This report focuses on the characteristics of campus law enforcement agencies. Findings in this report are based on the 2021 Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (SCLEA) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. The SCLEA collects data on agency staffing, operations, budget, policies, responsibilities, training, and equipment. Nearly 1,300 campus law enforcement agencies employed about 17,600 full-time sworn officers and 25,000 full-time civilians at 4-year institutions serving 1,000 or more full-time students on the first day of the 2021–2022 academic year. In campus law enforcement agencies serving 4-year institutions with 1,000 or more students in 2021, about 82% of full-time sworn officers were male and 18% were female. At 4-year institutions serving 2,500 or more full-time students, the percentage of full-time sworn officers who were White or Black decreased from 2004 (69% White, 21% Black) to 2021 (61% White, 19% Black), while the percentage who were Hispanic increased from 6% to 11%. Most campus law enforcement agencies serving 4-year institutions with 1,000 or more students that required in-service training covered the topics of diversity (90%), de-escalation (89%), mental health (87%), bias or hate crimes (87%), crisis intervention (84%), and implicit bias (81%). A lower percentage of CLEAs serving public institutions (65%) than of those serving private institutions (84%) had 24-hour patrol coverage by uniformed sworn or nonsworn operations personnel at all times during the year. Around 8 in 10 (81%) CLEAs serving 4-year institutions with 1,000 or more students had a formal written agreement or informal problem-solving partnership with other law enforcement agencies.

In March 2020, the Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC) faced overcrowding and urgent health concerns. To address these issues, IDOC and other criminal justice agencies implemented measures to reduce the prison population and expand community-based corrections. These efforts included limiting revocations, expanding administrative review processes, releasing low-risk individuals, and increasing the use of telehealth and technology for supervision and programming. As a result, the prison population decreased by 13% within 6 months, while the community-based corrections population increased by nearly 17%. Despite this increase, the average monthly revocation rate decreased by almost 40% between March 2020 and March 2021. In fact, between March 2019 and May 2021, less than 2% of the total supervision population was revoked. Community-based corrections staff identified challenges with implementing practice changes, including some officers’ feelings that they lack the discretion they used to have to recommend revocation when they view it as an appropriate response to client behavior.

Workforce development has renewed focus at the state level as policymakers work to identify and execute strategies to expand the labor force, increase access to good jobs, and provide high-quality training and education opportunities for more students and workers amid a changing labor market and demand in certain critical sectors. Effective workforce strategies such as registered apprenticeships and career and technical education have received interest at the state and local levels. Policymakers are also targeting industries and certain occupations for which there is outsize demand. More policymakers are recognizing that pathways to careers should begin earlier in the K-12 education system. Recognizing untapped talent among workers who have a disability or were formerly incarcerated has led to policies to increase economic inclusion. And lastly, some policymakers have directed increased funding for workforce development strategies in novel or creative ways. Some recommended best practices include 1) responding to demand in critical industries such as health care, manufacturing, technology, infrastructure, energy, and education; 2) investing in registered apprenticeships; 3) developing work-based learning and college / career readiness strategies; 4) providing supportive services (including child care, adult care, and transportation) to more students and families; 5) focusing on integrated setting and workers with disabilities; 6) using funding creatively to support workforce development programs (such as using highway funding to train construction workers); 7) expanding access to community colleges; 8) strengthening data collection for workforce development programs; 9) creating employment opportunities for released prisoners entering the workforce; and 10) creating more workforce and economic opportunities for students and workers in rural areas.

In recent years, some states have introduced or increased flexibility around public school teacher licensure requirements as a tool for mitigating the teacher shortages that were intensified by the coronavirus pandemic. This report examines the prevalence of public school teachers who did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency teaching certificates in the state where they were teaching, as opposed to regular, standard, advanced, or probationary certificates. In 2020–21, some 6.9% of public school teachers did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency certificates in the state where they were teaching, hereafter referred to as teachers without full teaching certification. About 93.1% held regular, standard, advanced, or probationary certificates. The percentage of teachers without full teaching certification was higher in 2020–21 than in 2017–18 (6.2%) and 2015–16 (6.1%). Across all survey years, the percentages among teachers in each of the four experience levels (3 years or less; 4–9 years; 10–14 years; and 15 or more years) exhibited statistically significant differences from one another. For instance, in 2020–21, the percentage of teachers without full teaching certification was higher for teachers with 3 years or less of teaching experience (25.%), compared to teachers with more experience (ranging from 3.2 percent to 7.2%). Florida’s percentage of K–12 public school teachers who did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency teaching certificates in the state where they were teaching was higher than the national average.

Place-based cradle-to-career initiatives use data to improve outcomes for children and families. StriveTogether, a network of 70 initiatives across the country, focuses on creating the conditions necessary to improve and reduce disparities in outcomes across the developmental continuum from kindergarten readiness to employment. The Urban Institute developed guides to provide StriveTogether network members with detailed information about its seven population-level outcomes, such as kindergarten readiness, early grade reading, middle grade math, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, postsecondary completion, and employment. Each guide provides information about why the outcome matters, recommended indicators, data sources for indicators, detailed data specifications, ways to calculate the outcome, data disaggregation, frequently asked questions, learning resources, and data sharing.

