has been on staff at the RMC for 10 years, during which time he has consistently conducted exemplary work, has greatly assisted in establishing the RMC’s reputation for rigorous research in the education arena, and has, in recent years, proven himself equally conversant in the workforce development field. More than this, though, Greg has demonstrated a rare quality: he can manage and mentor at the same time, and can do so in a way that contributes to an esprit de corps that is so highly valued by staff and management. We are lucky to have him, and grateful that he has taken on this new role.

Please join us in congratulating Greg on his latest achievement!