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What We're Reading | August 3, 2012

Earlier this week, Jeb Bush sat down with Michael Noer at Forbes to promote The Four Percent Solution  and discuss why GDP growth must be the...

Earlier this week, Jeb Bush sat down with Michael Noer at Forbes to promote The Four Percent Solution  and discuss why GDP growth must be the focus on the path economic recovery in the United States. Bush argues, through good policy, the U.S. can create a climate for significant and sustained economic growth saying “this isn’t pie in the sky kind of talk. This could actually happen in the United States. Very few countries could actually aspire to a high growth strategy. And we can and we should.” (Forbes) A study published by TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) found that a major problem plaguing the teaching profession is the inability to retain teachers). Low-performing schools have been significantly affected by the rate of teacher attrition because low-performing schools, speaking broadly, have not been able to maintain good teachers, which exacerbates the issue and makes it more difficult to sustain improvements.  The Bush Institute’s, Kerri Briggs, weighs in on this groundbreaking report in her latest blog post. A remarkably high number of Venezuelans remain undecided heading into October’s presidential election, according to a recent poll. Foreign Policy breaks down the situation, saying that if true, it’s surprising given Hugo Chavez’s unparalleled reach in his country and the stark contrast between the two candidates. James K. Glassman makes the case for sending public diplomacy into battle explaining the advantages of using strategic public diplomacy around the world and how it helps change and influence world events: “In the short term, public diplomacy explains U.S. policy and tries to set the record straight when it’s distorted. In the long term, public diplomacy, mainly through exchange programs, tries to make foreigners feel good about America and understand our history, values and people.” (The Hill) [Also check out what we’re watching and what we’re listening to]