All Points of Progress
- Progress WatchSchool counselors more available on mental health ‘front lines’
There are more school counselors available to students today than at any time in the last 30 years, meaning that kids have increased access to help.
- Progress WatchWhy India, Chile, and Jordan lead the way on renewable energy
India, Chile, and Jordan are leaders in the race to find renewable energy sources. How are they pivoting away from fossil fuels so efficiently?
- Progress WatchHollywood finally gets the message – diversity is good for business
While women and people of color are still underrepresented in Hollywood – both on screen and behind the camera – diversity in the film industry hit record highs in 2018 as tools like inclusion riders gain popularity.
- Progress WatchIn an age of authoritarianism, the world sees glimmers of hope
Globally, threats to democracy are acting in full force. But pushback against autocracy is also gaining strength and momentum. A look at some of those movements.
- Progress WatchWhen transfer students knock, more colleges are opening the door
More community college students are making their way to four-year universities – and helping schools meet enrollment and diversity goals. What might that mean for college affordability?
- Progress WatchMore than just grass: US prairies make a comeback
Grasslands have long been underappreciated ecosystems. Yet the past three decades have seen progress in restoring them, giving a boost to numerous rare plants and animals.
- Progress WatchThe global suicide rate has seen a net decline. What caused it?
What can help people see a way out of their despair? A look at some of the methods that have successfully prevented people from harming themselves.
- Progress WatchIn Pakistan, sanitation and water access improves quality of life
Simple tasks can become difficult without access to clean water or a place to use the bathroom, as is the case for many of the poorest people – and especially women – in Pakistan. But the construction of thousands of toilet and water facilities is turning that situation around.
- Progress WatchFinding consensus on US gun control
Studies show that there is bipartisan agreement on some parts of a divisive issue. What's the motivating factor?
- Progress WatchIn the clouds, a silver lining: The ozone layer is on track to fully heal
While projections of climate change consequences are dire, the international community has shown it can cooperate to achieve results on ecological issues, as seen in the reduction of the hole in the ozone layer.
- Progress WatchWhat’s made rates of degree attainment for immigrant students spike?
Only 30 years ago, about 16 percent of immigrants had earned a bachelor’s degree. Today, that number has nearly doubled, and caught up with degree attainment rates for US-born residents as well. Holistic support programs are one factor.
- Progress WatchWhy more states are giving juvenile offenders a second chance
More attention is being given to the idea that young offenders can still make radical changes to their mind-set. As a result, measures aimed at rehabilitating juvenile prisoners instead of punishing them are spreading across the United States.
- Progress WatchWhat's giving gender parity a leg up at US corporations
Companies in the United States have struggled to reach gender quotas in leadership positions, especially as compared to their European counterparts. But new laws and cultural shifts are beginning to change that situation.
- Progress WatchMore girls, African-Americans enroll in AP computer science. Why that matters.
Many computer science professions are known for being disproportionately white and male. But the Advanced Placement computer science tests have seen a recent spike in the number of female and minority students who take them, forecasting a more diverse future.
- Progress WatchIn an Indiana river cleanup, businesses and environmentalists cooperate
Industry and environmental interests are often opposed. But in Indiana, a river cleanup requiring both sides to negotiate with each other offers an example for conservation partnerships everywhere.
- Progress WatchAfter #MeToo, state legislatures make changes
Across the nation, lawmakers pledged to take legislative action on sexual harassment. We’ve tracked how they followed through in past months.
- Progress WatchUS businesses begin to increase services for deaf people
- Progress WatchStopping US teens from smoking, one town at a time
Activists have found the “secret sauce” to help cut down on the number of young smokers: They’re passing Tobacco 21 laws across the nation, but instead of working at the national level, they’re focusing on small towns and cities.
- Progress WatchBeachcombers worldwide haul 20 million pounds of trash in one day
With many hands on the task, the International Coastal Cleanup shows how communities working together can highlight a problem and help solve it. Legislation is starting to have an impact, too.
- Progress WatchMillennials are driving a re-sale clothing boom
For a cash-strapped generation that also cares about sustainability issues, taboos are disappearing around previously owned items. Online retailers and peer-to-peer marketplace apps are helping to drive a burgeoning market expected to double in size by 2022.