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Wednesday: Learning

Solving the equation: US kids falling behind in math

By ARIEL GILREATH The Hechinger Report and JACKIE VALLEY, Christian Science Monitor Via the Associated Press SEATTLE — On a breezy July morning in South Seattle, a dozen elementary-aged students ran math relays behind an elementary school. One by one, they raced to a table, where they scribbled answers to multiplication questions before sprinting back to high-five their teammate. These students are part of a summer program run by the nonprofit School Connect WA, designed to help them catch up on math and literacy skills lost during the pandemic. There are 25 students in the ...

New survey reveals striking differences between generations

You might be surprised to learn that 37% of Gen Z doesn’t know how to change a lightbulb! It’s no secret that life today requires a different skill set than when the Greatest Generation came of age. These great-great grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and two World Wars would likely scoff at that idea. This ability to navigate all the regular challenges of adulthood — life skills — is constantly changing. Clever Real Estate recently surveyed 1,000 people to see exactly how they felt about the importance of life skills and how they ranked their proficiency in ...

NMU professor publishes ‘Inland Sea’ poetry book

MARQUETTE — Lake Superior and Marquette factor prominently in a newly published poetry collection, “Inland Sea,” by Northern Michigan University English Professor Lynn Domina. The title not only reflects content about the natural environment that has provided ample creative inspiration ...

Sharon M. Kennedy columns compiled into new book

MARQUETTE — A compilation of previously published columns still can be interesting to many readers, even to those who already read them. Sharon M. Kennedy’s fourth and latest book from Modern History Press, “The SideRoad Columnist: Observations from an Upper Michigan Author,” contains ...

States that protect transgender health care now try to absorb demand

States that declared themselves refuges for transgender people have essentially issued an invitation: Get your gender-affirming health care here without fearing prosecution at home. Now that bans on such care for minors are taking effect around the country — Texas could be next, depending on the outcome of a court hearing this week — patients and their families are testing clinics’ capacity. Already-long waiting lists are growing, yet there are only so many providers of gender-affirming care and only so many patients they can see in a day. For those refuge states — so far, ...

Artificial intelligence is gaining state lawmakers’ attention, and they have a lot of questions

HARTFORD, Conn. — As state lawmakers rush to get a handle on fast-evolving artificial intelligence technology, they’re often focusing first on their own state governments before imposing restrictions on the private sector. Legislators are seeking ways to protect constituents from discrimination and other harms while not hindering cutting-edge advancements in medicine, science, business, education and more. “We’re starting with the government. We’re trying to set a good example,” Connecticut state Sen. James Maroney said during a floor debate in May. Connecticut plans to ...