In a just published piece, AEI economist and tax expert Alan Viard warns that the 2011 payroll tax holiday, which shaves 2 % points off workers’ Social Security tax rates, undermines historical practices and distorts federal budget priorities as it diverts $130 billion from the general treasury into the Social Security trust fund.

Commissioned by the US Chamber's National Chamber Foundation, the report details how the American business community can use its credibility, political heft, and role as the employer of America's science, technology, engineering, and math talent to apply innovative thinking and actions to areas such as academic standards, human capital, and new school models.

The number of schools ranked highly in guides such as Barron's Profiles of American Colleges is increasing, without any evidence that these schools' instructional quality is also increasing. Applicants and their families should be wary of letting these rankings serve as the main criteria in their college decisions.

In the most recent Education Outlook, AEI scholar Rick Hess and Taryn Hochleitner explain how the inflation of college rankings contributes to a false sense of exclusivity and rising tuitions.

Data show a disconnect between the rigor of the math education that high schools claim to be delivering and the quality of the math education that students are actually receiving.

Many public workers are overpaid relative to their private sector counterparts, especially in large, unionized states such as Wisconsin, Ohio and California. This may sound like a controversial claim, but it shouldn't. A consensus is building about the need for reform.

How would personal Social Security accounts have fared in the current market?