California
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, 1/21, told reporters that his administration is planning for the endemic phase of COVID-19, although he declined to offer a picture of what that would look like…
A group of 45 colleges and universities in California was selected to participate in a new statewide initiative to involve low-income students in finding solutions for pressing state problems such as inequities in education, climate change, pandemic recovery and food insecurity, according to an announcement from Newsom’s office…
Senate Bill 866 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would allow a child 12 or older to consent to any vaccine approved by the FDA and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC without their parents’ knowledge…
After weeks of an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases that challenged hospitals, schools and other institutions, there are growing indications that the surge spawned by the Omicron variant is flattening and, in some parts of California, even beginning to wane…
California would funnel $50 million into educating young people about the risks of opioids and fentanyl under Newsom’s latest budget proposal…
In a visit to a San Bernardino fire station on Friday, 1/21, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the federal government will provide California $600 million to help the state recover from a historically severe wildfire season while highlighting plans to spend $5 billion more to address the dangers posed by fires…
Coronavirus
The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free starting this week…
On Friday, 1/21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance, now saying that people "may choose" to wear N95 and KN95 masks because they offer the best protection against COVID-19…
In a systematic review of 36 studies from 11 countries, school closures and social lockdown during the first COVID-19 wave were associated with adverse mental health symptoms (such as distress and anxiety) and health behaviors (such as higher screen time and lower physical activity) among children and adolescents…
There is no evidence at present that healthy children and adolescents need booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist said last week…
A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Friday, 1/21, barring the federal government from enforcing President Biden's requirement that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for COVID-19…
President and Administration
President Biden on Friday, 1/21, urged Congress to pass legislation strengthening research and development and manufacturing for supply chains to address global semiconductor shortages…
Last week, Puerto Rico received approval from a federal judge to leave bankruptcy under the largest public-sector debt restructuring deal in U.S. history, nearly five years after the financially strapped territory declared it could not repay its creditors…
President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic investment of $65 billion to help close the digital divide and ensure that all Americans have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband…
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an adjustment in school meal reimbursements to help schools continue to serve children healthy and nutritious meals…
At its peak, 18.5 million kids relied on Pandemic-EBT in states and territories, which began under the Trump administration and continued under President Biden…
The Supreme Court agreed today, 1/24, to hear challenges to the admissions process at Harvard and University of North Carolina…
Federal agencies were directed to implement President Biden’s $15 an hour minimum wage for government workers on Friday, 1/21…
Congress
House Democrats are expected to unveil their new version of USICA (U.S. Innovation and Competition Act) this week…
The Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)-led bipartisan group of senators exploring reforms to the 1887 Electoral Count Act is holding a Zoom meeting today, 1/24, as they continue to inch toward an agreement…
Democrats on Thursday, 1/20, scrambled anew to scale back what once was a roughly $2 trillion package to overhaul the nation’s health care, education, climate, immigration and tax laws, pledging to deliver one of President Biden’s top priorities - even if they weren’t exactly sure how…
Education
On Friday, 1/21, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Department of Education released a toolkit outlining federal resources available to help Puerto Rico recover and rebuild safe, healthy, and modernized school facilities…
On Thursday, 1/20, the Department of Education announced more resources for students and institutions to help reduce barriers to success in higher education, particularly those created and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic…
The Biden administration announced a series of administrative actions aimed at attracting and retaining international students and researchers in STEM fields on Friday, 1/21…
One in five undergraduates uses peer counseling for mental health support, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 U.S. college students…
Black and Latino students nationwide are disproportionately learning from inexperienced and uncertified teachers, according to new research…
Nearly 52 percent of parents considered or are considering new schools for their children, according to a National School Choice Week survey conducted this month…
Yet another study is challenging the idea that student evaluations of teaching reliably measure what they’re intended to measure: instructional quality…
Pima Community College in Arizona has a host of new short-term certificate programs to help students become desirable job candidates in less than a year’s time…