For many students from low and middle-income households, figuring out how to pay for college can require jumping through several logistical hoops, hunting for scholarships, holding down a job while going to school, and agonizing over whether taking on student loan debt will be worthwhile.

Currently, student loan debt in the U.S. totals more ...Read more

For over 135 years, savvy shoppers have been stretching their dollars by using coupons to save on everyday purchases from food to clothing. The first single-product coupons, aimed at getting buyers to try new items, expanded to store-based coupons in the 1940s as grocery store chains tried to lure shoppers from smaller local businesses. By 1965...Read more

Learning a different language can be a point of pride, but there is a practical advantage too. Job postings seeking bilingual or trilingual applicants more than doubled from 2010 to 2015, according to a study performed by New American Economy. The most prestigious universities and colleges in the country prioritize students who have spent three...Read more

In elementary and secondary education, the U.S. spends about $15,000 per student annually, ranking above the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development's median by 30%.

However, just because the U.S. ranks highly internationally doesn't mean funding is equitably distributed among every child. Public school funding varies from state ...Read more

Although many Americans aspire to predetermined notions of what an American home and neighborhood should look like, the stark shortage of affordable housing makes those visions increasingly difficult to realize. In October 2021, about half of Americans reported the lack of affordable housing as a major problem in their communities. This number ...Read more

Rates of violent crime are significantly lower today than they were just three decades ago, though many Americans assume otherwise. And still, police spending continues to go up despite downward trends in crime.

Violent crime peaked in 1991 at a rate of 758 incidents per 100,000 people, according to FBI data. Today, the rate is roughly half ...Read more

U.S. travelers are expected to visit U.S. destinations more in 2023 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council. Thanks in part to rising inflation rates, which make international travel far more difficult to budget for a family, along with the general public's desire to freely move ...Read more

At the start of 2023, in accordance with HB 1467 passed in 2022, Florida schools made national headlines as teachers and librarians covered shelves with tarps and removed books from circulation.

Under the new law, all materials in school libraries and on reading lists must be reviewed by a media specialist who completed a Florida Department ...Read more

It wasn't so long ago that if you wanted to try your luck at games like roulette or slots, you headed to a casino. But today, technological and legal advances have seen the rapid rise of online casinos. While in-person gambling still makes up 80% of gaming revenue, online betting is gradually gaining ground, whether in sports or in casino ...Read more

Food product recalls serve an important purpose for American consumers. When manufacturers find that their products are out of compliance with Food and Drug Administration or Department of Agriculture regulations and remove them from the market, consumers are alerted to allergens or other harmful contaminants in common products that can lead to...Read more

The first figures that come to mind as war heroes are undoubtedly soldiers. But oftentimes, it is easy to forget there are others working alongside them in war zones, though behind the scenes: nurses.

During World War I, over 22,000 professional nurses served in the Army, around half of whom deployed to the Western Front. This number rose to...Read more

Small businesses looking to reach potential customers, streamline sales systems, and manage payroll are increasingly turning to technology to optimize their operations. Over 90% of U.S. small businesses use at least one technology platform for their operations and growth, according to a 2022 survey from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The ...Read more

Though you might not have known it, some of the most significant figures throughout recorded history were members of the LGBTQ+ community. Some made monumental contributions to various fields—the sciences, visual arts, academia, literature, music, and politics, among others—and did so despite the social pressures and oppositions present ...Read more

Every moment of an athlete's career—and oftentimes their personal lives—is placed on display, dissected by analysts, media, and in some instances betting sites to determine what their future season could look like. With such a public profession, it can be difficult for athletes to feel comfortable showing up in the world as their authentic ...Read more

Asian American women have been directing projects for the big and small screens for decades. Undeterred by the obstacles they continue to face in an industry that has long prioritized a male director's point of view, these women have found ways to raise funds, start their own production companies, release their films, and even launch their ...Read more

About 2 in 5 active physicians will be 65 or older by 2034. While many physicians have historically retired closer to age 70, burnout exacerbated by COVID-19 will likely accelerate rather than delay retirement among the current cohort of practicing physicians.

As a result, the United States is projected to be short between 38,000 and 124,000...Read more

Remote work is more common now than ever, with over 10% of civilian workers working remotely in 2022. The surge is, surprisingly to some, resulting in more productivity. An Upwork study found 61% of employees reported increased productivity by the end of 2020. Hiring managers also reported improved performance from employees one year into ...Read more

What makes a good cup of coffee is personal. Some coffee connoisseurs swear by an AeroPress, while others are drip loyalists. But what about the steps before that? Sure, how a cup is brewed impacts the flavoring, but so does how it's planted, harvested, and roasted.

Everything from the soil of the coffee plant to how the cherries are ...Read more

Celebrating another trip around the sun should always be a memorable occasion. But as the years pass, people tend to treat their birthday like any other day. When it comes to milestone birthdays, though, there's no excuse notto dream a little bigger and be surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones.

Milestone birthdays are what you make ...Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic proved to have an undeniable, lasting impact on the learning outcomes for students of all ages. School closures, hasty transitions to remote learning, and isolated learning environments have resulted ina significant drop in average math and reading test scores for grades 3 through 8 compared to pre-pandemic scores. In fact...Read more