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January 24, 2025
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At least 95% of people who are incarcerated will eventually
be released. Many will leave custody without access to
postsecondary education and training that could help them
successfully transition back into their communities.
However, in 2024 there was a flurry of legislative activity
to support postsecondary education and training for people
who are incarcerated with over 100 bills in 33 states
related to education access for people who are incarcerated
introduced. Several states enacted legislation this year
that seek to expand access to education opportunities to
students in carceral settings. For example, Connecticut’s
H.B. 5523 requires the office of policy and management to
perform needs assessments of facilities, materials and
staffing required to deliver postsecondary education
programs in correctional facilities. The assessment must
include: (1) feedback from higher education providers; (2)
an analysis of the department of correction’s policies; (3)
an estimate of the level of unmet education demand; (4) an
inventory of facilities’ learning spaces, staffing, and
materials and technology; (5) a cost analysis of supports
needed to meet unmet demand; and (6) a survey of current
and former students. Utah’s H.B. 248 makes substantive
changes related to postsecondary education in correctional
facilities. These included that the Utah Higher Education
and Corrections Council facilitates postsecondary education
for people in county jails in addition to state
correctional facilities, degree-granting providers in
correctional facilities are to provide academic and career
advising similar to services provided to students who are
not incarcerated, higher education institutions are to
consider people who are incarcerated state residents for
tuition purposes, and case managers are to ensure that
necessary personal assessments are completed, referrals to
student advisors are made, and that interests, aptitudes
and student advisement are incorporated into education
plans.
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Source: Education Commission of the States
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In February of 2024, Michigan enacted the Extreme Risk
Protection Order Act — sometimes referred to as a red flag
law. This new law authorizes the application of Extreme
Risk Protection Orders, or ERPOs, which temporarily
prohibit individuals judged to be at high risk of harming
themselves or others from purchasing or possessing
firearms. As specified in the new law, a petition for an
ERPO can be filed with the court by several different
categories of people, including family members, mental
health professionals, and law enforcement officers. The
firearm owner has the right to contest the ERPO in court.
This report presents the views of Michigan’s local
government leaders, county sheriffs, local chiefs of
police, and county prosecutors regarding Michigan’s ERPO
law, including confidence in training on proper ERPO
implementation, in officer safety, and in ERPOs’ ability to
reduce gun violence, as well as reports on which agencies
are developing formal ERPO protocols. As of spring 2024,
local government leaders’ familiarity with the new
legislation was relatively low, with a bare majority of 53%
saying they are somewhat (41%) or very (12%) familiar with
it. Meanwhile, 25% are mostly unfamiliar, and 18% are
completely unfamiliar with the state’s new red flag law.
Few local government leaders (29%), sheriffs and police
chiefs (26%), or county prosecutors (21%) were confident
that local non-law enforcement petitioners (e.g., mental
health professionals or regular citizens) will use the ERPO
process correctly. Fewer than half of Michigan local law
enforcement agencies have developed a formal protocol that
officers use to determine when an ERPO is appropriate, with
39% saying they have developed one they are satisfied with
and another 10% with one they feel needs revision. However,
larger law enforcement agencies—those with over 41 fulltime
personnel—are much more likely to say they have an ERPO
protocol they are satisfied with (70%). When asked to
describe what additional resources or support would be
helpful for implementing the ERPO Act, the most common
responses among sheriffs and police chiefs were the need
for more training and education and for more clarity on the
law.
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Source: The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy
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As federal funding for summer learning as a pandemic
recovery strategy phases out, state governments face
decisions about their future role in supporting students’
access to quality summer learning opportunities. This brief
summarizes findings from nine states—Georgia, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee,
Texas, and Vermont—that have adopted different approaches
to state-level summer learning investments. The findings
highlight the following key strategies: (1) garnering
support for investment by articulating clear goals,
developing coalitions to generate political will, and
identifying sustainable funding sources for summer
learning; (2) implementing competitive grant programs that
minimize administrative burden for applicants and grantees,
allow for implementational flexibility, and are
administered in partnership with nongovernmental entities;
(3) directing investments toward increasing access for
student groups that stand to benefit most from summer
learning investments; (4) promoting high-quality
implementation either through grant requirements, voluntary
quality guidance, and/or technical assistance; and (5)
collecting and using data to evaluate quality and improve
implementation. When students have access to
well-implemented summer learning programs, they have the
opportunity to improve academic achievement, socialize with
peers and trusted adults, and cultivate their emotional and
physical well-being during the summer months. These summer
experiences matter for addressing opportunity gaps and
achievement gaps that exist between students from families
with low incomes and those from families with higher
incomes.
