New America

For more than a century, “bachelor’s degree” has meant more or less the same thing in the United States: 120 credits earned in a university classroom through four years of a mix of general education and major-specific coursework. That formula has been remarkably durable. It’s also, increasingly, being questioned.

On August 5, more than 180,000 students walked back into Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia’s largest district. Many of these students were kindergartners, most entering a school building as students for the first time. For most school districts, that first morning is the finish line for children’s transition. Registration closed, orientation held, supply lists checked. The kindergarten transition, as a project, is complete.

In 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations to establish clearer technical standards for digital accessibility. The rule adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as the baseline accessibility standard and created phased compliance deadlines—April 24, 2026, for public entities serving populations over 50,000 and April 26, 2027 for all others.

This summer offered snapshots of a world in turmoil. OpenAI models escaped their test environment and hacked into a rival company’s server. President Donald Trump launched a trade war with Canada while continuing to threaten to seize Greenland. Wars in the Middle East, Sudan, and Ukraine raged with no end in sight. July was the hottest month on record. This is a moment of escalating global upheaval and uncertainty.

Care touches everyone. Whether it’s raising children, supporting a family member through an illness, or providing comfort to a loved one at the end of life, care is a universal experience that shapes how we work, live, and connect. And yet the care infrastructure in the United States is deeply broken. At New America’s Better Life Lab, we believe in the power of stories to move policy, shape practices, and chart solutions—so we can create systems where all of us have time for care and connection.

Key Takeaways Safety is three-dimensional, and not just based on the absence of crime. Families evaluate safety through three interdependent domains: safe people, safe places, and safe services. When one area of safety fails, the others can partially compensate, but families feel most secure when care is visibly present across all three (people, places, and services). Access to resources determines who can act on safety concerns.

Combining nursing and allied health degree programs with Registered Apprenticeship is a promising strategy to strengthen preparation for these demanding jobs. Apprentices earn the credential they need for licensure or certification while building skills and confidence through hundreds of hours of paid, mentored work-based learning.

Courtney Arnold is the State Partnership Lead for the Eviction Data Response Network at New America. Prior to joining New America, Arnold was a Case Management Specialist at DC’s Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA). She provided legal information to tenants about various landlord-tenant issues, including: eviction defense, rent increases, housing conditions, security deposit returns, housing subsidies, and leases.

From 2021 to 2024, Jordan served as the primary corridor through which Iranian forces in Syria exported large quantities of weapons and narcotics to the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other markets. During this period, Iran cultivated a network of allies and proxies in Jordan despite the country’s overwhelmingly Sunni population and close military ties to the United States.

The 2026 midterm elections will determine the leadership of nearly every level of government, yet for the 1 in 4 Americans with a disability, the right to a private and independent ballot remains under threat. Following a wave of restrictive state voting laws in 2025 and additional bills under consideration to further restrict voting, the complex landscape of procedural barriers could stifle several of the nation’s largest voting blocs.