Everyone deserves to live in a welcoming, loving world, and organizations like the Trevor Project strive to help make it so. The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. If you are interested in learning more about being an ally to LGBTQ+ youth, please read on for excerpts from the Trevor Project’s guide for allies. The first step to becoming an…
America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card. The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism. The national exam…
A new $2.5 billion plan will modernize public universities and colleges across Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey announced January 1st, 2025. An Act to Build Resilient Infrastructure to Generate Higher Education Transformation, known as The BRIGHT Act, will modernize the UMass system, state universities, and community colleges. It will create approximately 15,000 construction-related jobs, Healey said in a statement. The $2.5 billion bond bill represents the largest proposed investments in capital improvements in Massachusetts’ public higher…
There are many fun activities for families to enjoy in the Boston area over winter break. Check out our list of activities and events happening in the Boston area in February 2025. Have a great winter break! Lunar New Year Festival at the Peabody Essex Museum When: Saturday 2/15/25 Where: East India Square, Salem, MA Age: all ages Cost: general admission Come welcome the Year of the Snake with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings…
As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation skyrockets across the country, so do suicide attempts and other mental-health concerns among LGBTQ+ youth. A 2022 national survey of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth, ages 13-24, paints a clear, distressing picture of the trauma endured by LGBTQ+ students in America. Nearly three-quarters reported symptoms of anxiety; 58 percent reported symptoms of depression; and 45 percent said they had seriously considered committing suicide within the past year. However, the survey also shows that…
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all the upcoming ACT changes, you’re not alone. With a new format rolling out, changes to super scoring, and the introduction of an “enhanced” digital test, it’s understandable that students, parents, and educators alike might be scratching their heads. The ACT is transitioning to a new digital format, with major changes taking effect starting in April 2025. Here’s what you need to know. 1. The paper vs. digital…
Teachers and parents can often forget what it’s like to be a student learning information for the first time. Many factors influence student retention, but “the more you know, the easier it is to learn new things,” said Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. When children learn new information, their ability to take in that information is informed by their prior knowledge of a related topic. However, when students lack…
During the 2022-23 school year, nearly 2.5 million high school students took college classes, simultaneously earning high school and college credits. That’s up from 1.5 million students in the fall of 2021 and roughly 300,000 students in the early 2000s. Figures released last week show that dual enrollment grew another 7 percent in the fall of 2024 from a year earlier, even as the number of traditional college freshmen fell. Alongside this meteoric rise of…
Youth mental health has steadily declined in the years prior to and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the worst affected are pre-teen boys and teenage girls, according to the August 2024 report, “A Nation’s Children At Risk,” published by the Center for Applied Research in Education at the University of Southern California. According to the study, teen girls were more than three times as likely to experience abnormal levels of emotional symptoms compared to the…
Looking back on 2024, young adult fiction readers saw many smart, thrilling, and fantastical books emerge. In this list, we have some of the most exciting reading available for teens and YA readers of all ages from the past year. Add these fast-paced, heartfelt, and fresh reads from our 2024 reading recap to your “to be read” pile. 1. Snowglobe by Soyoung Park. In Soyoung Park’s award-winning dystopian young adult novel, all is not what…