The Conversation

Universal access to free meals at schools can lead to lower grocery bills and healthier food purchases

Written by Michelle Marcus, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vanderbilt University

When schools make free meals more accessible, families can save money on groceries.Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Families with children can save US$11 to $39 per month, or $132 to $468 per year, on groceries through the Community Eligibility Provision &nda...

Why the Supreme Court rejected Boston's case against raising the Christian flag

Written by Mark Satta, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University

Pedestrians walk near three flag poles flying the American flag, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag, and the City of Boston flag, from left, outside Boston City Hall, May 2, 2022.AP Photo/Charles Krupa

There are three flagpoles outside Boston City Hall. One flies the United States flag. Another flies the Massachusetts state flag. And on Monday,...

Sri Lanka's protests show a fragile unity – for now

Written by Andreas Johansson, Researcher at Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, Senior Lecture at Karlstad University, Lund University

Sri Lankan students march during a protest over the economic crisis outside the residence of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo, April 24, 2022. AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crises since winning independence from Britain in 1948. Inflation is at an all-time high and protests are spreading around the...

Elon Musk's comments about Twitter don't square with the social media platform's reality

Written by Jessica Maddox, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama

Elon Musk has called Twitter the world's "digital town square."AP Photo/John Raoux

On April 25, 2022, Twitter’s board of directors accepted Elon Musk’s US$44 billion hostile takeover bid. Twitter’s statement announcing the deal included comments from the Tesla and SpaceX CEO:

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning...

CNN+ was just the latest failed attempt of the cable news trailblazer to remain relevant

Written by Nolan Higdon, Lecturer of History and Media Studies, California State University, East Bay

CNN's hyped streaming service folded after three weeks.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

It seems that any hope that legacy media had of recovering audiences was crushed by the recent and rapid collapse of CNN’s streaming service, CNN+.

For the past decade, viewers and listeners have gradually been abandoning legacy broadcast media, which refers to...

How Marine Le Pen managed to gain ground with youth voters – and why her success isn't being replicated by the US right

Written by Kimberly Tower, PhD Candidate in International Relations and Comparative Politics, American University School of International Service

Marine Le Pen going down well with her young supporters.Chesnot/Getty Images

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen may have missed out on the French presidency, falling 17 pecentage points short of incumbent Emmanuel Macron in a runoff held April 24, 2022. But to characterize her campaign as a total loss would be missing an essential point: with nearly...

A New Orleans community center rises from its ugly history as a segregated school

Written by Connie L. Schaffer, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, University of Nebraska Omaha

A U.S. Federal Marshal escorts Gail Etienne to her first day of school on Nov. 14, 1960. Underwood Archives/Getty Images

They were known as “the McDonogh Three,” and unlike many stories of the tumultuous civil rights era, this one has a hopeful ending.

On May 4, 2022, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost are scheduled to cut the...

Fertility treatment use is on the rise – new legislation could increase protections for donors and families in an industry shrouded in secrecy

Written by Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization can help expand families, but regulations aren't consistent across states. moodboard/Image Source via Getty Images

The fertility industry generates approximately US$8 billion in revenue annually and plays a role in the birth of tens of thousands of children each year. Regulations are...

Disruptive kindergartners are likely to be bullied later in elementary school

Written by Paul L. Morgan, Eberly Fellow, Professor of Education and Demography, and Director of the Center for Educational Disparities Research, Penn State

Misbehavior increases the risk of being bullied.Rubberball/Nicole Hill/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images

Kindergartners who act out, disrupt classrooms, get angry and argue with their teachers are especially likely to be bullied once they reach third, fourth and fifth grade, our research group has found.

We continue to investigate bullying in U.S....

The photographer who fought the Sicilian Mafia for five decades

Written by Robin Pickering-Iazzi, Professor of French, Italian and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Through her photographs and activism, Letizia Battaglia sought to wrest Palermo from the grip of the Mafia.Laura Lezza/Getty Images

When Italian photographer Letizia Battaglia passed away on April 13, 2022, the biggest shock among those of us who have written about her was that she didn’t die at the hands of the Mafia.

For nearly five decades...