Topic: Focus

All Content

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  Why Evangelicals are Trump's strongest travel-ban supporters

  New polls show that, while support for a travel ban has dropped among most religious faiths, it has grown among Evangelicals – a sign of their cultural evolution and growing bond with the Trump administration.
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  In Turkey, Erdoğan fans an Islamic nationalism to build Ottoman-style influence

  Fifteen years into his rule, Erdoğan has gradually turned his country away from the secular tradition of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He has also moved away from democratic norms, complicating ties with the West.
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  For many abroad, an anxious eye on the 'American ideal'

  Despite Trump's claims that the world has not respected the US, many foreigners still value American ideals. But they also see Trump's actions as undermining those values.
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  EqualEd How did Lawrence, Mass., turn its schools around? Cooperation.

  Lawrence is seen as a model, both for academic results and the inclusive and pragmatic way it got beyond ideology to get traditional public schools, charters, nonprofits, and families to work together.
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  Singapore's plea to its people: Won’t you please have more children?

  As Singapore goes all out to reverse its ultralow fertility rate, many nations facing tough economic and social problems as the ranks of young people dwindle watch closely for lessons.
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  Was Barack Obama a transformative president?

  Trump threatens to undo key parts of Obama's legacy, but there are elements he can never take away.
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  How Nepal got the electricity flowing

  Hours-long daily blackouts ended suddenly last October after an engineer approached the problem differently – and got the government's backing to solve it.
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  Terror and the Mexico border: How big a threat?

  Conservatives and the Obama administration have long disagreed about the threat of terrorists coming across the Mexico border. Data suggest the threat is not insignificant. Now, the Trump administration is poised to make it a priority. 
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  Why are Jews, gays, and other minorities in Europe increasingly voting far-right?

  Historically enemies, minorities and parties like France's National Front are increasingly in sync as the former seek insurance against radical Islam and the latter tries to gain mainstream credibility.
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  Seattle's struggle to prosper and keep its soul

  Seattle's pioneering initiatives target severe inequality left in the wake of tech-driven growth. They could become a model for other thriving cities.  
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  How do you remake a city to be 'age friendly'?

  As the world's elderly population grows, it is also becoming increasingly urban. But city living poses many challenges to older people. In Manchester, England, they're trying to fix that.
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  To fight poverty in Africa, a new-old solution: cash handouts

  Most agree that simple cash transfers can help in the shorter-term. But the longer-term effects are uncertain because of a complex mix of factors. 
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  'Trump effect' topples Italy's PM – and could shake Europe further in 2017

  Prime Minister Renzi resigned after Italians rejected his constitutional reforms. Experts attribute that in part to Donald Trump's election – which could upend elections in France, Germany, and the Netherlands next.
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  Why schools have become a battleground in Turkey

  Turkey's education system has long been shaped by secular tradition. But July's coup attempt has given President Erdoğan new license to remold an institution he sees as central to his goal of further Islamizing Turkish society and the state. 
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  Iraq after ISIS: At site of massacre, bridge-building replaces blood feud

  An ISIS slaughter in Tikrit in June 2014 terrorized Iraq's Army and drove a wedge between Sunnis and Shiites. But months of determined bridge-building have broken free of the powerful tribal impulse for revenge.
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  After election, some Americans seek news from the other side

  Many Americans, especially on the left, are trying to wean themselves off fake news and social-media feeds designed to show them what they want to see.
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  Inhabit For native Americans, pipeline sparks climate awakening

  Opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline has unified tribes from across America. Some here believe this protest is becoming something bigger – a turning point for both native Americans and the climate movement.
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  As demand for secularism grows in France, believers push back at work

  France has been stepping up its enforced secularism amid fears of Muslim immigration and terrorism, but that seems to be stirring more expression of religion in the workplace.
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  How tax cuts changed Wisconsin

  Wisconsin has become a testing ground for GOP economic policy enshrined since Reagan. The results have been average.
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  In Beijing, 'historical preservation' effort sends blunt message to migrants

  Workers have built walls in front of many of the small, migrant-owned shops that dot Beijing's traditional hutong alleyways. Beijing is working to rein in urban growth, but critics say policies largely target the migrants who helped build Beijing.
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  Can familiarity build trust? A white cop moves into black Atlanta neighborhood

  One street in Atlanta shows why American race relations are so fraught – and the steps toward how they might be made whole.
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  EqualEd Want kids to show up to school? Embed a mentor there

  The Christian Science Monitor is launching a new EqualEd section, focused on inequality inside and outside the classroom. Today, we kick off with Part 1 of our One Caring Person project on the power of mentoring to transform young people's lives.
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  EqualEd Connecticut schools: unequal – and now unconstitutional

  Connecticut is the most unequal state by income distribution, and that shows up in its public schools. Now, a new legal ruling is forcing the state to reconsider how to deal with those challenges.
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  What happens when cops become hallway monitors

  The number of police in schools has skyrocketed in recent decades. But as students head back to school, the big question is: How effective are they?
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  How to help grandparents raising grandkids in an opioid crisis

  Nationwide, the opioid epidemic has contributed to an increase in the number of parents who turn over caregiving responsibility to their relatives. Programs in Georgia and several other states now offer support to these families.