‘Is this how we should raise children?’
Louise Perry at The New York Times
Modern people “like to imagine ourselves as autonomous individuals, but in the natural human life cycle we spend a large proportion of our lives dependent on others,” says Louise Perry. “We often feel a longing for something like a village,” especially “college-educated, relatively affluent Americans who moved away from their extended families in pursuit of career opportunities.” Yet “even though forming communities” would “solve many economic and practical problems,” particularly in raising children, few people actually “make the attempt.”
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‘America is sliding toward illiteracy’
Idrees Kahloon at The Atlantic
The “past decade may rank as one of the worst in the history of American education,” says Idrees Kahloon. The “decline began well before the pandemic, so Covid-era disruptions alone cannot explain it.” While “smartphones and social media probably account for some of the drop,” there is “another explanation: a pervasive refusal to hold children to high standards.” In short, “schools have demanded less and less from students — who have responded, predictably, by giving less and less.”
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‘LA’s fires report exposes America’s broken alert system’
Kelly McKinney at the Los Angeles Times
The recently released “after-action report on the January wildfires” in Los Angeles “confirms what has become increasingly clear in recent years, as we witness failure after failure: We don’t know how to execute emergency alerting in this country,” says Kelly McKinney. “For all our technology, for all our wealth, Americans face a dangerous future with hundreds of cumbersome, inconsistent and dangerously slow state and local systems duct-taped together. Unless we face this head-on, more will needlessly die.”
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‘Want higher birth rates? Get on board with remote work.’
Gleb Tsipursky at The Hill
If the “Trump administration and cultural conservatives want more babies, they should encourage more remote work,” says Gleb Tsipursky. “Working from home trims commutes, thus returning valuable hours to households. A parent can handle a pediatric visit without blowing up a shift schedule. Mom can breastfeed without logistical relays. Dad can cover school pickup without hiring a costly nanny.” Ultimately, “people want support that makes everyday life with kids workable.”
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