Schoolchildren in Los Angeles rebounded with record test-score gains for a second consecutive year
After years of pandemic-related setbacks, LA Unified School District students tested in the spring surpassed their pre-COVID performance in both reading and math.
Nearly 47% of students met or exceeded grade-level English standards, and nearly 37% did for math – the highest marks since current assessments started in 2015. The biggest leap came among 11th graders, who for the first time exceeded literacy benchmarks.
Why We Wrote This
In our progress roundup, prevention of harm to vulnerable people motivates judges in Argentina and government officials in Norway. And in America’s second-largest public school district, students show they are capable of doing better than they ever have on a benchmark test.
District leaders credit expanded tutoring, instructional time during vacations, and mental health supports.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho praised staff in the country’s second-largest school system for their achievements, especially given the disruptions of the January wildfires and immigration enforcement actions in the city.
Sarah Reingewirtz/The Orange County Register/AP/File
Sources: Los Angeles Times, Beverly Press
In Argentina, a high court ruled that generating photos of child sex abuse with AI is a crime, even when the images cannot be traced to actual children
The ruling arose from a case in which a man had been accused of publishing such AI content.
Lawyer and child rights activist Hernan Navarro called the decision “unprecedented” for Latin America, and advocates say it may combat online child exploitation as well as prevent widespread societal harm. While the ruling helps fill a gap in laws to prevent the creation and distribution of sexualized images of children, it could also be appealed, and advocates say that it must be supplemented by clear legislation.
Earlier this year, the United Kingdom became the first country to make illegal any images of child sex abuse generated by artificial intelligence.
Source: Context
Norway is leading the way in reducing homelessness
The United Nations estimates that some 150 million people are experiencing homelessness worldwide. But with nearly three decades of coordinated efforts to prioritize permanent housing, Norway slashed its rate from 1.5 to 0.62 people per 1,000 residents (compared with a homeless rate of 2.3 in the United States).
Jorge Mantilla/Nurphoto/Reuters
Since 1996, Norway has conducted seven national homelessness surveys. After the first survey raised public awareness, the government launched policies such as reducing the number of eviction notices by 50% and limiting temporary housing stays to less than three months. Local jurisdictions can adapt the national plan to their own needs.
The rate has likely increased in recent years due to higher building costs and a large number of refugees from Ukraine. But “zero homelessness is our main common goal,” said Hermund Urstad, who helps manage national housing policy.
Sources: Reasons To Be Cheerful, UN-Habitat
Debt distress has cooled across Africa, a sign of improving financial health
Many countries in Africa have for years dealt with high government borrowing costs, with additional premiums that investors require from economies seen as high-risk.
In July, Mozambique became the last African country whose bond spread, or premium, fell below 1,000 basis points (10%), an indicator widely viewed as signaling a higher risk of default. This marks the first time since 2015 that investors in African government bonds do not require a four-digit premium to invest.
During the pandemic, Zambia, Ghana, Malawi, and Ethiopia defaulted on their bonds amid hikes in global interest rates. But rescue packages backed by the International Monetary Fund, along with domestic reforms and slowing inflation, have helped some countries regain access to the market.
Some nations remain saddled by debt. Yet the overall positive trend could encourage more foreign investment and help economies grow.
Source: Bloomberg
Scientists developed a solar-powered aerogel that transforms seawater into drinkable water
The 3D-printed, spongelike material uses sunlight to evaporate water, leaving salt behind and collecting clean water as condensation.
Unlike previous aerogel designs that lose effectiveness as they are scaled up, sheets of this new material maintained performance in larger sizes. Carbon and cellulose nanomaterial solutions used as “ink” in a 3D printer were frozen layer by layer to fabricate the material.
In outdoor tests, using just the aerogel and a clear plastic cover, the system successfully produced potable water from Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, with no need for electricity.
Source: American Chemical Society
