Solutions from librarians on how to approach culturally offensive books
We recently shared how Disney added disclaimers at the beginning of many of their movies notifying the audience that the movie contained insensitive and discriminatory depictions of certain racial, ethnic, or cultural groups. Rather than take the movies off their platforms altogether, Disney is Read More...
Boston study strengthens the case for universal preschool
When Boston moved funding from preschool programs to kindergarten programs in the 1990s, the decision of which students got to attend public preschools was left to a lottery system. By doing this, the city unknowingly provided data for one of the largest preschool research studies in Read More...
Want to get students engaged? Consider career-based classes
Students who are engaged in the classroom are more likely to participate and retain more information, but what exactly keeps kids engaged? Researchers from Ohio State University surveyed 20,000 high school students across the US and discovered that education classes related to specific careers, Read More...
Government lifts ban on federal student aid for incarcerated individuals
Federal student aid, including the Pell grant, is a valuable resource for students pursuing higher education, but since 1994, these funds have been unavailable to incarcerated individuals. Last month, the federal government finally lifted the ban on federal student aid for incarcerated individuals, Read More...
A guide to common climate jargon
A big hurdle in the effort to slow climate change is climate jargon. Many people don’t fully understand the complex language surrounding climate action, making it more difficult for them to relate to and take action on climate issues. Fortunately, science communication organizations like the Read More...
CA Bill highlights the benefits of free public banking
In 2020 we shared how startup Majority helps immigrants navigate the US financial system with banking assistance. The reality is that because of overdraft charges, account minimums, and other fees, many low-income or marginalized individuals choose to avoid the banking system because of monetary Read More...
UBI Success: Updates from the case study in Stockton, CA
Back in 2019, we shared how Stockton, California was launching the country’s first universal basic income (UBI) experiment. Spearheaded by former mayor Michael Tubbs, the program was set to run for 24 months from February 2019 to February 2021. Now that the program is nearly complete, we have Read More...
Austria’s Klimaticket lets you to travel anywhere in the country for just €3 a day
Fifteen years after it was first proposed, Austria has finally officially introduced its Klimaticket, or ‘climate ticket,’ an annual ticket with unlimited access to all public transportation for the price of just €3 ($3.50) per day. The implementation of the Klimaticket comes just after Read More...
Maine is restructuring the modern recycling system
As much as we like to think that the material we recycle makes its way back into the market as revitalized packaging, the reality is that US recycling systems are frustratingly inefficient. According to the Columbia Climate School, only 66 percent of discarded paper and cardboard, 27 percent of Read More...
Colorado’s reform law shows promise for changing the culture of policing
Following waves of protests in 2020 against systemic racism and police brutality, the city of Denver established a highly successful policing alternative called STAR, where a team of unarmed social workers serves non-dangerous citizens in crisis. This program isn’t the state’s only strategy for Read More...