The War on Poverty: Overcoming Government Dependence in America

You’re invited to join The Heritage Foundation and the Texas Public Policy Foundation for a discussion on overcoming poverty in America. Our three panels will feature scholars from across the country working to advance policies that move away from dependence on government and move toward civil society solutions, as well as several contributors to The Heritage Foundation’s new edited volume, The Not-So-Great-Society. 

PANEL I – 9:45-10:30AM – Overcoming Poverty in America

After more than a half-century, the Great Society has little to show for helping Americans overcome poverty and dependence on government for their welfare. Focus on poverty as a merely material problem has largely missed the deeper needs often at the root of hardship: relational breakdown and detachment from work. What can we do – both in policy and in private efforts – to change this and help more Americans overcome poverty?

Panel:

• Jennifer Marshall (Moderator) – Senior Visiting Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
• Cindy Casey – Director of Client Services – Client Strategies, Catholic Charities Fort Worth
• Shannon Rosedale – Opportunity Assessment Coordinator, Catholic Charities Fort Worth

PANEL II – 10:45-11:30AM – Uncle Sam Goes to School: The “Great Society” Education Programs after Half a Century

When President Lyndon Johnson launched his War on Poverty through his Great Society speech on May 22, 1964, at the University of Michigan, he said that there were “three places where we begin to build the Great Society — in our cities, in our countryside, and in our classrooms.” Thus, launched more than half a century of federal education programs and spending, from preschool through graduate school. This panel examines the impact of those policies 55 years later.

Panel :

• The Honorable Chuck DeVore (Moderator) – VP of National Initiatives, Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Lindsey Burke – Director, Center for Education Policy, The Heritage Foundation
• Corey DeAngelis – Director of School Choice, Reason Foundation
• Dan Lips – Visiting Fellow, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity

PANEL III – 11:45AM-12:30PM – Great Hearts are What Make a Great Society

Unfortunately – or perhaps predictably – the introduction of the federal government into the infinitely complicated domain of what and how children learn has not led to educational improvement. Moving away from failed “Great Society” policies to make space for civil society options, such as the Great Hearts classical charter school network in the K-12 space, and innovative college financing options like income share agreements in the higher education space, are meeting the needs of families through higher quality, non-governmental solutions.

Panel:

• Thomas Lindsay, Ph.D. (Moderator) – Director, Center for Innovation in Education, Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Emily Sass – Policy Director, Center for Innovation in Education, Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Robert Jackson – Chief Academic Office, Great Hearts America and Director of the Institute for Classical Education
• Andrew Gillen – Senior Policy Analyst, Texas Public Policy Foundation