Story Search Results

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 2388 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

The controversial Silicon Valley-funded quest to educate the world's poorest kids

Jenny Anderson

January 22, 2018 |

Quartz |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya

Founded by Silicon Valley veterans and funders in 2007 to serve the world's poorest students and most under-resourced teachers, Bridge International Academies now operates 600 low-cost private schools in Kenya, Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, and India. In Bridge's model, teachers read scripted lessons developed abroad directly from their tablets. While supporters say Bridge is delivering an otherwise unavailable service, at scale, and is seeing improved scores and teacher attendance, critics fear Bridge takes the human element out of learning, strips teachers of agency and fails to teach critical thinking skills.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Domestic Violence court offers alternatives, hope for future

Elizabeth M. Miller

January 22, 2018 |

New Mexico In Depth |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Albuquerque, New Mexico

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a domestic violence court offers funnels perpetrators into programs that offer counseling and other services to address the root causes of their behavior. Its two tracks focus on first-time offenders to short-circuit any escalation into chronic abuse, as well as those with multiple domestic violence charges. Judges work closely with participants to encourage them and call them out when they aren't meeting their obligations, and recidivism rates among those who complete the programs are far lower than those who do not.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Chicago will give hotel workers panic buttons to prevent sexual assault

Odette Chalaby

January 22, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A new ordinance in Chicago requires hotels to give panic buttons to employees working in rooms alone. 58 percent of the city’s hotel workers report having experienced flashing, groping, and other forms of sexual harassment from guests. 96 percent say a panic button would make them feel safer. The ordinance also gives workers the right to stop working and leave the area without facing retaliation from their employer.

Read More
Go to Original Story
When Being Unproductive Saves a Career

Courtney E. Martin

January 18, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

In the United States, executive leaders of non-profits have a high turn-over rate due to workplace fatigue. The Durfee Foundation has pioneered funding 3-month sabbaticals for directors of non-profits to “decompress” so that they can return to work feeling refreshed and productive. Research has shown that these sabbaticals have improved relationships with the board and other organizations. Now more foundations across the country offer funding for sabbaticals.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A California City's Plan to Turn Indebted Millennials Into Local Doctors

Ethan Epstein

January 18, 2018 |

Politico |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Riverside, California

Riverside County is maintaining its college graduates and instilling them with community spirit. University of California at Riverside has a new medical school that provides free education to young adults, who agree to stay in Riverside County and offer medical care in the underserved areas. UCR aims for maximum impact by sending its medical students into clinics to directly interact with communities in need.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In push to 'fast track' women into office, gender quotas gain traction

Whitney Eulich

January 17, 2018 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica

Starting in the mid 1980s and 1990s, African and Latin American countries began to implement “gender quotas” to integrate more women in politics. Now, “12 of the top 20 countries in the world for women’s legislative representation are in Africa and Latin America.”

Read More
Go to Original Story
After a Debacle, How California Became a Role Model on Measles

Emily Oster, Geoffrey Kocks

January 16, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Berkeley, California

In 2014, Disneyland experienced a measles outbreak that was linked back to the alarmingly low vaccination rates among Californian children. Following this outbreak, California passed a law that removed two of the most commonly used vaccination exemptions: personal belief exemptions, and conditional exemptions. Two years later, most children in California attend schools that meet herd immunity standards, and the chances of another outbreak are minimal.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How UWM peer Georgia State figured out how to graduate more black students

Katherine Herzog

January 16, 2018 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

From 2010 to 2017, the number of African American students awarded bachelor's degrees at Georgia State doubled - African American students now graduate at a slightly higher rate than their white counterparts. For the change, Georgia State credits its "GPS advising" system that leverages student data to intervene as soon as students show signs of slipping (a failed quiz, a missed class) and advises students on course planning for each major. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with one of the largest graduation rate gaps between blacks and whites nationwide, is looking to replicate Georgia State's success.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Tenants Use Digital Mapping to Track Bad Landlords and Gentrification

Hannah Norman

January 12, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Social justice organizations use digital cartography to tell stories about and bring awareness to unfair gentrification and landlord loopholes. By making massive data sets available and easily digestible to the public, organizations create a way for the public to play watch-dog in the affordable housing market.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Colombia's peace agreement is the world's first to have gender at its core

Odette Chalaby

January 12, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia

Colombia’s 2016 peace accord has a chapter on gender and sections specifically responsive to women’s needs, such as an affirmation of women’s right to own land and the establishment of a special unit to investigate conflict-related sexual violence. These provisions, a result of trailblazing inclusion of women and LGBTQ groups in the peace process, break new ground in recognizing the gendered impacts of armed conflict.

Read More
Go to Original Story