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 29, to Friday, May 5. 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.

Education News:

• Miguel Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education, noted that a pay raise would not be enough to improve teachers’ work lives. They also need improved working conditions, such as support and mentorship, school counselors or social workers, well-trained administrators, and instructional leaders.
• The Department of Education plans to tweak a pilot program for prisoner higher education programs. The department’s announcement states that the Pell Grant for incarcerated students will be revamped so that students can stay enrolled, but the colleges they enroll in have to meet the same standards as other new colleges.
• The National Assessment of Education Progress, often called “the nation’s report card,” showed another decline in students’ proficiency in history and civics. These results further demonstrate how the pandemic affected students’ performance and show students’ lack of understanding of their country and government. 

Health News:

• The U.S. surgeon general has declared loneliness the latest public health epidemic, noting that widespread loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes daily. Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 30%, and those with poor social relationships have a greater risk of stroke and heart disease, depression, anxiety, and dementia.

• Until now, treatments for Glioblastoma, an often fatal type of brain cancer, have been limited. However, scientists at Northwestern Medicine say they have created a new technique that can deliver drugs directly to tumors in the brain. The novel device uses microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier, allowing chemotherapy drugs to reach critical areas of the brain.

• A new study that analyzed nearly 6,000 packaged foods showed that food products marketed towards children were most often higher in sugars and lower in other nutrients. The study found that colorful labels and cartoon packaging may indicate a certain food is not nutritious.

• Overdose death rates involving fentanyl have tripled from 2016 to 2021, yet another indication of how the opioid epidemic worsened during the rise of COVID-19 

Perspectives and Opinions:

• Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, a free online platform for education tutoring, is worried about the potential effects of artificial intelligence on students. Khan noted that a popular AI service, ChatGPT, is often incorrect in some subjects and does not help students learn, but instead just spits out answers.

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 22, to Friday, April 28. 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.

Education News:

• Earlier this week, the College Board announced that it will revise its Advanced Placement African American studies course again. The course has been under scrutiny from state officials since its original announcement, including Florida’s stance to reject the course earlier this year. While the Board’s specific revisions haven’t been made public yet, they will ensure students experience the “full breadth and beauty” of the discipline, according to the Washington Post.
• Education Department officials are worried that expanding agency costs and lack of funding are threatening a smooth transition into student loan borrowers starting payments again for the first time in three years.

Health News:

• On Tuesday, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy attributed social media as a definite cause of declining mental health in children. Children using social media more at a younger age is causing “more feelings of isolation, stress, and inadequacy as they constantly compare themselves to others,” said Murthy in a Twitter live stream with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
• New research from the CDC reflects an all-time low in adult cigarette usage and an increase in electronic cigarette usage. The preliminary research is based on a survey of over 27,000 adults.
• New research found that simple exercises like walking, jogging, cycling, weight training, or yoga can be vital to addiction recovery.
• Some medical professionals are linking a rise in seasonal allergies to climate change. According to 2021 research, pollen seasons are lasting longer with more pollen in the air, causing more people to suffer from seasonal allergies than in previous years.
• A recent study suggests that symptoms caused by menopause cost workplaces across the country billions of dollars in medical expenses and sick leave, alluding to a gap in assistance from both workplaces and clinicians in adequately helping women experience the “universal life transition.”

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 15, to Friday, April 21. 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.

Health News:

• Black women have a 40% higher risk of dying due to early-onset breast cancer. A new study suggests that if Black women begin screening for breast cancer at age 42, it could help lower racial disparities in breast cancer deaths.
• A first-of-its-kind study analyzed the rates at which mild versus profound autism diagnoses are increasing. While diagnoses with both levels of severity are increasing, the study shows that mild autism cases are becoming more common than profound autism.
• A new study suggests that eating too many refined wheat or rice products, too much red and processed meats, and too few whole grains is driving the growth of new cases of type 2 diabetes. These three factors were the primary fuel of over 14 million new cases of type 2 diabetes in 2018.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a new study on how many Americans use dietary supplements. The results showed that over half of American adults and more than a third of children use dietary supplements. Experts say these numbers grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Researchers have discovered that overdose fatalities in Americans 65 and older have quadrupled from 2002 to 2021, with 83% being accidental deaths. The CDC reported that while the number of overdose deaths is higher among younger people, the rates of overdose deaths are rising the fastest among those 65 and older.
• A new strategy to attack cancer cells is showing promise in early tests. This strategy involves attacking the sugar cells that many cancer cells coat themselves in in order to suppress immune cells from killing them. A new field of chemistry was invented to study these complex sugar cells, and now scientists are using this research for the novel strategy to attack cancer cells.