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Source: Learning Policy Institute
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Children with disabilities and their families continue to
face substantial barriers to accessing quality and
inclusive education within their communities. Significant
work remains to ensure that inclusive education serves the
needs of the estimated 10% of children with a disability
around the world. Families are engaged in their children’
education in a multitude of ways. In the field of family,
school, and community engagement, there are six major types
of family engagement: 1) caregiving; 2) learning at home;
3) communicating; 4) volunteering time and resources; 5)
decision making and leadership; and 6) building community.
Families of children with disabilities are involved in all
these areas, but the time and energy they spend in areas
like caregiving and supporting learning at home is often
far greater than other families. Families of children with
disabilities also have to frequently communicate with
schools in order to ensure that their children have their
basic needs. As family members, educators, school leaders,
and community organizations, it is important to have
dialogues in our communities and schools on how to build
stronger partnerships between schools and families of
children with disabilities.
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Source: Brookings Institute
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The research team analyzed the social media use data in the
Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (2019-2021,
Year 3), which includes a national sample of early
adolescents in the U.S. Specifically, they compared social
media use patterns across demographic characteristics
stratified by age and sex. In the sample of 10,092
11-to-15-year-old adolescents, 69.5% had at least one
social media account; among social media users, the most
common platforms were TikTok (67.1%), YouTube (64.7%), and
Instagram (66.0%). A majority (63.8%) of participants under
13 years (minimum age requirement) reported social media
use. Under-13 social media users had an average of 3.38
social media accounts, with 68.2% having TikTok accounts
and 39.0% saying TikTok was the social media site they used
the most. Females reported higher use of TikTok, Snapchat,
Instagram, and Pinterest, while males reported higher use
of YouTube and Reddit. Additionally, 6.3% of participants
with social media accounts reported having a secret social
media account hidden from their parents’ knowledge. The
research team’s findings reveal a high prevalence rate of
underage social media use in early adolescence. These
findings can inform current policies and legislation aimed
at more robust age verification measures, minimum age
requirements, and the enhancement of parental controls on
social media. Clinicians can counsel about the potential
risks of early adolescent social media use.
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Source: Academic Pediatrics
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The Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force recently
released its third consensus document, which outlines
significant strides made in addressing the challenges posed
by red tide. This milestone report highlights advancements
achieved in the focal areas of health, communications, and
management and response, with research to advance pertinent
knowledge in each area since the publication of its
previous recommendations in 2021. Innovative tools such as
Imaging FlowCytobots and satellite sensors, combined with
expanded sampling efforts, have improved the ability to
detect and forecast red tide blooms effectively. In
addition, the creation of multilingual educational
materials, public awareness campaigns and a video series
addressing basic information on red tide, seafood safety
during a red tide and navigating key red tide resources
were produced. Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission funded over 25 projects, including
economic and oceanographic forecasting and modeling,
shellfish depuration techniques, and advanced modeling to
predict bloom dynamics.” Looking ahead, the task force will
prioritize expanding research, enhancing monitoring and
detection, and fostering partnerships to address harmful
algal blooms statewide. Upcoming initiatives include a
State of the Science symposium and the development of new
diagnostic tools for human and animal health.
