Try the political quiz
 @ISIDEWITHNewsUnited StatesCongressPublic BroadcastingMedia Funding11mos ago

Congress Slashes Public Broadcasting Funds, Threatening Local News and Rural Access

Congress and President Trump have enacted a $9 billion rescission package that eliminates federal funding for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, as well as foreign aid.

The cuts are expected to have a devastating impact on hundreds of local radio and TV stations, particularly in rural areas that rely heavily on these services for news, emergency alerts, and educational programming. Many stations are now facing massive budget shortfalls, staff reductions, and the potential for closure, with some losing up to half their funding. While communities and donors are rallying to support their local stations, these efforts are unlikely to fully replace the lost federal dollars.

The move has sparked widespread concern about the future of independent journalism, local news coverage, and access to critical information across the country.

.
+
Expand

Knowledge quiz

How much do you know about Congress?

See if you know more than the average American.

Test your knowledge!

No replies yet…

Be the first to reply to this general discussion.

More conversations

Join in on more popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

U.S. Students Slide in Math, Science Test Scores

U.S. scores were no better than when the tests were first given in 1995. In math, the recent declines wiped out years of gains. American science scores have fallen since 2015, although the latest drops from 2019 weren’t statistically significant.The results come as President-elect Donald Trump has criticized America’s education system and pledged to abolish the federal Education Department. Wednesday’s release did come with a slice of good news, though: U.S. students still score above international averages, which include countries with a range of economic levels.Some other countries’ scores also declined since before the pandemic, but U.S. rankings slid comparatively on some measures, falling to 24 out of 45 education systems in eighth-grade math and 15 out of 63 in fourth-grade science.Countries whose performance moved ahead of the U.S. included Finland in math, England in science, and Poland for both subjects in fourth grade.High-scoring countries included Singapore, Japan and England. Officials say it is difficult to determine why some places excel and others struggle. The quality of a country’s schools, as well as other factors like poverty, can influence test performance. Carr said some countries use curriculum that is more closely aligned with the TIMSS exams.Even as U.S. schools have long since returned to normal from Covid-19 closures, educators struggled with new challenges. More teachers have left the profession. Student misbehavior and absenteeism jumped. “Coming out of Covid, parents and students got comfortable with the idea that it’s OK to stay home,” said Suzan Harris, a middle-school principal in Butts County, Ga. Chronic absenteeism rates have improved recently, but remain elevated compared with prepandemic figures, according to an American Enterprise Institute compilation of state data.In the years before the pandemic, national exams showed that school achievement was already stagnating or declining.

▲  95 replies