This Week in Policy & Public Interest News: 14 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy policy and public interest press releases from PR Newswire, including declining student scores in history and civics.

NEW YORK, May 5, 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. Eighth-graders' U.S. history and civics scores decline in new Nation's Report Cards; first-ever score decline in civics
   "A well-rounded education includes a thorough grounding in democratic principles, and these assessments challenge students to show their knowledge and skills as they prepare to become full participants in American democracy," said National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Commissioner Peggy G. Carr.
2. Michelle Obama Announces the Launch of PLEZi Nutrition: A Public Benefit Company with a Purpose to Help Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids
   PLEZi Nutrition was created to give parents a helping hand by offering healthier, great-tasting products that parents can feel good about giving their kids and that kids actually want. The company is focused on lowering sugar content and lowering sweetness to help adjust kids' palates to crave less sweetness overall.
3. Thousands of Animals Will Find Loving Homes as North Shore Animal League America Kicks Off 29th Annual Global Pet Adoptathon® - In Partnership With Rachael Ray® Nutrish®
   More Than 2,000 Animal Shelters & Rescue Groups, Nationally and Internationally, Participating To Save Homeless Animals' Lives
4. 43rd Annual Building Safety Month Begins
   The International Code Council's 2023 campaign, themed "Building Safety Starts with You!" focuses on how building safety is personal, local, and global.
5. Powerful New Film Urges Hearing Allies, Policy Leaders, and the FCC to Stand Boldly With the Deaf Community to Deliver Communications Equity
   The eight-minute film is designed to more fully educate the hearing audience and policy leaders about some of the very specific and longstanding communications inequities. These include needing to have two phone numbers – one for texting and one for video relay calls – and the inability of E911 emergency services to locate deaf people the same way they do hearing people.
6. The Genius Of Play™ Launches 'Emotional Wellness Playbook' During Mental Health Awareness Month
   From exploring emotions through games to practicing empathy, the new "Emotional Wellness Playbook" from The Genius of Play™, The Toy Association®'s nonprofit initiative dedicated to helping parents raise healthy and happy kids through play, offers a curated collection of play-based activities that teach kids how to express their feelings in healthy ways while having fun.
7. The Future of Work: Addressing Employer-Worker Disconnects Could Lead to Better Outcomes for All
   Sixty-nine percent of employers cite one or more workforce-related issues as major concerns for their company's leadership, and more than six in 10 (61%) reevaluated their health, retirement, and other benefit offerings in 2022, according to a new survey report by nonprofit Transamerica Institute® and its Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® (TCRS).
8. Classes Begin at New Green Job Training Center in Chicago
   The Sustainability Hub is providing comprehensive job training and employment opportunities to local Illinois job seekers eager to start a career in the clean energy economy. Over the next ten years, the program will train 10,000+ residents, focusing on Veterans, Returning Citizens and high school educated residents from underserved communities.
9. Make a Safe Splash this Summer: Largest Franchisor of Swim Schools Brings Greater Awareness to Drowning Prevention Amid National Water Safety Month
   In honor of National Water Safety Month (May), Streamline Brands, the industry's largest franchisor and operator of swim schools, widely known for SafeSplash Swim School, has launched an educational campaign to bring greater awareness to water safety and drowning prevention.
10. American Council of Learned Societies Launches Open Book Prize to Expand Access to Knowledge
    Open access publishing brings scholarly material to all people regardless of race, gender, or class, including teachers and students who cannot afford to purchase books and do not have access to major research libraries.
11. Ellis Island Honors Society announces the 2023 Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients
    The medal has been awarded annually since 1986 to Americans, both U.S. born and naturalized, who represent and contribute to the rich mosaic that is our great nation. 
12. Rooted School Foundation's "The 50 Dollar Study" Named Finalist in the Social Justice Category of Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Idea Awards
    The 50 Dollar Study is a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to assess the effectiveness of a cash transfer program for high school students in reducing financial hardship, enhancing financial capability, and promoting upward economic mobility.
13. Global Nonprofit Points of Light Announces Fifth Annual Awards Celebration to Recognize Mike and Jacquelyne Love, Condoleezza Rice, Robert F. Smith, and Rebecca and Christyn Taylor and Honor President George H.W. Bush's Legacy of Civic Engagement
    "Our honorees this year model what a life of service looks like, from turning challenges into triumphs, using their voice, and becoming leaders who uplift others," said Diane Quest, Points of Light interim president and CEO.
14. ETS Receives Nearly $3.25 Million for AI Research Institute To Advance STEM Learning Among Marginalized U.S. Students
    Kadriye Ercikan, Vice President for Research at ETS, said, "This funding will advance transformational research that holds the power of increasing students' interest, participation and engagement in STEM for the rest of their lives. Together, we will pave new pathways for U.S. students to gain the knowledge and skills they need to become future leaders in STEM."

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