It’s Christmas, Ebenezer!

What to Know: As Christmas approaches, let us remember the lesson Ebenezer Scrooge learned in the Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

The TPPF Take: The lesson of “A Christmas Carol” is that true charity comes from individual hearts, not from government coffers.

“At the beginning of Dickens’ classic story, Scrooge was a proponent of government activism and he was critical of private sector efforts,” says TPPF’s Ron Simmons. “By the next morning, he was changed—and saw his personal duty to love his neighbor. In downtown Dallas, Daron Babcock established Bonton Farms from the same conviction—and he’s changing lives.”

For more on Scrooge in the city, click here.

Career and Technical Education

What to Know: Spring ISD will add new CTE courses next year, in computer programming and barbering.

The TPPF Take: It’s vital that Texas’s career and technical education (CTE) funds are aligned with future job prospects.

“Now is also the time for lawmakers to consider granting more flexibility to districts in how they spend their CTE allocations,” says TPPF’s Erin Davis Valdez. “We can incentivize schools to collaborate with community organizations and businesses, which are racing to rebuild civil society and local economies.”

For more on CTE, click here.

Training Cops

What to Know: Detroit is training its police officers in ways to better deal with the citizens they encounter, including those will mental illnesses.

The TPPF Take: Texas should adopt improved standards for police training in physical skills and set a fitness standard for officers.

“The most effective area for improving policing is in hiring and training,” says TPPF’s Randy Petersen. “A skilled, capable police officer enjoys a greater sense of security in dealing with the public and is better equipped to make the most appropriate use of force decisions. The Texas Public Policy Foundation is establishing hiring and training standards to ensure that each police officer is capable of the job the community expects him or her to perform.”

For more on police recruitment and training, watch this.