NewsPronto

 
The Times Real Estate

.

The Conversation

Can learning cursive help kids read better? Some policymakers think it’s worth a try

  • Written by Shawn Datchuk, Associate Professor of Special Education, University of Iowa
imagePennsylvania is considering legislation that mandates cursive instruction in public schools.Angela Guthrie/iStock via Getty Images

Recently, my 8-year-old son received a birthday card from his grandmother. He opened the card, looked at it and said, “I can’t read cursive yet.”

Then he handed it to me to read.

If you have a child in...

Read more: Can learning cursive help kids read better? Some policymakers think it’s worth a try

Religious charter schools threaten to shift more money away from traditional public schools – and the Supreme Court is considering this idea

  • Written by Derek W. Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina
imageThe Supreme Court is considering whether to allow churches to operate charter schools that teach religious topics like the Bible.Jonathan Kirn/The Image Bank via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 30, 2025, in what could be the most consequential case for public education since the court started requiring schools to...

Read more: Religious charter schools threaten to shift more money away from traditional public schools – and...

Even judges appointed by Trump are ruling against him

  • Written by Paul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst
imageJudges appointed by Donald Trump are ruling against him during his second presidential term.Zolnierek - iStock/Getty Images Plus

During his first term in office, President Donald Trump appointed 226 federal court judges, including three U.S. Supreme Court justices. Trump successfully installed judges who promotedhispoliticalagenda, including overtur...

Read more: Even judges appointed by Trump are ruling against him

Trump targets NPR and PBS as public and nonprofit media account for a growing share of local news coverage

  • Written by Matthew Powers, Professor of Communication, University of Washington
imageThe Seattle Times currently funds 30 reporter positions through philanthropy.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Republicans in Washington have their sights – once again – on defunding public media.

On May 1, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit that helps fund...

Read more: Trump targets NPR and PBS as public and nonprofit media account for a growing share of local news...

Peace Corps isn’t just about helping others − it’s a key part of US public diplomacy

  • Written by Thomas J Nisley, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Kennesaw State University
imagePeace Corps volunteers pose with the U.S. flag after they are sworn in during a 2002 event in Burkina Faso. Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, his administration has slashed the work of many U.S. government agencies, including those focused on foreign policy. Now, there is...

Read more: Peace Corps isn’t just about helping others − it’s a key part of US public diplomacy

Being honest about using AI at work makes people trust you less, research finds

  • Written by Oliver Schilke, Director of the Center for Trust Studies, Professor of Management and Organizations, University of Arizona

Whether you’re using AI to write cover letters, grade papers or draft ad campaigns, you might want to think twice about telling others. That simple act of disclosure can make people trust you less, our new peer-reviewed article found.

As researchers whostudy trust, we see this as a paradox. After all, being honest and transparent usually...

Read more: Being honest about using AI at work makes people trust you less, research finds

Predictive policing AI is on the rise − making it accountable to the public could curb its harmful effects

  • Written by Maria Lungu, Postdoctoral Researcher of Law and Public Administration, University of Virginia
imageData like this seven-day crime map from Oakland, Calif., feeds predictive policing AIs.City of Oakland via CrimeMapping.com

The 2002 sci-fi thriller “Minority Report” depicted a dystopian future where a specialized police unit was tasked with arresting people for crimes they had not yet committed. Directed by Steven Spielberg and based...

Read more: Predictive policing AI is on the rise − making it accountable to the public could curb its harmful...

Ancient Mars may have had a carbon cycle − a new study suggests the red planet may have once been warmer, wetter and more favorable for life

  • Written by Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Professor of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
imageA panorama created from images taken by the rover Curiosity while it was working at a site called 'Rocknest' in 2012.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

Mars, one of our closest planetary neighbors, has fascinated people for hundreds of years, partly because it is so similar to Earth. It is about the same size, contains similar rocks and...

Read more: Ancient Mars may have had a carbon cycle − a new study suggests the red planet may have once been...

Running with a stroller: 2 biomechanics researchers on how it affects your form − and risk of injury

  • Written by Allison Altman Singles, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Mechanical Engineering, Penn State
imageRunning with a stroller can alter running form, but a few simple tricks can reduce chronic injury risk.iStock via Getty Images Plus

“Faster, mommy, faster!” Allison’s toddler squealed as she ran down the hill by her house with her jogging stroller. As a longtime runner and running biomechanics researcher, she found herself in the...