Many people across the country use ridesharing and taxi services. Advocacy groups and others have raised questions about the safety of these services, as both drivers and passengers have experienced violence. In general, ridesourcing (also referred to as ridesharing) and taxi companies can be regulated by states, localities, or both. The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) review of state statutes and regulations found that 45 states and Washington, D.C., (states) require criminal background checks for prospective ridesourcing drivers, and 11 states require criminal background checks for prospective taxi drivers. Although fewer states have statewide background check requirements for taxi drivers compared with ridesourcing drivers, historically taxis tend to be regulated at the local level, according to a 2016 report by the Transportation Research Board. Selected states and localities GAO reviewed administer and manage background checks in a variety of ways. For example, one selected locality conducts all background checks for ridesourcing drivers, while another locality allows ridesourcing companies the option of having a third party, or the locality, conduct the check. All five ridesourcing and five taxi companies GAO interviewed said they conduct background checks for all prospective drivers, regardless of requirements. Ridesourcing and taxi companies may offer pretrip safety features in digital applications (app), other in-app safety features, and in-vehicle safety features. For example, four selected ridesourcing and four selected taxi companies either require or allow drivers to use a security camera during trips. The GAO conducted in-person surveys in public places (intercept surveys) in four locations and asked 304 individuals who were likely to have used ridesourcing or taxis about their awareness and use of selected safety features. Of the 267 respondents who were asked about pretrip in-app features, over 95% were aware of and had used at least one such feature when arranging a ride in the past year. Respondents were most likely to consider two pretrip in-app features—license plate number and driver name and picture—as very important to their safety. More than 90% of respondents were aware of at least one in-vehicle safety feature, such as a vehicle decal.

This new interactive data visualization tool from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 County Business Patterns allows users to explore and find other facts about the nation’s businesses. . Available statistics include number of establishments, number of employees, first quarter payroll, and annual payroll. Users may zoom in to county-level data, by state, for Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and other U.S. Island areas. In Florida for 2022, the sector with the largest number of employees (2,323,613) was Administrative Support and Waste Management while the second largest (1,229,243) was Health Care and Social Assistance. The sector with the largest number of establishments (92,313) was Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, while the sector with the second largest number of establishments (75,743) was Retail Trade.

Statewide associations of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) serve as crucial platforms for communication and information exchange among MPOs, state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and other transportation stakeholders. Preliminary research indicates considerable variation in how these associations are defined, developed, organized, and maintained. However, existing studies do not fully document or compare statewide associations of MPOs across states. This project aims to fill these gaps by identifying and documenting the state of practice related to the organizational structures of statewide associations of MPOs across the U.S. The likelihood of forming a statewide association of MPOs tends to increase with the number of MPOs in a state, with a threshold of around f ive MPOs. States with fewer MPOs, such as Vermont, Hawaii, South Dakota, and Maine, typically do not form such associations. This report highlights the diverse formation methods of statewide associations of MPOs, including intergovernmental agreements, state statutes, non-profit designations, and informal arrangements. Each method has its own advantages and challenges, and the choice of method depends on the unique needs and circumstances of the state and its MPOs. Membership compositions of statewide associations of MPOs also vary, with some associations consisting solely of MPOs, while others include Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) and other agencies. The composition of the associations depends on the state's transportation planning needs and the relationships between MPOs and other planning entities within the state.

Medicare data show that over 50,000 beneficiaries enrolled in traditional Medicare lost a limb in 2016. Of these, most (96%) of beneficiaries lost a lower limb. Medicare covers services for beneficiaries with limb loss, such as rehabilitative services and prosthetic limbs, if medically necessary and after other conditions are met. Of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare who lost a limb in 2016, nearly all received at least one selected rehabilitative service and 30% received a prosthetic limb from 2016 through 2019. It is estimated that over 2 million individuals in the United States live with limb loss. That number is expected to almost double by 2050, according to researchers. Individuals 65 and older are at the greatest risk of having amputation surgery. This report describes (1) the characteristics of traditional Medicare beneficiaries who lost a limb in 2016, (2) the percent of those who received rehabilitative services or prosthetic limbs, (3) the percent of those who experienced selected health outcomes, and (4) challenges to obtaining rehabilitative services and prosthetic limbs.

The unprecedented rise in the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate from 37.0 to 193.5 births per 100,000 births between 1980 and 1998 was associated with older maternal age and the increased use of fertility treatments. The increase was of public health concern because of the greater risk of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes of triplet and higher-order births compared with twins and singletons. Since 1998, however, the incidence of these births has trended downward. This report explores changes in the overall rate of triplet and higher-order births from 1998 to 2023 by detailed plurality, maternal race and Hispanic origin, and age. Key findings include that during this time period, the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate declined from 193.5 to 73.8 births per 100,000 total births; the largest declines were from 2009 to 2023. From 1998 to 2023, the number of triplet and higher-order births declined from 7,625 to 2,653. Declines in triplet and higher-order birth rates were observed for White non-Hispanic (71%) and Hispanic (25%) mothers, while the rate for Black non-Hispanic mothers increased (25%). Triplet and higher-order birth rates declined for all age groups 20 and older from 1998 to 2023, and the largest declines were for mothers age 30 and older.

As technology has become more integrated into teenagers’ lives, the time spent in front of screens has continued to rise in the United States. High levels of screen time have been linked with adverse health outcomes, including poor sleep habits, fatigue, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Using data from the July 2021–December 2023 National Health Interview Survey–Teen, this report describes the prevalence of daily screen time among teenagers ages 12–17 by selected characteristics. Teenagers reported on their own screen time use during a typical weekday, excluding time spent doing schoolwork. Findings include that during July 2021 through December 2023, one-half of teenagers ages 12–17 had 4 hours or more of daily screen time (50.4%). Black non-Hispanic teenagers were most likely to have 4 hours or more of daily screen time (60.4%) compared with teenagers in other race and Hispanic-origin groups. Teenagers living in metropolitan areas were more likely to have 4 hours or more of daily screen time than teenagers living in non-metropolitan areas. About 1 in 4 teenagers with 4 hours or more of daily screen time have experienced anxiety (27.1%) or depression symptoms (25.9%) in the past 2 weeks.