In the most recent ratings put out by the state of Florida, Miami-Dade County Public Schools earned an "A" designation and had no "F" rated schools, unusual achievements for a large urban district. Ron Matus, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Step Up For Students, sits down with Paul E. Peterson to discuss some factors behind the school district's success: dynamic and stable leadership, an understanding of how to intervene in and support the most struggling schools, and many different options for families if they are not satisfied.

Last week, President Trump announced that his immigration plan would not mandate that employers use E-Verify, the employment verification system that checks new employees against government databases. While the president felt it was too “tough” on illegal workers, he is wrong. Nearly all illegal workers passed the system last year. In reality, E-Verify is tough on legal workers who have had nearly 760,000 jobs held up by the system since 2006.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued the following remarks by President and CEO John C. Williams at the conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking: "John Maynard Keynes quipped, "Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist." I wonder whether Keynes would see this as a feature rather than a bug in light of his enduring influence on the profession more than 70 years after his death.

The Asian Monetary Policy Forum (AMPF) convenes today for the sixth consecutive year. The highlights of the Forum include presentations and discussions on the dominant role of the US dollar and its implications for monetary policy, as well as challenges posed by digital currencies.