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 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, February 4, to Friday, February 10. 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.

Politics and Policy:

• The Biden administration announced more stringent standards for school meals to be rolled out over the next few years, including limiting added sugars. This is the first federal limit on how much such sugars can be included in school meals. This is part of a broader campaign by the U.S. Agriculture Department to address childhood obesity; the department is responsible for feeding 30 million students in schools across the country.

Health News:

• The CDC reported last week that the spike in children’s strep infections in 2022 was a return to the number of infections pre-COVID-19. In 2018, CDC’s Active Bacterial Core surveillance labs reported 25,160 severe strep cases; figures are not yet available for 2022.
• In D.C., HIV cases continue to be low, despite an uptick in 2021, which public health experts attribute to lack of testing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 230 new diagnoses in 2021, an increase from 2019, but a decline from 2007.
• A new study from the CDC found that a majority of adults in the U.S. favor policies that would ban the sales of tobacco products, especially menthol cigarettes. Over 57% of adults favored banning the sale of all products and 62% favored banning the sale of menthol cigarettes in particular. This support varied by demographic group and current tobacco use.

Education News:

• Data released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) revealed that almost 50 percent of American students started the school year below grade level. An increase in access and opportunity for high-level tutoring may help bring student success back to pre-pandemic levels.
• A recent report by the Lumina Foundation found that Black students have lower college completion rates than other racial and ethnic groups, a statistic which is attributed to the “implicit and overt forms of racial discrimination” that Black students face across the country.

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 some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health, education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, January 28 to Friday, February 3. 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:

• After multiple extensions, the White House plans to end the COVID-19 national emergency this May. This change could have far-reaching impacts, especially regarding the cost of COVID-19 tests and vaccines.

Education News:

• College Board has officially announced course guidelines for an AP African American Studies course, which students can start taking in the 2024-2025 school year. The course was piloted this school year and covers ancient African history through Kamala Harris’ election in 2020.
• The Lumina Foundation recently revealed that almost 54% of adults ages 25 to 64 have obtained a postsecondary degree or credential. This not only marks the biggest increase  since Lumina began tracking degree data but also brings the U.S. closer to Lumina’s goal of reaching 60% of the working age population by 2025.
• A recent report by National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that declining rates of college enrollment have finally flattened after a period of decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• An analysis by the Nature Human Behavior journal equates educational loss from the COVID-19 pandemic to losing one-third of a school years’ worth of learning. According to the analysis, these losses were greater for students in low-income backgrounds or developing countries.

Health News:

• New MRI scan research shows that Black children were disproportionately affected by early childhood stress, which acted as a “toxic stressor” that affected the brain’s processing of trauma.
• A study published Monday listed COVID-19 as the 8^th most common cause of death for children in the United States.

Advancements in Health:

• More obesity training for medical school students – including implicit bias training – is essential for today’s doctors, said a George Washington University medical student. 

We are excited to share that Hager Sharp is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary! A lot has changed since Susan Hager and Marcia Sharp founded Hager Sharp in 1973, blazing a trail for women in business and the communications field. But Hager Sharp has never wavered from its commitment to embracing diversity as a key to our clients’ successes.

To this day, we are fortunate to create communications and marketing campaigns for a wide range of mission-driven institutions, businesses, and nonprofits. Our clients are dedicated to improving health, advancing education, and transforming communities – and we’re dedicated to helping them accomplish their missions. Check out just a few the recent opportunities that our clients have given us to learn, grow, and demonstrate our expertise in education, public health, integrated communications, and social marketing.

And people have noticed our work. We’ve been honored to receive industry recognition hundreds of times over the past 50 years, including:

• In 1983, only 10 years after Hager Sharp opened, the firm won an award for being the largest women-owned PR firm in Washington D.C.
• From 1990 to 2015, five current or future Hager Sharp women won Washington Women in PR’s Woman of the Year award:
  • Marcia Sharp (1990)
  • Susan Hager (2004)
  • Jennifer Wayman (2007)
  • Debra Silimeo (2010)
  • Christina Nicols (2015)

• In 2000, Susan Hager was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She and Debra Silimeo also had the honor of being inducted into the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2005 and 2015, respectively.
• In 2016, the Washington Business Journal ranked Hager Sharp #4 among independent PR firms in DC.
• In 2022, Hager Sharp was named to PR Daily’s Top Agencies list.

“Over the next year, we’ll reflect on how embracing diversity from the beginning has made our firm the industry leader that it has become,” said Jennifer Wayman, Hager Sharp’s president and CEO. “We’ll also share some sneak peeks on what we have in store for the years to come. Because one thing is clear: The first 50 years provided a solid foundation and by continuing to embrace diversity, things are only looking even brighter.”

Keep up with the excitement at: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram

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 some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health, education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, January 14 to Friday, January 20. 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:

• Researchers completed the longest happiness study in the world and believe they have found the key to being truly happy.
• The FDA proposed for healthy adults to receive one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine annually, similarly to the flu vaccine.
• As trauma and social anxiety continue to increase among college students, more are seeking out mental health treatment for trauma and social anxiety. A recent report released this past Wednesday examines the connection between mental health and academic success.

Education News:

• It was recently reported that a quarter of teachers have revised instructional materials to limit or exclude topics of race and gender due to direct pressure from parents to shift their teaching practices.
• For the past 30 years, there have been four finalists for National Teacher of the Year. This year, we are introduced to five. The award presented by The Council of Chief State Schools recognizes and celebrates educators for their excellent work inside and outside of the classroom.

Health News:

• The FDA is issuing new guidelines to limit children’s exposure to lead from baby food to the lowest level possible.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid reported that a record 16.3 million people sought healthcare under the Affordable Care Act for 2023 coverage.

Advancements in Health:

• Evidence has surfaced that leads scientists to believe that the oldest vaccine in the world that is currently still in use might be able to stave off type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and multiple sclerosis.
• Biotechnology companies have uncovered evidence that led them to believe that mesothelin, a tumor differentiation antigen, is the key to tackling solid tumors.

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 some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health, education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, January 14 to Friday, January 20. 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.

Politics and Policy:

• Chief Science Officer David Kessler is planning to retire, signifying the unofficial end of the “Operation Warp Speed” era. Kessler’s retirement was announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last Friday. Kessler was a key player in speeding up production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines during the height of the pandemic.

Education News:

• On Wednesday, Yale University announced updated mental health policies that allow for students to take time off of school without the threat of having to withdraw from classes or forfeit their university health insurance. The updated policy follows a November story by The Washington Post calling out the ivy league school for how it handled students struggling with mental health issues.
• Harvard Medical School is no longer contributing data to U.S. News & World Report surveys, which rank schools across the country based on cost, enrollment, location, test scores, and more. The dean of the faculty of medicine claimed that the report’s survey system was creating “perverse incentives for institutions to report misleading or inaccurate data.”

Health News:

• A recent study from the Gender Equity Policy Institute revealed that maternal deaths were almost three times more likely for pregnant people living in states with abortion bans. The data also showed that people of color are disproportionately affected, with maternal mortality rates 4.5 times higher for Native American mothers and 2.6 times higher for Black mothers compared to the rates for white mothers in states with abortion bans.
• New research found that COVID-19 infections during pregnancy increase the risk of maternal death or a severe infection. The lead author of the study called for pregnant people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to best protect them against complications during their pregnancy.