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Updates

Early Childhood Development|July 31, 2025

Kidsights Data Sheds Light on Early Childhood Development Nationwide

Kidsights Data is breaking new ground by tracking child development from birth to age five at a population level across U.S. communities, cities, and states. The data offers rare insight into how early experiences shape lifelong success — and how policies and investments can better support children and families.

Environmental Innovation|July 21, 2025

MethaneSAT’s Silence Won’t Save Methane Emitters from Scrutiny

In CleanTechnica, Michael Barnard reports on the loss of MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to track methane leaks globally. While the setback drew disappointment, Barnard notes that a wide network of satellites and advanced data tools continue to ensure emissions remain under close watch.

Environmental Innovation|July 17, 2025

Investors Helped Build Europe’s Methane Rules, Now They Must Defend Them

Writing for EDF+Business, Ismael Hernandez Rivera and Suzanne Brady explain how investor pressure helped shape the EU’s pioneering methane regulation. They argue that continued investor engagement is critical to ensure the law’s strong implementation and to counter efforts to weaken it.

Collaborative Philanthropy|July 17, 2025

Valhalla Foundation Supports the Launch of NextLadder Ventures

Valhalla Foundation is excited to support the launch of NextLadder Ventures, an initiative that will pair deep community insight with breakthrough technology to expand economic opportunity for low-income individuals and families. Launched in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, Ballmer Group, Stand Together, and Overdeck Family Foundation, NextLadder will invest in AI-powered, community-informed solutions that help individuals navigate pivotal life transitions such as job loss, housing insecurity, and health challenges

Environmental Innovation|July 15, 2025

How MethaneSAT Showed it is Time for Pollution Action to Aim Sky-High

In a feature for the World Economic Forum, Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund reflects on the MethaneSAT project and its bold attempt to monitor methane from space. Despite the satellite’s early failure, he emphasizes the need for ambitious, risk-taking solutions to cut emissions quickly.

Environmental Innovation|July 2, 2025

Methane-Tracking Satellite is Lost but Work to Reduce Pollution Continues

Environmental Defense Fund’s Shanti Menon reports that MethaneSAT has been declared unrecoverable after losing contact. Even so, data already collected will be released, and EDF plans to continue advancing methane reduction through aircraft monitoring, partnerships, and global policy efforts.

Environmental Innovation|June 23, 2025

Opinion: What Environmentalists Like Me Got Wrong

In a New York Times guest essay, veteran environmentalist Carl Pope reflects on his past decision to downplay methane’s role compared with carbon dioxide. He now argues that tackling methane leaks offers one of the fastest and most practical opportunities to reduce near-term warming.

Data Science Education|May 28, 2025

Harvard Study Highlights Impact of Skew The Script’s AP Stats Curriculum

A new research brief from the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research reveals that Skew The Script’s real-world, relevant AP Statistics curriculum has a causal impact on AP stats scores, boosting pass rates by 10-11 percentage points. The findings underscore the power of relevant math instruction to make statistics more accessible and meaningful for all students.

Data Science Education|May 12, 2025

Making Math Relevant: How K-12 Classrooms are Connecting Real Life, Job Skills, and Computer Science to Engage Students

Discover how educators are transforming math instruction by connecting lessons to real-world problems and students’ lived experiences. This shift toward culturally relevant, problem-based learning is helping students see math as a meaningful, empowering tool — not just a set of equations.

Environmental Innovation|May 7, 2025

Methane Data and Transparency Improve, but Emissions Remain Too High

The International Energy Agency’s Global Methane Tracker 2025 highlights progress in satellite monitoring and data transparency, while warning that emissions from fossil fuels remain stubbornly high. The report notes that cost-effective solutions could reduce emissions significantly and even deliver more usable natural gas to markets.