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Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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Building and maintaining a cybersecurity workforce is vital
to protecting the IT systems that support government
operations. But a shortage of skilled workers has made that
challenging. The federal Office of Personnel Management's
(OPM) Workforce Planning Guide outlines a five-step process
for workforce planning efforts: (1) setting the strategic
direction, (2) conducting workforce analyses, (3)
developing workforce action plans, (4) implementing and
monitoring workforce planning, and (5) evaluating and
revising these efforts. Within the five steps are 15
applicable practices that are central to effectively
managing the cybersecurity workforce. Of the 15 applicable
practices, the Department of Homeland Security fully
implemented 14 of them. However, the other four selected
departments (Commerce, Health and Human Services, Treasury,
and Veterans Affairs) were not as consistent in their
implementation of the practices, with between 1 and 5
practices fully implemented. Of the 15 applicable
practices, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security fully
implemented 14 of them.
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Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office
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Secure, affordable, and equitably delivered high-quality
water supplies are central to human health, well-being, and
economic development—especially in urban areas. Despite
efforts by many policymakers to invest in healthy
ecosystems and responsible management practices, a quarter
of the world’s 500 largest cities already experience water
stress, affecting nearly 400 million people and $4.8
trillion in economic activity. Because of varied
combinations of climate change, population growth,
overextraction of natural resources, and pollution, cities
around the world have had to navigate severe water supply
crises. Many cities have been to the brink—they have had to
confront near-catastrophic risks to their water supplies.
Policymakers face a variety of challenges and constraints
when developing plans for urban water security, such as (1)
navigating financial, political, environmental, and
administrative contexts; (2) accounting for cascading
effects and linked systems; and (3) identifying solutions
that reinforce collective rights and security rather than
entrench hierarchies and barriers. Using interviews with
experts and policymakers, and after closely reviewing
policy reports and academic analyses, the authors
identified five ways cities can act now to build urban
water security in the future, including to invest and plan
ahead of a crisis; to build capacity to take a
systems-level approach; to strengthen collaboration between
governments; to embrace innovation; and to build trust and
communication. Mobilizing the resources and expertise
needed to make these shifts will require strong local
leadership, public engagement, and intergovernmental
support.
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Source: RAND Corporation
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To meet Congressional directives, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with other federal
agencies beginning in November 2021, to plan the
establishment of the United States One Health Coordination
Unit. This report about this collaborative, multisectoral,
and transdisciplinary approach that seeks to improve the
health of humans, animals, and the environment by
recognizing their close connections. It provides a
framework to navigate health threats shared between people
and animals, such as COVID-19, mpox, avian influenza, Ebola
and other shared One Health issues. The seven outlined
goals are in the following areas: (1) Coordination,
Collaboration and Communication; (2) Prevention; (3)
Preparedness; (4) Coordinated Outbreak Investigation,
Response, and Recovery; (5) Surveillance; (6) Laboratory;
and (7) Workforce.
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Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Closer to
Zero initiative is a science-based, iterative approach to
decreasing toxic elements, including lead, in foods over
time, including by setting action levels. Although action
levels are levels at which FDA may regard a food as
adulterated, this initiative outlines other actions that
can be taken to further reduce lead (as well as other toxic
elements) in food. Additionally, this document presents the
background and rationale for FDA’s action levels for lead
in processed food intended for babies and young children.
The action levels are part of the efforts to reduce
exposure to toxic elements from foods eaten by babies and
young children to the lowest possible levels, while
maintaining access to nutritious foods. The FDC reports
that action levels have been effective tools for
encouraging manufacturers to lower the levels of
contaminants in their products and are achievable by
industry when control measures are taken to minimize the
presence of lead. Processed food refers to packaged food
(e.g., in jars, pouches, tubs, or boxes) represented or
purported to be for babies and young children less than two
years old. It may include ready-to-eat foods (e.g., purees)
as well as semi-prepared foods (i.e., dry infant cereals).
The action levels for processed foods intended for babies
and young children are as follows: 10 parts per billion
(ppb) for fruits, vegetables (excluding single-ingredient
root vegetables), mixtures (including grain- and meat-based
mixtures), yogurts, custards/puddings, and
single-ingredient meats; 20 ppb for single-ingredient root
vegetables; and20 ppb for dry infant cereals. These action
levels reflect levels of lead at which FDA may regard the
food as adulterated.
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Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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