Topic: Progress Watch
All Content
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Progress Watch Youth homicide rate hits 30-year low, but it's not good news for everyone
The homicide rate for individuals aged 10 to 24 was 7.5 per 100,000 young people in 2010, according to a new study. Overall however, declines in the rate have slowed since 2000.
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Progress Watch Cocaine use: Will the factors behind its steady decline continue?
The US government released more good news this month about impeding entry of cocaine into the country. Still, opinions vary when it comes to interpreting the overall cocaine-use decline and the possible reasons for it.
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Progress Watch Why firefighter deaths have hit historic lows
Fewer than 65 on-duty firefighters died in 2012, almost one-third fewer than three decades ago, when record keeping began.
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Progress Watch Chicago violence abates after 2012 homicide spike
The city has boosted foot patrols in high-crime areas and is adding again to a downsized police force. It's too soon to say whether that explains a 33 percent drop in the homicide rate – or whether the improvement can be sustained.
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Progress Watch Latinos head to college at a record rate, now on par with white students
The push to keep Latino students on track for college seems to be paying off. The college enrollment rate for Hispanics is up 20 percent since 2000, narrowing the 'education gap.'
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Progress Watch In tiny Rwanda, staggering health gains set new standard in Africa
Rwanda has tapped its post-conflict period to transform core programs like healthcare. Major gains include precipitous drops in HIV deaths and child mortality.
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Progress Watch Why juvenile incarceration reached its lowest rate in 38 years
The juvenile incarceration in the US rate has fallen 41 percent in the past 15 years, reaching the lowest level since 1975, a new study finds. What is behind the rapid decline?
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Progress Watch Fewer boarded-up homes: Vacancy rate for US housing falls to pre-bust levels
In the final quarter of 2012, the vacancy rate was 1.9 percent of homeowner housing, and 8.7 percent of the rental housing market, according to a new census report.
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Progress Watch In US, big strides in reducing domestic violence
The rate of partner-to-partner violence dropped 64 percent between 1994 and 2010, a Justice Department report has found. The trend, almost unnoticed, stems from a broad shift in attitude toward domestic violence.
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Progress Watch High school graduation rate at highest since 1976
Some 78.2 percent finished in four years, graduating in spring 2010, a new report found Tuesday. Grim economic conditions and the need to be competitive in a crowded job market played a role.
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Progress Watch Good news from Central America: Homicides fall in Guatemala, El Salvador
Attributed, in part, to an evolution away from hardline 'iron fist' policy approaches to crime and violence, El Salvador and Guatemala saw homicides fall in 2012 from record highs.
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Progress Watch US road safety: Deaths lowest in more than 60 years. How we got there.
In 2011 the number of fatalities per vehicle miles traveled was the lowest ever, the Department of Transportation said. Technology and education are credited with the improved US road safety.
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Progress Watch Gender pay gap is eroding, especially among younger women, US data show
Women are slowly making inroads in the gender pay gap. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data for full-time workers show women earn 82 percent as much as men, up from 64 percent in 1980.
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Progress Watch Young adults are earning college degrees at a record rate. Why?
More adults might be completing college degrees because it’s been so hard for young people to find jobs during difficult economic times. But the rise is also part of a historical trend.
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Progress Watch Poland takes top honors for 'most improved' in cutting red tape
It's getting easier to do business in many countries, according to a World Bank report, with Eastern Europe and Central Asia making significant strides this year.
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Progress Watch Neither heat nor gloom ... Afghan post office delivers
As the Afghan government struggles to develop, the post office has quietly managed to become one of the nation's most efficient institutions - and with extremely limited international assistance.
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Progress Watch Can we protect 10 percent of the oceans? Momentum is growing.
An international goal is to set aside 10 percent of coastal and marine waters as protected areas by 2020. Although much work remains to reach the goal, areas are being added at an accelerated pace.
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Progress Watch Confounding expectations, global hunger is down (+video)
Despite sustained drought and population growth, global hunger has decreased over the past two decades. Food aid is smarter and 'host' governments are focusing more on local farmers.
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Progress Watch Why Miami-Dade schools won prestigious Broad Prize for urban districts
Miami-Dade County Public Schools has been steadily chipping away at the achievement gap. After being a finalist four other times, the district won the Broad Prize for Urban Education on Tuesday.
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Progress Watch Why teen drinking and driving has been cut in half in past 20 years
Nine out of 10 high-schoolers chose not to drink and drive in 2011, according to the CDC. Safety advocacy groups and government agencies have worked with youths and parents on the issue.
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Progress Watch India and Pakistan sign landmark visa deal
For the first time ever, the two nuclear rivals have introduced tourist visas, sparking excited Facebook posts from Pakistanis eyeing a trip to the Taj Mahal and Indians looking to visit Harappa.
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Progress Watch Afghan girls embrace school
Under Taliban rule, fewer than 50,000 girls attended school in Afghanistan. Today, 3.2 million attend.
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Progress Watch Back to school: From rural Africa to the Ivy League
The United States Achievers Program provides funding and moral support for promising but disadvantaged students from 13 countries on four continents to pursue their educational goals.
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Progress Watch Got broadband? Access now extends to 94 percent of Americans.
Every year, Internet access via broadband becomes available to millions more Americans, up from 92 percent last year to 94 percent, a recent report shows. Rural and tribal areas are the outliers.
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Progress Watch In Somalia, optimism rises
One year after the ouster of the Islamist militia, the capital city prospers. But Al Shabab remains a threat.
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