The Conversation

Declines in math readiness underscore the urgency of math awareness

Written by Manil Suri, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Math scores plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. What will it take to raise them back up?Ridofranz / iStock / Getty Images Plus

When President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Math Awareness Week in April 1986, one of the problems he cited was that too few students were devoted to the study of math.

“Despite the increasing...

Eating disorders among teens have more than doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic – here's what to watch for

Written by Sydney Hartman-Munick, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

The traditional assumption that eating disorders primarily affect affluent white women has led to stigma, stereotyping and misunderstanding. toondelamour/E+ via Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with worsening mental health among teens, including increasing numbers of patients with eating disorders. In fact, research indicates...

This course uses science fiction to understand politics

Written by Nicole Pankiewicz, Assistant Professor of Political Science, College of Coastal Georgia

Science fiction offers a glimpse of what governments of the world are – and can become.agsandrew via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Politics and Science Fiction”

What prompted the idea for the course?

While watching...

FDA approval of over-the-counter Narcan is an important step in the effort to combat the US opioid crisis

Written by Lucas Berenbrok, Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh

The use of naloxone administered by nasal spray can be a lifesaving drug with minimal side effects.TG23/iStock via Getty Images Plus

On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan for over-the-counter sale. Narcan is the 4-milligram nasal spray version of naloxone, a medication that can quickly counteract an opioid...

Nashville attack renews calls for assault weapons ban – data shows there were fewer mass shooting deaths during an earlier 10-year prohibition

Written by Michael J. Klein, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, New York University

Gun control activists rally in Nashville, Tenn.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The shooting deaths of three children and three adults inside a Nashville school has put further pressure on Congress to look at imposing a ban on so-called assault weapons. Such a prohibition would be designed cover the types of guns that the suspect legally...

Ancient DNA is restoring the origin story of the Swahili people of the East African coast

Written by Chapurukha Kusimba, Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida

How are people today related to those who lived centuries ago in the Swahili civilization? The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

The legacy of the medieval Swahili civilization is a source of extraordinary pride in East Africa, as reflected in its language being the official tongue of Kenya, Tanzania and even inland...

Extra food assistance cushioned the early pandemic's blow on kids' mental health

Written by Grace Melo, ACES Faculty Fellow, Texas A&M University

The pandemic-era expansion of SNAP benefits ended in all U.S. states by March 2023.aogreatkim/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Despite the heightened poverty and unemployment seen when the COVID-19 pandemic got underway, many low-income U.S. children did not...

Israel's military reservists are joining protests – potentially transforming a political crisis into a security crisis

Written by Dan Arbell, Scholar-in-residence at the Center for Israeli Studies, American University

A member of Israel's military reserves takes part in a protest on March 16, 2023 in Bnei Brak, a city east of Tel Aviv.Photo by Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The judicial overhaul plan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, introduced in January, has thrown the country into its most severe domesti...

Reaction to bronze sculpture of Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. in Boston hasn't been good – and that's not bad for art that shatters conventions

Written by Kristin Ann Hass, Professor of American Culture, University of Michigan

The Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. memorial sculpture at Boston Common is called 'The Embrace.' Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

As an acclaimed photographer and conceptual artist, Hank Willis Thomas has grown accustomed to criticisms of his unconventional art and concepts of identity.

But even Thomas had never experienced anything...

40 years ago 'A Nation at Risk' warned of a 'rising tide of mediocrity' in US schools – has anything changed?

Written by Morgan Polikoff, Associate Professor of Education, University of Southern California

Academic gains made over the past four decades have begun to erode.Troy Aossey/The Image Bank via Getty Images

The National Commission on Excellence in Education’s release of a report titled “A Nation at Risk” in 1983 was a pivotal point in the history of American education. The report used dire language, lamenting that “the...