The scoop on education in America…
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Thursday, December 31st
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Good morning. We’re switching things up a little to better format this week’s content – we’d love to know what you think! Just reply to this email.
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🚨 To clarify any confusion: Our editorial team is on a break this week, but will be back to serving nothing but fact-based news with the usual DONUT panache Monday.
🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s newsletter takes 4.8 minutes to read. (1,286 words)
💭 Daily Sprinkle:
“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” –Germany Kent
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Is this the only email you’ve opened all week? Start here.👇
Here’s the scoop on this week’s format:
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A few weeks ago, we announced the Dear America Project. The goal: discover what – if anything – ties us together as Americans.
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We received close to 300 in-depth responses from all backgrounds and creeds regarding the long-term future of the country. (Kudos and many thanks to you all. 👏)
After crunching the data to figure out how to organize them for y’all, we landed on presenting five topics that were overwhelmingly mentioned: Climate Change/Environment, Social Equality/Help for Society’s Disaffected, Education, Healthcare, and Overcoming Tensions in Society to Find Unity.
Monday’s email covered the #1 highest-recurring topic, Overcoming Tensions in Society to Find Unity (Read it here). Tuesday was Climate Change & the Environment, and yesterday was Healthcare.
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Without further ado, this week’s fourth focus: Education.
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🔍 🏫 The Scoop on Education
How We Defined It: Any response pertaining to or containing mention of education, schools, high-schools, colleges, teachers, principals, literacy rates (all cross-checked manually to ensure proper context). For example:
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”I hope college becomes free, or at least cheaper, and education more accessible for everyone. As well as more opportunities for people who don’t want to go straight into college.”
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“I would like to see the overall education costs go down and the quality of that education go up. I would like to see the teachers getting paid much more for their job of educating the future generations.”
By the Numbers:
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Fourteen percent of overall respondents mention Education.
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Out of those respondents, 44% also mention Climate Change/Environment, 38% also mention Social Equality/Help for Society’s Disaffected, and 31% also mention Overcoming Tensions in Society to Find Unity.
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👥 Meet the Crew
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Put Another Way: Over 81% are under 35.
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Put Another Way: This one is pretty apparent. 😉
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Put Another Way: More than 73% of respondents fall between Left-Center and Right-Center.
Location
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🧭 The Western-most respondent lives in St. George, UT.
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🧠 Logician: Innovative inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
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🏛️ Architect: Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.
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🤝 Mediator: Poetic, kind and altruistic people, always eager to help a good cause.
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🎖️ Commander: Bold, imaginative and strong-willed leaders, always finding a way – or making one.
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🧙 Advocate: Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists.
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💬 In Their Own Words
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“Betterment of the public education system. There is already so much data to support that it’s one key thing that can make the biggest impact on our economy – decreasing poverty, decreasing homelessness, increasing a higher quality of candidate in the employment pool, increasing revenue for companies and to bring this back full circle, bettering the economy while bettering the quality of life of individuals in public schools.” –Anna from Dallas, TX (26-35 years old).
“Less dependence on government programs, encouraging personal responsibility, a move to a flat tax collected up front, work programs for welfare recipients to encourage a return to the workforce, all students learning a second language starting in elementary school, required classes in economics & financial planning, subsidized family planning options for teenagers (IUD’s, condoms, the pill, etc), legalized drugs with all of the tax implications that entails and term limits for all elected officials, who will earn the median US income, and have no benefits following terms served, all laws enacted by Congress will be applied to all elected officials.” –Anonymous from Fort Worth, TX (56-65 years old | Female).
“Dear America, I think it’s high time that you have a makeover, right now you are not looking the best. I think that you should improve your education system so that teachers are better appreciated and that areas in need receive improved supplies and resources. I also believe that like other school systems in the world, children should start learning a second language early on in school, so they will not be at a disadvantage later in life. In addition, implementing a pro-active green initiative would greatly impact your carbon footprint, as well as creating a cleaner community to live in. By increasing the use of solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, you would be able to considerably cut down on your carbon emissions. Furthermore, you need to address the systematic racism that is plaguing the nation and start educating people to treat each other with respect
and courtesy. You are full of people with different ethnicities, religions, and ideas and no group should be targeted for being themselves. As you move into the future, I hope you will be able to achieve at least these few suggestions and begin to thrive once more.” –Sydney from La Crosse, Wisconsin (under 18 years old).
“More freedom and less regulation. A good economy supporting jobs at a low unemployment rate. Improved education opportunities, esp for minorities. I personally support school choice for this but am open to other ideas. Basically, I want my kids and others kids to grow up in a country with more freedom and more opportunity than I have had.” –Molly from Houston, TX (26-35 years old).
“Balanced budget, economic independence, minimal unemployment, reduced focus on ethnic race differences and increased focus on economic differences between people (income and living standard gap), higher wages for teachers and increased competition for teachers, increased resources for teachers in economically challenged areas, permanent assistance for the mentally ill (especially the homeless, not the homeless that choose to be homeless, but the ones with certifiable mental issues), for the homeless that choose to be homeless – get them off the street and put them to work – get them off of inner city park public property, increased safety through neighborhood programs that involve local law enforcement, more training for law enforcement.” –Anonymous from Texas (36-45 years old | Male).
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📸 🎓 The Big Picture
Given the responses above, are there any points you’re willing to compromise on (or not compromise on) when it comes to addressing education? Let us know here.
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🏫 🤗 Daily Smile: A Class Act…
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Adam Shrager’s statistics students at the College of New Jersey began the last day of class this semester with their cameras off. This was unusual – normally, 90% of the class leaves their cameras on.
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Then came the reveal: Instead of faces, Adam saw an overwhelming show of gratitude. “As their cameras clicked on, and I started reading the signs, I was overcome and truly moved. Even a bit teary. It was incredible and sweet,” Shrager told TODAY.
From a student in the class: “He consistently asked us about our mental health, our family members, and our furry friends while introducing his own pets to us.”
Bonus: There’s a viral TikTok capturing this moment perfectly.
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😎 The Guide to Not Being Awkward Tonight
It’s New Year’s Eve. And whatever your plans, social situations have a tendency to get awkward at some point (or, at least, ours do). For when that happens, we’ve got you covered:
⚖️ Would You Rather…
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Have hands instead of feet or feet instead of hands?
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Live without the sun (always cloudy, rainy, etc.) or without the internet?
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Exist in the Harry Potter universe or the Star Wars universe? (Follow up: What type of wand would you have/what would your ship look like?)
🥶 Icebreakers…
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Who opens and who headlines your dream concert? Could be dead or alive… you can only pick two!!!
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If you could have lunch with anyone in history, dead or alive, who would it be?
Happy socializing (virtual or otherwise) and HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥳
P.S. Any good pickup lines to share with the rest of us? Just reply to this email. If we write back, it works. 😉
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🌊 A River Runs Around It
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What is the only U.S. state to be bordered on three sides by rivers?
A) Kentucky
B) Mississippi
C) Colorado
D) Kansas
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(keep scrolling for the answer) |
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Dose of Knowledge Answer |
A) Kentucky
Kentucky is the only U.S. state to have a continuous border of rivers running along three of its sides – the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork to the east.
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