LeBron James opens first-of-its-kind “I Promise” public school in Akron
“We are letting people know it is about true wrap-around support, true family integration and true compassion.”
Education
Virginia and New York enact first laws demanding mental health education
The Empire State’s law, which was reportedly written in 2015, says mental health is “an integral part of our overall health and should be an integral part of health education in New York schools.”
SpaceX is about to quietly launch the first 2 of nearly 12000 satellites to blanket Earth in high-speed internet
The two satellites may test aspects of Starlink, a project to bathe Earth in high-speed internet access using nearly 12,000 spacecraft.
Rhode Island becomes fourth U.S. state to make community college free
The Promise Scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and fees at the Community College of Rhode Island for new students starting this fall regardless of their income.
Tennessee legislature passes free community college tuition program
Tennessee’s new plan to allow older adults without a college degree or certificate to attend community college free of charge will serve as a model as more states consider similar policies.
20,000 schools to install rooftop solar in Pakistan
The government of Pakistan’s second largest province, Punjab, has affirmed its commitment to the installation of rooftop solar power systems on around 20,000 schools.
New York grants free tuition for all state colleges
New York just became the first state in the nation to make tuition free for middle class students at both two- and four-year public colleges.
The U.S. formally passes the Higher Education Act into law, making student loans widely available for the first time
Federal student loans were first offered in the U.S. in 1958 under the National Defense Education Act. However, they were only available to select categories of students, such as those studying engineering, science, or education. Low-income student loans only became more broadly available in the 1960s under the Higher Education Act of 1965, which also increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, and established a National Teachers Corps.
José Batlle y Ordóñez brings a wide array of modern reforms to Uruguay
He was elected to the presidency for two terms, from 1903 until 1907 and from 1911 to 1915. He remains one of the most popular Uruguayan presidents. He is known for introducing unemployment compensation, eight-hour workdays, and universal suffrage, as well as free High School education.
The school lunch movement begins in Europe
The first school lunches were thought to be served in 1790 in Munich, Germany, by an American-born physicist, Benjamin Thompson, also known as Count Rumford. In Munich, Thompson founded the Poor People’s Institute, which employed both adults and children to make uniforms for the German Army. They were fed and clothed for their work, and the children were taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Years later, Thompson would feed 60,000 people a day from his soup kitchen in London.