Education News:

• Rebeka Peterson, a high school math teacher in Oklahoma, was named the 2023 National Teacher of the Year for making mathematics engaging and accessible and for her commitment to recognizing good things happening daily in her classroom.
• In the first national study of middle and high school students’ nonmedical use of prescription stimulants, one in four teens reported that they’ve abused prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during the prior year.
• The Florida Board of Education has forbidden teaching gender identity and sexuality in K-12 public schools, stating that teachers who violate the ban could have their teaching licenses suspended or revoked.
• Many schools nationwide are facing calls to replace Native American mascots as public backlash against Native American stereotypes rises. Schools in New York risk losing state funding if they do not retire the logos and mascots by 2025 unless they receive approval from a recognized Native American tribe to keep them.

50 years of Hager Sharp! Now that’s fun to say. As we reflect and celebrate our exciting accomplishments over the last five decades, we’re also keeping an eye on the expanding marketing horizon.

We picked some of the top trends we’re paying close attention to as we venture forward in generating and implementing ideas that make a difference, including the rise and fall of social media platforms, new artificial intelligence developments, and more.

Short-form videos can do it all.

Powerful short videos have the potential to cover so much while catering to the average consumer’s attention span. Readily customizable for different platforms, short videos are extremely dynamic and a great investment if you’re looking to connect with diverse audiences.

Influencers will stay in the spotlight.

The average internet user spends more than two hours a day on social media—a trend that has steadily increased since 2012. Social media influencers can fulfill our human need to be part of the “pack” or keep up with current trends. They are often viewed as credible sources of information on topics and can amplify the dissemination of health and education information to a broad audience.

QR codes are here to stay.

In 1994, Masahiro Hara developed QR codes for Japanese company, Denso Wave, to track automobiles and parts during manufacturing. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of QR codes as a touch-free part of daily life. Used in TV commercials, direct mail, billboards, posters, and other materials, they offer a quick and efficient way to direct audiences to websites to find information and resources—like nutrition information for restaurants or course catalogs for education institutions.

When designing content, mobile-friendly should be a priority.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated nearly 60% of global website traffic. Confirming that content and resources are mobile-friendly is essential to promote an optimal user experience. Improve a mobile-friendly experience by chunking content using short paragraphs, protecting whitespace, applying subheaders, and using images and lists to make pages as serviceable as possible.

The rise of the podcast continues.

Nearly 40% of all internet users were active monthly podcast listeners in 2021, a figure that is projected to steadily increase over the next decade. With more than three million podcasts in market, it’s safe to say the podcast landscape is saturated—full of advertising opportunities via host narrated or produced audio ads.

Artificial intelligence is making a big splash.

Communication and artificial intelligence are meeting, and in a big way. The rise of ChatGPT and recent release of GPT-4 signals that a lot is likely changing, and quickly, in communicating about health, education, climate change, and many other complex topics. Misinformation and disinformation are already widespread, posing countless challenges for communicators. Recent news is peppered with concerning headlines about how ChatGPT inquiries can create misinformation and give out uncensored medical advice. As communications professionals, we have a responsibility to use AI mindfully, to attribute content authorship to select platforms, and to keep ethics front of mind.

Hybrid work communications strategies are a must.

Companies, including Hager Sharp, need to maintain flexible hybrid work communications strategies as we continue to embrace the “new normal” of hybrid workplaces. Here at Hager Sharp, we’ve implemented “The Ten”—our keys to building a thriving culture based on respect and understanding. Each month we host a company-wide discussion to mindfully integrate and adapt our communication styles to ensure they work well for both in-person and remote staff. We apply these discussions to our internal work, across our account teams, and in our client relationships to ensure we’re communicating respectfully, inclusively, efficiently, and effectively throughout our remote and hybrid workplace. Interested in learning more about working with or for us? Check out our capabilities and send us a note. We’d love to hear from you!

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 8, to Friday, April 14. 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 report by the CDC showed that the suicide rate increased between 2020 to 2021 in the United States and was the highest increase the country has seen in 20 years.
• A recent Alabama bill would let parents opt-out of school-enforced mask mandates. The legislation, called a “parental rights bill,” is another example of disagreements surrounding public health orders that exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• New York, California, Colorado, Washington D.C., Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Mexico announced a $462 million settlement with Juul this week against legal action saying that the e-cigarette company targeted their products to adolescents and young adults. 

Education News:

• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have collaborated to build Axim Collaborative, a nonprofit aimed at creating more innovation in learning and addressing disparities in postsecondary education. The $800 million collaborative plans to provide support to students in their academic ventures to help them better prepare for college and future careers opportunities.
• The Biden Administration spoke on a current Supreme Court case, supporting students who were at risk of being reassigned debt that had been relieved last summer. The Education Department’s comment is the latest installment in Sweet vs. Cardona, a lawsuit filed in 2019 regarding borrower defense claims.
• An opinion article in the Chronicle of Higher Education discussed the harm of grade point average (GPA) inflation across the nation and how universities are avoiding addressing the problem with students.

Health News:

• New research shows mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in mothers didn’t hinder brain development for babies in the womb when compared to babies with no known COVID-19 exposure.
• A recent report revealed that legal abortions in the United States decreased by six percent following the Supreme Court’s ruling to end the right to abortion in June. The data does not account for those who obtained abortion services illegally or outside the country, including online pill services that are sourced outside of the United States.