A Recap of This Week’s Top News – April 7, 2023

Changes to policy, scientific discovery, and expert recommendations and opinions all have the power to rapidly influence the landscape of a sector. Whether you’re a leader at a non-profit, a member of a university’s marketing department, or a stakeholder for a public health agency, being informed about the latest industry happenings can be the difference between exceeding and falling short of organizational goals. At Hager Sharp, our experts vigorously scan media coverage to identify areas of opportunity. And now, with the introduction of the Sharp Round-Up, you too can review what we consider to be some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health and education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, April 1, to Friday, April 7. Let these clips serve as a resource when developing thoughtful strategies and use them to further foster organizational innovation and adaptability.

Here’s what you need to know.

Mainstream News:

• A new survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal shows that the majority of Americans believe that a four-year college degree is not worth the cost. Participants noted debt and the belief that many students often graduate without specific job skills as reasons for this belief.
• Two new studies show that exercise can lead to sharper thinking and a healthier brain. Exercising for longer or harder increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, often referred to as “Miracle-Gro” for the brain, prompting the creation and maturation of new brain cells and synapses.

Education News:

• An analysis by the Pew Research Center demonstrates how school districts’ mission statements are beginning to reflect how race and gender issues are handled in schools. The analysis noted that districts in Democratic-leaning areas are over twice as likely than those in Republican-leaning areas to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in their mission statements.
• Two districts in Alabama are demonstrating the severe divide in how the pandemic has affected students. In Macon County, students were nearly a full grade below their same age peers in math and half a grade lower in reading before the pandemic. However, in the next county, Pike Road City Schools students come from families in which the median income is more than double that in Macon County. Their test scores actually improved over the course of the pandemic.

Health News:

• Healthy sleep patterns were shown to be associated with a lower risk of asthma, regardless of genetic susceptibility. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should aim for at least seven hours of sleep every night to maintain healthy sleep patterns.

Advancements in Health:

A novel treatment, called CAR-T cell therapy, is showing promise against cancer in kids. The treatment uses supercharged immune cells, neuroblastoma, which work against a rare type of cancer in children. Scientists collect T cells from the patient’s blood and strengthen them in a lab before they are returned to the patient through an IV, which yields the ability for the modified cells to multiply and then last a long time to fight the cancer.