In-Depth articles are detailed investigations into a particular theme or topic in public policy. Combining several weeks of research, these projects explore the full range of an issue and it's evolution over time. They typically feature a graphic in addition to text.
The Chicago Public School (CPS) system, consisting of 409,279 students, is one of the largest in the country. It has also been one of the lowest performing public school systems in Illinois and the United States, with test scores and graduation rates far below those of the rest of the state and nation. Outside of the classroom, the CPS system has trouble with a variety of issues, including student safety, both overcrowding and under-enrollment, and a tumultuous relationship between the city of Chicago and the teachers union.
According to the UN, approximately 1.2 billion people live in areas of physical water scarcity. Learn more about this serious global issue with our interactive graphic.
Presidential State of the Union addresses, while important, can often be long, dense, and somewhat soporific. To remedy this situation, and to help cut through the clutter of the over hour-long speech President Obama delivered Tuesday, Politics & Policy has created an annotated version of the address. The speech is divided into topical subsections, each arranged in the order the President addressed them. To see a section of the speech, click on the section heading (e.g., "Industry"). To see the annotations, hover your cursor over the highlighted text.
The first of Politics & Policy's two features for this year's State of the Union is a comparison of all of President Obama's State of the Union Addresses (although the 2009 speech was not technically a State of the Union address, it was generally portrayed as such). The word clouds below illustrate how the changing circumstances surrounding Obama's presidency have shaped his actions and his rhetoric.
The contest between individual privacy and government authority has been part of the American experience since its earliest days as a nation. Debate over the quartering of British troops in American homes and general writs of investigation by the Crown spawned two of the first ten Amendments to the Constitution. Over the last 235 years, innovations like telephones, automobiles, email and airplanes have shifted the landscape — but not importance — of the privacy debate.
In Tuesday’s State of the Union, President Obama’s speech represented less of the rhetorical and personal dynamism displayed during his election campaign. Instead, there was a strong theme of bipartisanship which is not unexpected nor unusual in recent political history. Here, staffers from Politics & Policy analyze Obama’s speech.
Tea Party successes mixed bag
