Access to services is a key aspect in the welfare society. Quality depends on the capacity we have to guarantee that basic services, such as education, health and commerce and banking, reach everyone in an adequate way. The concepts of threshold and scope explain the distribution of goods and services in the territory. The threshold refers to […] … learn more→

When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision that struck down segregated public schooling, white Southern politicians responded to the decision with ferocity. Although preservation of states’ rights was at the heart of their resistance claims, it was the racist practice of segregation that they sought to uphold. U.S. Senator Harry Byrd of […] … learn more→

Whenever I teach courses on hip-hop at the University of Virginia, I provide a brief overview of where hip-hop music began. One of the important dates I use is Aug. 11, 1973. That’s when DJ Kool Herc, who was 18 at the time, threw a “Back To School Jam” for his sister Cindy in the […] … learn more→

The author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced on June 15, 2021, that she and her husband Dan Jewett had given US$2.7 billion to 286 organizations, including universities, arts organizations and other nonprofits. It was her third announcement of this kind since she first publicly discussed her giving intentions in May 2019. Scott has donated about $8.5 billion to a constellation of […] … learn more→

Fully vaccinated adults are celebrating their new freedom and removing their face masks. Yet for parents of children under age 12, the rejoicing might be short-lived. Since children that age do not yet have access to vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they are better off staying masked when in public and around people they don’t […] … learn more→

Divorce can be exceptionally difficult for families with children. While the mother  used to be favored in custody battles, that is no longer the case and there are several considerations that have to be factored into a court decision. The most important consideration is the child’s best interest, but the relationships between each parent and […] … learn more→

The American Families Plan, announced by President Joe Biden in April 2021, aims to make child care more affordable for parents. Importantly, it also seeks to ensure caregivers are paid a living wage – enough to meet basic needs given the local cost of living. If passed, all workers in child care and pre-K programs that receive federal […] … learn more→

You decide to call a store that sells some hiking boots you’re thinking of buying. As you dial in, the computer of an artificial intelligence company hired by the store is activated. It retrieves its analysis of the speaking style you used when you phoned other companies the software firm services. The computer has concluded […] … learn more→

  Since 2011, bullying has become a major political and social concern. And for good reason, about one in ten children is a victim of this scourge. To combat this phenomenon, institutions use two types of strategies. The first is to take preventive action to make students aware of the consequences of this type of behavior (dropping […] … learn more→

Friendships that bridge across social class – “cross-class friendships” – can minimize middle school academic achievement differences that are based on the level of parents’ education, according to research from the UCLA School Diversity Project. As scholars of adolescent development, we examined academic achievement differences among 4,288 middle school students in California based on their parents’ education level. […] … learn more→