Racial and Ethnic Disparities in K-16 Education in Rhode Island

Racial and ethnic disparities have existed in the United States and Rhode Island from its founding. Removal of Native Americans, several centuries of slavery, a century of Jim Crow laws, and residential segregation created large gaps in academic access and attainment for Students of Color. While policies that created segregated schools ended decades ago, America and Rhode Island have yet to see a truly integrated educational system that produces high-quality educational opportunities for all.In the U.S., Black and Latino students have become increasingly segregated from white students over the last 30 years. Black and Latino students generally attend schools in which students are disproportionately Students of Color and high-poverty, while white students attend schools in which students are disproportionately white and low-poverty.Students in schools with high concentrations of low-income students and Students of Color have unequal educational opportunities when compared with the educational opportunities available to students who attend schools that are more diverse or that have mostly higher-income or predominantly white students because the schools they attend have more absences, lower graduation rates, teachers who have less classroom experience, and more teachers who are teaching outside their subject area of expertise

Mapping Highlights of the Independent Grantmaking Organizations for Social Justice and Community Development in Brazil

Comuá Network and ponteAponte partnered to conduct the mapping. It is a study developed from qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaires) approaches to understand, characterize, and highlight the independent organizations that have donated funds to social justice and community development organizations, groups, and civil society movements in Brazil. The research was conducted from January to August 2022

Regulation and Repression of Civil Society through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 8: How a Restrictive Interpretation Limits Civil Society Contributions to Development in Africa

The contributions of civil society through development initiatives have been instrumental in addressing various socio-economic challenges societies face. For instance, there is evidence that community-based intervention packages have had a substantial impact on child and new-born mortality in Mozambique. On the political front, in Senegal, civil society initiatives contributed to the 'downfall of former president Abdoulaye Wade, his son and heir apparent, Karim Wade, and a number of formerly powerful members of his government' who were accused of corruption. Civil society organisations (CSOs) have also filled the gaps left by governments' failures to deliver reliable and efficient public services and address some of the challenges faced in communities. Efforts to shrink civic space by policing the work of civil society organisations has primarily been premised on governments' efforts to evade being held accountable.This has taken different forms, the most common being distorting the narrative on the agenda of civil society organisations. CSOs are negatively labelled as being rooted in interfering with politics and enforcing political ideations of Western institutions which make up much of the sources of funding for civil society activities. CSOs have constantly faced backlash and in the most recent past, there has been instrumentalisation of counter-terrorist and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. The framework of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations is often the basis of these broad and vague laws that give governments extensive powers to investigate and prosecute suspects and also infringe on the rights of critics. Although terrorist activities around the world including in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Kenya, Mali and Pakistan to mention a few give cause for concern, there are some governments that have put in place measures where there is no threat or real risk of terrorism. As a result, these measures are a tool used to silence and stifle fundamental freedoms including for journalists and other civil society actors

What Can Court Data Actually Tell Us About Evictions?

Eviction has become one of the most visible manifestations of America's housing crisis, with millions of families facing eviction each year. An abundance of evidence has detailed how eviction is more than a one-time event, but a destructive and traumatic process with lasting and negative consequences.Preventing unnecessary eviction requires better understanding of eviction—including its causes, consequences, and how families navigate the eviction process in the United States. In this report, we explore the primary data source on evictions—the court records generated from eviction lawsuits—and shed light on what information eviction court records can, and just as importantly, cannot tell us about eviction in the United States

Setting the Stage: Practical Ideas for Implementing High-Quality Afterschool Arts Programs

Afterschool programs looking to add high-quality arts learning to their programming might do well to keep three practices in mind: Employ professional teaching artistsProvide current, high-quality equipmentCreate dedicated art spaces that welcome and inspireThese practices are essential to enriching arts experiences that engage young people. They may entail higher costs than what an organization currently spends on arts programs. But these costs may not be vastly different from the costs of sports, STEM, or other programs.And there are ways to keep the costs down.  These are the major findings from research about a Wallace Foundation effort that sought to increase access to high-quality arts education for students from historically marginalized backgrounds

Sustaining DEI momentum after the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action

