Sean Salai

Trade school enrollments boom as high school grads shun costly four-year degrees

Blue Ridge Technical Center in Front Royal, Virginia, is one of the many high school, community college and trade group vocational-technical programs that have reported enrollment growth since the pandemic.

July 3, 2024

Businesses hesitate to invest in D.C. as taxes and regulations grow, survey says

Businesses have become reluctant to invest in the nation's capital as their tax and regulatory concerns have grown since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey.

July 1, 2024

Gallup survey finds U.S. antisemitism concerns surging as harassment grows

Antisemitic concerns have surged from two decades ago as Jewish Americans report increased harassment over the past year, according to a pair of Gallup polls released Monday.

July 1, 2024

Most transgender surgeries in 2019 involved adults and teens aged 15 to 17, study finds

Most transgender surgeries in 2019 involved adult patients and teenagers aged 15 to 17, a new study finds.

June 27, 2024

Charitable donations after inflation fell for second straight year in 2023

Americans gave less money to charity in 2023 for the second straight year, reversing years of increases as nagging inflation left small donors feeling pinched.

June 26, 2024

Indiana reports 98% drop in abortions after curbs

Indiana says it's seen a 98% decline in abortions after restricting the procedure last fall, adding to a national debate over the effectiveness of state bans.

June 17, 2024

More public colleges admit high schoolers who haven’t applied to bolster minority enrollment

The number of statewide programs admitting high school students to regional public universities -- even before they apply -- has more than doubled as four-year programs work to bolster flagging minority enrollments.

June 13, 2024

Feds should pay more for workforce training to meet demand for blue-collar labor, report says

Federal lawmakers must reduce a massive funding advantage that four-year colleges enjoy over workforce education to meet a growing shortage of blue-collar workers, a construction industry report says.

June 13, 2024

Most Catholics believe Jesus is present in Communion bread and wine: Poll

Most Catholics believe Jesus Christ is present in the Communion bread and wine they consume at Mass, according to a survey released to coincide with a national revival.

June 11, 2024

More than 75% of hotels report nagging labor shortages despite wage hikes

More than 3 out of 4 hotels remain mired in a post-pandemic staffing shortage after hiking wages to record highs, an industry survey shows.

June 11, 2024

Gallup poll: Americans split on social issues, lean right economically

Americans responding to the latest Gallup poll are evenly divided on abortion, gender identity and other culture war topics but veer right on economic issues.

June 10, 2024

Culture wars define Biden-Trump rematch with voters sharply split on gender, religion, crime

Most Biden and Trump voters disagree sharply about abortion, race, gender, crime and religious issues, according to the latest Pew Research Center's "culture war" poll.

June 7, 2024

Louisiana becomes seventh state to add PragerU to social studies resources

Louisiana has become the seventh state to adopt the conservative media platform PragerU as an optional K-12 social studies resource, bolstering a national parental rights debate heading into the upcoming election.

June 6, 2024

U.S. college dropouts rose to 36.8 million adults under 65 in 2022, says clearinghouse report

The number of college dropouts since the late 1970s swelled to 36.8 million in 2022 -- a 2.9% increase over the previous year, according to a report published Thursday.

June 6, 2024

University of the Arts to close Friday after losing students, money, accreditation

Philadelphia's historic University of the Arts will shut down Friday after years of declining enrollment, budget shortfalls and the recent loss of its accreditation.

June 4, 2024

Nation’s school districts scrimp and improvise as pandemic funds dry up

Urban school districts paying parents to drive their kids to class. Four-day school weeks in rural towns. Long-term substitute teachers and "acting superintendents" who stay in their posts for years.

June 3, 2024

Top colleges restore SAT requirements, rolling back pandemic policies

Top colleges such as Harvard, Georgetown and the University of Texas will once again require SAT scores in admissions after going to a "test-optional" approach during the pandemic that was supposed to bolster the odds for minority applicants.

May 29, 2024

D.C. sets new tourism records for visitors, revenue

Washington set new records with 25.95 million tourists and $10.2 billion in visitor revenue last year, the city's tourism bureau reported Wednesday.

May 29, 2024

Report: Colleges must double vocational training to overcome ‘misalignment’ between degrees, jobs

Higher education is contributing to a "great misalignment" between graduates and workforce needs by emphasizing four-year bachelor's degrees over vocational training, according to a report released Wednesday.

May 29, 2024

Panda-mania 2.0: D.C.’s National Zoo to get two new pandas from China

Great news, D.C. panda fans -- the lovable, bamboo-eating Chinese black-and-white bears are returning to the Smithsonian National Zoo. A new pair of pandas are set to arrive by the end of the year.

May 29, 2024