This Week in Policy & Public Interest News: 12 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy policy and public interest press releases from PR Newswire, including ADP's employment report for July.

NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the policy and public interest industries stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 324,000 Jobs in July; Annual Pay was Up 6.2%
   "The economy is doing better than expected and a healthy labor market continues to support household spending," said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. "We continue to see a slowdown in pay growth without broad-based job loss."
2. Survey: 73% of Companies Struggle to Get Workers Back to the Office
   The survey, conducted by The Conference Board, also reveals the push for on-site work may be hindering efforts to retain workers. 71 percent of respondents from organizations that are mandating their on-site work policy reported difficulty retaining workers.
3. Leading School Safety Provider Applauds Introduction of ALYSSA Act Mandating Silent Panic Alarms in U.S. Schools to Enhance Campus Safety
   "This is a major step forward in the effort to keep our schools safe," said CENTEGIX CEO Brent Cobb. "We as a nation have gotten far too many reminders that, in a crisis, a fast emergency response is crucial to saving lives. An effective emergency alert system is key to enabling the fastest response possible."
4. PSA: Petco Locations Nationwide Double as 'Cooling Centers' to Help Pets Beat the Heat This Summer
   "Communities everywhere are feeling the effects of the heat wave, and this includes our beloved pets," said Petco Chief Veterinarian Dr. Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM. "It's critical that pet parents know how to recognize any signs that their furry family members may be experiencing dehydration or heat exhaustion, and how to help them stay cool and hydrated."
5. The Coalition of Concerned Freedmen™ Issues Four Calls-to-Action in Open Letter to College Presidents Demanding Lineage-Based Affirmative Action for Descendants of U.S. Slaves/Free Negroes
   Within the four calls-to-action, the Freedmen community asks that institutions affirm a commitment to educational and economic redress to the very people whose family legacies spurred the post-civil war 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and 1960's Affirmation Action itself.
6. Yubo joins GIFCT to combat the spread of violent extremist content online
   Through its membership, Yubo will leverage GIFCT's hash-sharing database to identify and remove content shared on Yubo that is associated with United Nations-designated terrorist entities, attacker manifestos, terrorist publications, and other violent extremist groups. GIFCT is an NGO designed to prevent terrorists and violent extremists from exploiting digital platforms.
7. Subaru Supports Nearly Half a Million Students in High-Needs Schools Through Subaru Loves Learning Initiative
   "We are proud to work with AdoptAClassroom.org again this year to help students across America succeed in the classroom with the resources they need," said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Subaru of America, Inc. "Subaru and our retailers want to support students in the community by providing teachers with the funding they need to purchase essential school supplies for a thriving learning environment."
8. Hill's Pet Nutrition Enlists Actress Joey King and Animal Advocates Sir Darius Brown and Sophie Gamand to Help Fight Pet Homelessness During Clear The Shelters Campaign
   The Clear The Shelters campaign comes at a critical time where animal shelters across the country are experiencing crisis level numbers of pets entering their doors than are leaving compared to data from previous years.
9. Toys for Tots Launches New Literacy Initiative to Help Underprivileged Children
   According to studies, America's economically disadvantaged children can lose up to one-third of their progress from the previous grade year – a phenomenon known as "summer learning loss" – simply because they don't have access to books and other educational materials necessary to maintain reading and comprehension skills. Through Operation Turn the Page, Toys for Tots is aiming to combat this childhood illiteracy epidemic.
10. Roughly One in Ten Public School Principals Left Profession in 2021-22 School Year
    "Principal attrition is higher in public schools than it was 5 years ago, and veteran public school leaders with more years of experience leave the profession at higher rates than those with less experience," said National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy G. Carr.
11. Transamerica Report Projects Labor Shortage to Persist in 2026
    Transamerica released a new report, "Prescience 2026: Dynamics of the American Workforce," highlighting the continued U.S. labor shortage in 2026, the gig economy's response to attracting talent, and the importance of flexibility in workplace culture and benefits.
12. CIEE Frederick Douglass Global Fellows Attend Unveiling of Frederick Douglass Statue in Belfast
    The twelve 2023 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows are students of color from colleges and universities across the United States who were selected for this competitive award based on their demonstrated leadership and communication skills, their commitment to agitating for positive change using techniques of non-violence, and their history of meaningful service.

Read more of the latest policy-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNpolicy and @prnedu on Twitter.

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