The Conversation

How Gates Foundation's push for 'high-quality' curriculum will stifle teaching

Written by Nicholas Tampio, Associate Professor of Political Science, Fordham University

A new grant from the Gates Foundation to promote 'high-quality' curriculum comes with strings that could constrain teachers.Kues/www.shutterstock.com

For much of American history, local school districts had a large amount of discretion over what they taught and how.

In my book on the Common Core, I show how the national education standards in...

The shutdown took so long to end because it became a moral issue

Written by Timothy Ryan, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden.AP Photo/ Evan Vucci

Even as the partial shutdown of the federal government came to an end, many Americans were left baffled.

Why didn’t Congress and the president strike a deal sooner?

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees were asked to work without pay because of a fight over a border...

Separation of powers: An invitation to struggle

Written by Bruce Peabody, Professor of American Politics, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Letter from President Trump to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.AP/Wayne Partlow

There’s been a lot of trouble in the nation’s capital lately.

The United States just endured a monthlong government shutdown affecting services ranging from airline travel to tax collection.

Congress and the president have battled over where and even whether to hol...

Amazon deforestation, already rising, may spike under Bolsonaro

Written by Robert T. Walker, Professor of Latin American Studies, University of Florida

Munduruku tribal people are demanding that Brazil's government respect their land rights.AP Photo/Eraldo Peres

Over the past 25 years that I have been conducting environmental research in the Amazon, I have witnessed the the ongoing destruction of the world’s biggest rainforest. Twenty percent of it has been deforested by now – an area...

Sylvia Plath's new short story was never 'lost' – so why is the media saying it was 'just discovered'?

Written by Bethany Anderson, University Archivist, University of Virginia

Archivists put an immense amount of work into organizing, digitizing and maintaining repositories.AP Photo/Matt Dunham

The recent publication of Sylvia Plath’s short story “Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom” has been met with much fanfare, with the media eager to highlight that the story had been “lost,” only to have...

A proposal to reduce vaccine exemptions while respecting rights of conscience

Written by Stacie Kershner, Associate Director, Center for Law, Health & Society, Georgia State University

Many parents object to vaccination for religious reasons, while others may file for exemptions for convenience. Africa Studios/Shutterstock.com

Vaccine resistance is one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019, according to the World Health Organization. Here in the U.S., New York City is currently experiencing its worst outbreak of measles i...

Rural people with disabilities are still struggling to recover from the recession

Written by Lillie Greiman, Project Director, RTC: Rural, The University of Montana

Since the Great Recession, the employment rate has gone up — but some rural groups lag behind.Josh Sorenson, CC BY

After the devastating losses of the Great Recession, the U.S. has enjoyed one of the longest expansions in its recorded history. For nearly 100 straight months, the U.S. economy has added jobs.

But not all groups have shared...

Can you life-hack your way to love?

Written by Joseph Reagle, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Northeastern University

True love could be hiding inside mounds of data.xtock/Shutterstock.com

There’s never been a shortage of dating advice from family, friends and self-help authors. Yet in the digital age, people are turning to nerdy hacker-types as guides.

At first, they might seem like an odd source of romantic advice, but think again: Computer programmers...

How will generations that didn't experience the Holocaust remember it?

Written by Timothy Langille, Lecturer, Arizona State University

Childhood Holocaust survivors Simon Gronowski and Alice Gerstel Weit touring the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum.AP Photo/Reed Saxon

The Soviet Red Army liberated the most notorious of the Nazi death camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau, on Jan. 27, 1945.

This year, the United Nations and 39 countries will commemorate that date with International Holocaust...

Vital economic data was likely lost during the shutdown – here's why it matters to all Americans

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

Wall Street traders aren't the only ones who rely on government economic data.AP Photo/Richard Drew

The shutdown may be over – for now – but its consequences will linger on.

One of those concerns is the dizzying amount of economic data the federal government collects on everything from the state of the economy and investment to the cost...