The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

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The billion dollar deadline: clock ticking on education funding Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

The federal government doled out a lot of money during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant amount of that money went to schools across the country in the form of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. Tens of billions of dollars from these funds have been spent, but there are still billions unspent with a deadline approaching by which to utilize the funds. Lindsay Dworkin is Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization. She looks at how this money has been spent and how much of an impact it has had. Hosted by KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon.

Are we prepared for the next big emergency? Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

We survived a global pandemic, but did we take away the lessons we needed about emergency preparedness? Trust for America’s Health recently released their annual report called “Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism”, which measures emergency preparedness by state. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are categorized as high performing, but the report says many other states are not ready to face things like extreme weather, wildfires, or a new disease. We talk with Rhea Farberman, director of strategic communications and policy research at Trust for America’s Health, about the report, what kinds of emergencies we need to think about, and what states need in order to be prepared.

How can we fix the teacher shortage? Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

We’ve seen a huge drop in people pursuing teaching careers in the last decade or so. It seems even more exacerbated in the past few years, with the pandemic and political debates making the role of a teacher even harder. That has led to some teachers being hired with lower levels of training. How can we address this shortage and get people who are passionate about education properly trained? Dr. Gary Henry is the dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. He tells us what the University of Delaware is doing to encourage more people to pursue teaching and how we can improve teacher training overall.

Presidential elections in the media should be more than a horse race Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

In a presidential election year, the political news coverage can be overwhelming. It seems like there’s a new poll every week, watching the stats like the score of a football game. But is the media actually getting the most important information out to voters? We're looking at a Biden vs. Trump rematch - what should we expect of the press in such a contentious and high stakes election? Dr. Geoffrey Baym is a professor in the Department of Media Studies and Production at Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication. He helps us take a look at how the media at large has been covering elections in recent years and what they could do better.

Who’s in control on social media? Two SCOTUS cases could decide. Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a pair of cases about state laws that regulate how social media companies control content on their platforms. The laws were enacted by Republican state governments to prevent conservative voices from being silenced on social media - but do the laws violate the First Amendment by saying private companies can’t choose how to moderate their content? Dr. Michael Moreland, professor at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law, explains the arguments the Supreme Court heard in these cases, what a ruling in either direction could mean, and what other questions this case brings up about the power of social media.

The global impacts of Sweden joining NATO Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

Sweden has been a historically neutral country, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Sweden and their neighbor, Finland, began the process of joining NATO. Finland became part of the alliance in April 2023, but Sweden just officially joined this month. What was the delay? And how could this change global politics going forward? Dr. Johannes Karreth, associate professor of politics and international relations at Ursinus College, joins us to discuss the implications of this move, for Sweden, Finland, Russia, and other countries.

The increased risk of Alzheimer’s in the Black community Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Recent medical discoveries have made Alzheimer’s disease and dementia easier to identify and manage, but these conditions still have a disproportionate impact on Black communities. Research shows that African Americans are more at risk for developing Alzheimer’s and are less likely to be screened for it. Dr. Doris Molina-Henry works with the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at the University of Southern California. She’s trying to bridge that gap with a new set of clinical trials called the AHEAD study. We talk with her about the study, why Black communities are more at risk for Alzheimer’s, and how diverse participation in clinical trials can help.

Childhood trauma: who’s at risk, and how much damage can it do? Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

In the face of trauma, just how resilient are kids? Conventional wisdom says they bounce back quickly, but that's not always the case. Dr. Marc Hauser is a evolutionary biologist and researcher. He wrote a book called Vulnerable Minds: The Harm of Childhood Trauma and the Hope of Resilience. He explains how trauma can affect early childhood development, and what's at stake if the ripple effects go untreated. Hosted by Matt Leon.

“IVF isn't the issue” - the wider impacts of Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos being held for IVF are children according to the state’s laws. While the state government has now introduced bills to protect IVF, the decision has opened a can of worms - what would it mean for an embryo to have the same rights as a child? Can you claim a frozen embryo on your taxes? How would that conflict with the rights of a person carrying an embryo? Dr. Susan Liebell, professor of political science at Saint Joseph's University, explains the case and the political climate that led to this decision, and what the implications could be nationwide.

The fascinating history and promising future of the Nile Swim Club Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

Legendary music artists The Supremes and Harry Belafonte passed through there. It was a place of prestige and pride for Philadelphia's Black population. Such was the early legacy of the Nile Swim Club, which, in the late 1950s, opened in response to racial segregation in the borough of Yeadon. But with the passing of time, the club’s allure began to change. Declines in enrollment became so sharp that Nile was ultimately forced to declare bankruptcy. In recent years, benefactors have emerged to save the club, and reset its role in the community it serves. West Chester University Professor of History Dr. Bob Kodosky, author of The Nile Swim Club of Yeadon: A History, shares stories about the club’s past, and looks ahead to its future. Hosted by Matt Leon.

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