After the recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action in higher education, leaders and organizations are grappling with the potential ripple effects on corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the near and long term. In navigating this moment, leaders can do two things: (1) reground themselves on why their organization is investing in DEI strategies in the first place, and (2) take a look at existing DEI initiatives to understand where they may evolve and continue to create equal opportunities for all. Assessing risk will no doubt be part of the conversation. Yet, with the strong business case for DEI efforts, how can organizations ensure the risks of discontinuing certain DEI efforts are given the same weight as the risks of continuing them? This how-to guide, created through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Expanding Equity program, provides a framework for what to consider while charting a path forward as you review and adapt your DEI strategies — all while remaining true to your aspirations for creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces

Preferences for Firearms and Their Implications for Regulation

More than 40 percent of Americans reside in a household that contains at least one firearm. Combined, American civilians own roughly 400 million firearms. Both the popularity of firearms and the codification of the right to bear arms in the U.S. Constitution suggest that gun ownership confers substantial enjoyment to consumers in the United States. Although the vast majority of purchased firearms are not used in violent crime, the toll of gun-related injuries is high. In 2020, there were more than 45,000 gunrelated deaths in the United States. Our research develops a framework for evaluating gun policy that simultaneously respects the individual enjoyment of gun ownership and takes seriously the harm caused by guns

Poultry welfare: Prof. Zulkifli Idrus in conversation with Clive Phillips

Clive Phillips was Australia's first Professor of Animal Welfare, at the University of Queensland, and has written widely on the welfare of farm, zoo and companion animals. In 2022 he conducted a series of recorded dialogues (Conversations With Clive) with senior animal welfare scientists and academic experts, including poultry welfare expert Prof. Zulkifli Idrus - at the University of Putra, Malaysia.These dialogues are aimed at upskilling organizations concerned with farm animal welfare, helping them gain a more nuanced understanding of welfare issues from academics with deep knowledge of animal agriculture systems and direct experience of practices. Relevant academic publications and references are included at the end of the recording.Key topics of the 40-minute conversation from August 2023: 1) Clive introduces Zulkifli Idrus. 2) Red Junglefowl are the ancestors of modern chicken breeds. 3) Tonic immobility tests show modern commercial chicken breeds are less fearful than Junglefowl. 4) Biggest problems to broiler (meat) chicken welfare - rapid growth, leg and skin problems. 5) Cardiovascular problems and sudden-death syndrome. 6) Skin problems - contact dermatitis with breast, foot-pad and upper leg (hock) injuries. 7) Feed restriction methods to manage rapid growth rate in hot climates. 8) Harvesting and transportation issues. 9) Nutritional supplements such as probiotics and prebiotics to improve gut health. 10) Heat stress mitigation and future challenges with climate change. 11) Welfare issues concerning stocking densities and litter quality. 12) Welfare of layer chickens and other poultry. 13) Final comments

PledgeLA Venture Data Report 2023: An Analysis of Access to Capital in the Los Angeles Venture Capital and Tech Ecosystems

A new report from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs that tracks investments made by LA-based venture firms connected to the Annenberg Foundation's PledgeLA initiative found slight increases in funding to women and Black founders when compared with the previous year. However, there are still many gaps remaining, especially when it comes to check size and venture firms' comparative assets under management

Monopoly Politics 2024

FairVote has conducted the Monopoly Politics project in each Congressional election cycle since 1997.Monopoly Politics projects the results of every congressional district up to two years in advance, demonstrating that partisanship is the primary factor determining electoral outcomes, dwarfing other factors like local issues and candidate strength. The result is a polarized system where candidates are rewarded for adopting hyper-partisan platforms, particularly in hyper-partisan districts, instead of championing inclusive policies and bipartisan compromise that benefit all. Our 2024 projections suggest that 85% of seats are "safe" for one party, and another 9% favor one party, leaving only 6% of seats as true toss-ups. The 85% share of safe seats is the highest in the 25-year history of Monopoly Politics. At FairVote, we think outside the box. We promote legislative reform that prevents gerrymandering and improves equal voting power and fair representation in multi-winner districts. FairVote is working to end single-winner congressional districts. To end redistricting battles for good, we must reimagine how we elect our representatives