Read more: Running with a stroller: 2 biomechanics researchers on how it affects your form − and risk of injury

Pope Francis encouraged Christian-Muslim dialogue and helped break down stereotypes

  • Written by Craig Considine, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Rice University
imageTributes being paid to Pope Francis at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 22, 2025.AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary

Pope Francis’ pontificate marked a distinct shift in the Catholic Church’s engagement with the Muslim world. While his predecessors fostered dialogue and tolerance, Francis sought more active engagement...

Read more: Pope Francis encouraged Christian-Muslim dialogue and helped break down stereotypes

More Articles ...

  1. Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm
  2. National security advisers manage decision-making as advocates or honest brokers
  3. A pope of the Americas: What Francis meant to 2 continents
  4. In Yemen, Trump risks falling into an ‘airpower trap’ that has drawn past US presidents into costly wars
  5. Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions
  6. Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming
  7. How was the Earth built?
  8. Philly’s forgotten history as a hub of anarchism with a thriving radical Yiddish press
  9. Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation case is more about individual rights than the Trump administration’s foreign policy
  10. What is the biggest gaffe, blooper or blunder that a recent president has made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is
  11. The Women’s Health Initiative has shaped women’s health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain
  12. Trump and many GOP lawmakers want to end all funding for NPR and PBS − unraveling a US public media system that took a century to build
  13. How millions of people can watch the same video at the same time – a computer scientist explains the technology behind streaming
  14. A Michigan research professor explains how NIH funding works − and what it means to suddenly lose a grant
  15. A law seeks to protect children from sex offenders − 20 years later, the jury is still out
  16. When presidents try to make peace: What Trump could learn from Teddy Roosevelt, Carter, Clinton and his own first term
  17. Children in military families face unique psychological challenges, and the barriers to getting help add to the strain
  18. Despite Supreme Court setback, children’s lawsuits against climate change continue
  19. Whether GDP swings up or down, there are limits to what it says about the economy and your place in it
  20. Some ‘Star Wars’ stories have already become reality
  21. Fleeting fireflies illuminate Colorado summer nights − and researchers are watching
  22. What makes people flourish? A new survey of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries looks for global patterns and local differences
  23. Deporting international students risks making the US a less attractive destination, putting its economic engine at risk
  24. As heated tobacco products reenter the US market, evidence on their safety remains sparse – new study
  25. What causes RFK Jr.’s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains this little-known disorder
  26. Is a faith-based charter school a threat to religious freedom, or a necessity to uphold it? The weighty decision lies with the Supreme Court
  27. Guns in America: A liberal gun-owning sociologist offers 5 observations to understand America’s culture of firearms
  28. Terrorists weigh risks to their reputation when deciding which crises to exploit − new research
  29. The woman who turned the Met Gala into the biggest party of the year
  30. Pandas and politics − from World War II to the Cold War, zoos have always been ideological
  31. The legal limits of Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities like Philadelphia
  32. Trump seeks to reshape how schools discipline students
  33. In the $250B influencer industry, being a hater can be the only way to rein in bad behavior
  34. From the Chinese Exclusion Act to pro-Palestinian activists: The evolution of politically motivated deportations
  35. AI is giving a boost to efforts to monitor health via radar
  36. Forensics tool ‘reanimates’ the ‘brains’ of AIs that fail in order to understand what went wrong
  37. What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs
  38. How rising wages for construction workers are shifting the foundations of the housing market
  39. Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways
  40. How a reading group helped young German students defy the Nazis and find their faith
  41. ‘Agreeing to disagree’ is hurting your relationships – here’s what to do instead
  42. Young bats learn to be discriminating when listening for their next meal
  43. RFK Jr. said many autistic people will never write a poem − even though there’s a rich history of neurodivergent poets and writers
  44. Whooping cough is making a comeback, but the vaccine provides powerful protection
  45. No whistleblower is an island – why networks of allies are key to exposing corruption
  46. From cats and dogs to penguins and llamas, treating animals with acupuncture has become mainstream in veterinary medicine
  47. The ‘sacramental shame’ many LGBTQ+ conservative Christians wrestle with – and how they find healing
  48. Almost Zion: Remembering a short-lived Jewish state in New York
  49. Spider-Man’s lessons for us all on the responsibility to use our power, great or small, to do good
  50. Disinformation and other forms of ‘sharp power’ now sit alongside the ‘hard power’ of tanks and ‘soft power’ of ideas in policy handbook