Skip to main content

Education, Research & Public Sector

CIS Names 10-Member Alumni Advisory Council, Sets Memphis Summit

Image
CIS Names 10-Member Alumni Advisory Council, Sets Memphis Summit

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.

Kiddie Academy Opens 160-Child Franchise in Woodbury, Minnesota

Image
Kiddie Academy Opens 160-Child Franchise in Woodbury, Minnesota

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 Housing Commission Featured in PBS Series on Affordable Housing Strategy

Image
Grand Rapids Housing Commission Featured in PBS Series on Affordable Housing Strategy

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.

Pearson: AI and Retiring Experts Create 'Triple Capability Gap' in Skilled Trades

Image
Pearson: AI and Retiring Experts Create 'Triple Capability Gap' in Skilled Trades

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.

Kapor Center Launches PRIME Alliance With El Paso, Little Rock, Oakland

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.

Sudan Aid Coalition Tops $16M, Pledges $5M More After Clinton Award

Image
Sudan Aid Coalition Tops $16M, Pledges $5M More After Clinton Award

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.

Asian Hall of Fame's Power of Portland Funds 100 Scholarships

Image
Asian Hall of Fame's Power of Portland Funds 100 Scholarships

Portland, Ore. – – September 23, 2026 -- Asian Hall of Fame (AHOF) will host its annual Power of Portland gala at Waverley Country Club on September 25, raising funds for 100 National Scholarship Awards benefiting women in tech, entertainment and sports.

Scholarship fund draws applicants from 32 states and Puerto Rico

The awards support qualified women from all racial and ethnic backgrounds seeking to remain in school and advance career goals in technology, entertainment and sports sectors. KOIN 6 Anchor Elizabeth Dinh will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which runs from a 4:30 p.m. red carpet preshow through a dinner program ending at 7:30 p.m.

CollegeSource CEO Kerry Cooper Named Finalist in 2026 Tech Edvocate Awards

Image
CollegeSource CEO Kerry Cooper Named Finalist in 2026 Tech Edvocate Awards

San Diego – September 23, 2026 -- CollegeSource CEO Kerry Cooper has been named a Best Global EdTech Leader Finalist in the 2026 Tech Edvocate Awards, recognizing more than five decades of work on transfer credit and degree-planning technology for higher education institutions.

Cooper has led CollegeSource since 2005 after joining the firm in 1973

Cooper's tenure spans the transition from printed college catalogs to cloud-based platforms and current AI-enabled tools used by registrars and academic advisors. CollegeSource serves more than 2,100 institutions and millions of students through its transfer and degree-completion products.

Edsby Launches Digital Forms Tool to Replace K-12 Paper Approvals

Richmond Hill, ON – September 23, 2026 -- Edsby has launched Forms & Workflows, a digital approvals system designed to eliminate paper-based permission slips, medical disclosures and code of conduct sign-offs across K-12 school districts.

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board becomes first deployment partner

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, an Ontario district serving 34,000 students and an Edsby client since 2014, is among the first to roll out the new system, using it to digitize field trip permission processes. Owen McIntosh, the district's Information Technology Manager, said the board evaluated multiple vendors before selecting Edsby, citing the company's willingness to tailor the solution to the board's specific approval hierarchy.

Turlov Pushes Ukrainian Seat on FIDE Board Ahead of Vote

Image
Turlov Pushes Ukrainian Seat on FIDE Board Ahead of Vote

Samarkand, Uzbekistan – September 23, 2026 -- Timur Turlov, a candidate for FIDE President, has proposed that Ukraine nominate its own candidate for FIDE Vice President should his ticket win the September 26 election in Samarkand.

Turlov calls for a dedicated Ukrainian voice in FIDE leadership

Turlov, running alongside five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, made the proposal in a post on X, describing Ukraine as "one of the world's great chess nations" with generations of players and coaches. He argued that FIDE "cannot operate in isolation from what is happening in the world" and that Ukraine "should have its own voice in the room when decisions are discussed and made."