Education, Research & Public Sector

Phoenix – September 26, 2026 -- A peer-reviewed study from University of Phoenix examining AI-supported storytelling in environmental science education has been named an Editor's Choice paper by the journal Glacies.

Study links AI-generated imagery to measurable gains in student engagement

The paper, "Harnessing AI, Virtual Landscapes, and Anthropomorphic Imaginaries to Enhance Environmental Science Education at Jökulsárlón Proglacial Lagoon, Iceland," was published in February 2026. It reports that 87.1% of surveyed students enjoyed the anthropomorphic narratives used in the course, while 82.0% agreed the approach reinforced systems thinking.

New York – September 25, 2026 -- The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has opened registration for a new public speaker program, "FIT Future//Forward Conversations," pairing sitting executives from Kering, Givaudan and Spin Master with President Jason Schupbach and industry journalists in a bid to position the SUNY-affiliated college as a hub for creative-industry dialogue.

The initiative splits into two tracks: a Presidential Speaker Series featuring CEOs and presidents in one-on-one conversation with Schupbach, and an Innovation Speaker Series pairing journalists with designers and creators. Both are free, open to the public, and will be livestreamed with recordings archived for remote audiences.

Tokyo – September 25, 2026 -- LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) has secured new contracts with five Japanese municipalities to manage the regional transition of school club activities, expanding its footprint in an estimated JPY500 billion domestic market as the country's teacher work-style reform enters what officials call the "Reform Implementation Period" in fiscal 2026.

North Chicago, Illinois – September 24, 2026 -- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) neuroscientist Nicole Ferrara, PhD, has secured a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how social disruptions, including COVID-19 lockdowns, alter brain development in adolescents.

NIH funds five-year study on amygdala development and social behavior

The project, titled "Social Experience Guides BMA Mediated Social Development," will examine how the basomedial amygdala (BMA) responds to restricted or inconsistent social contact during adolescence and young adulthood. Dr. Ferrara's preliminary data indicate the BMA functions differently during teen and young adult years compared with other brain regions, making it potentially more vulnerable to social disruption.

Arlington – September 24, 2026 -- Communities In Schools (CIS) has appointed 10 alumni to its National Alumni Advisory Council, a body tasked with shaping engagement strategy across the organization's national network.

Ten alumni from CIS affiliates nationwide join the new council

The cohort draws from CIS chapters including Atlanta, Tacoma, Georgia, Los Angeles, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Eastern Pennsylvania, Nevada, South Carolina, East Texas and Nation's Capital. Members are Ariana Ellis, Leanna Esquivel, J'Niyah Freeman, Bryan Harris, Amanye Jinwright, James Leap, Kaylee Main-Gomez, Miracle Mozzee, James Rivera and Kuniya Young. The group will advise on alumni programs, network connectivity and leadership pathways.

Minneapolis – September 24, 2026 -- Kiddie Academy of Woodbury, a new franchise location of Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care, opened in February 2026 and is licensed to serve 160 children ages 6 weeks to 12 years in Washington County, Minnesota.

Two families co-own the 11,000-square-foot facility

The Academy is owned by longtime friends Josh Orloff and Andrew Lemon along with their wives, Caitlin Orloff and Amye Lemon. Located at 805 Stephens Way in Woodbury, the facility includes 12 classrooms, an indoor gross motor room, a Zono disinfecting cabinet, and live-stream camera access for parents.

Owners' own children enroll as toddlers and infants at the site

Josh Orloff said he and Lemon founded the Academy after struggling to find high-quality child care for their children, born six weeks apart. Three of the owners' own children now attend the facility, two in the toddler room and one in the infant room.

Grand Rapids – September 24, 2026 -- The Grand Rapids Housing Commission (GRHC) hosted camera crews from the Public Television series "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia" on September 23, 2026, for a segment examining how the agency is combining rental assistance, affordable housing development, and resident services to address a tightening West Michigan housing market.

GRHC administers federal rental assistance to thousands of West Michigan households

The Commission delivers housing support through public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, Project-Based Vouchers, and other federally funded programs, reaching thousands of individuals and families in Kent County.

Shanghai – September 24, 2026 -- Pearson has warned that early-career workers in skilled trade, technical and service occupations are entering the workforce without the AI literacy, human skills and hands-on experience employers now require simultaneously. The findings come from a new report, "For Every Future: Preparing Early-Career Skilled Trade, Technical and Service Talent for an AI-Infused World," launched at the WorldSkills International Conference 2026 in Shanghai.

Oakland – September 23, 2026 -- The Kapor Center unveiled its PRIME Alliance at the Clinton Global Initiative, selecting El Paso, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Oakland, California as the inaugural cohort for a multiyear program designed to fast-track partnerships between local governments and startups tackling housing, child care, health care, education, workforce development, and financial stability gaps.

September 23, 2026 – New York -- Funders for Mutual Aid in Sudan, a coalition coordinated by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), has mobilized more than $16 million for community-based relief groups and pledged an additional $5 million in flexible funding by the end of 2027.

Clinton Global Initiative honors Sudanese responders with 2026 Citizen Award

Former President Bill Clinton presented the Clinton Global Citizen Award to Sudan's community-based mutual aid groups at the CGI 2026 Annual Meeting in New York, recognizing networks such as the Emergency Response Rooms that have delivered food, education and other services to more than 20 million people since the civil war began in April 2023.