All posts tagged: waning

Covid outcomes squeeze ‘waning’ but disadvantage gap remains

Covid outcomes squeeze ‘waning’ but disadvantage gap remains

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles The Covid squeeze on pupil outcomes “has started to wane”, but the disadvantage gap continues to be “substantial” as schools deal with the long-term impact of the pandemic. The findings came in a National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report for the Education Endowment Foundation, examining the effects of the virus outbreak. Pepe DiIasio Reacting to the study, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio called for a “renewed focus on low-attaining pupils and closing the disadvantage gap”. “It’s vital that schools have the resources they need to support disadvantaged pupils, who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.” The researchers followed a group of children now in years 4 and 5, who were “at the very start of primary school” during lockdown in 2020, across 59 schools. Here’s what you need to know… 1. Covid impact ‘waning’ In reading and maths, both cohorts witnessed their Covid gaps – the differences between pre- and post-pandemic scores – “significantly” reduce since 2021. The report said the “negative …

Loss of trishaw tours in Singapore linked to road development plans, waning demand

Loss of trishaw tours in Singapore linked to road development plans, waning demand

Published by Sam

Other businesses on Albert Street, including a row of kiosks and fortune-telling stands, were still open. Shopkeepers said the absence of the trishaw riders did not have a noticeable effect on their business. Ms Jessica Chong, who sells clothes at a kiosk, said it was better not to have trishaws parked there as visitors would have more space to walk.  STB’s Ms Chang said that prior to Trishaw Uncle’s contract expiry, it actively engaged the operator and extended its lease to allow time to explore alternative arrangements. “Industry partners have cited waning demand for trishaw rides due to alternative products which are similar, such as sightseeing bus tours, walking tours, cycling tours and river cruises,” she added. Trishaw Uncle previously told CNA that it had shortlisted potential sites in Chinatown, Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay for discussion with STB, but was informed it could not use these spaces. STB said these sites were assessed to be unsuitable due to “competing uses”. Safety concerns, the need for a “conducive” operational environment and the requirement …

France’s influence on the European political scene is waning

France’s influence on the European political scene is waning

Published by skeptic

Emmanuel Macron, during his speech on Europe in the amphitheatre of the Sorbonne University, April 25, 2024, Paris. CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / AP When Emmanuel Macron presented his vision of Europe at the Sorbonne university in Paris on Thursday, April 25, his main aim was to shape the agenda that the 27 European Union member states will set for themselves after the European elections on June 9. After all, in 2017, the same exercise had been rather successful for him, and the president hoped to repeat his performance. However, France is not the same today as it was seven years ago, and its influence on the European stage is likely to wane. The concept of European sovereignty, which Macron had made the centerpiece of his first speech in the Parisian university’s great auditorium in 2017, and which “might have seemed very French” at the time, has “imposed itself as European,” said the president on Thursday. “Rarely has Europe advanced as much” as it has over the last five years, he added. Without a doubt, Paris …

Most Americans say religion’s influence is waning, and half think that’s bad

Most Americans say religion’s influence is waning, and half think that’s bad

Published by Sam

(RNS) — As the U.S. continues to debate the fusion of faith and politics, a sweeping new survey reports that most American adults have a positive view of religion’s role in public life but believe its influence is waning. The development appears to unsettle at least half of the country, with growing concern among an array of religious Americans that their beliefs are in conflict with mainstream American culture. That’s according to a new survey unveiled on Friday (March 14) by Pew Research, which was conducted in February and seeks to tease out attitudes regarding the influence of religion on American society. “We see signs of sort of a growing disconnect between people’s own religious beliefs and their perceptions about the broader culture,” Greg Smith, associate director of research at Pew Research Center, told Religion News Service in an interview. He pointed to findings such as 80% of U.S. adults saying religion’s role in American life is shrinking — as high as it’s ever been in Pew surveys — and 49% of U.S. adults say …

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on ‘woke’ may be waning in Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on ‘woke’ may be waning in Florida

Published by skeptic

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against ideas he considers “woke” has run into some roadblocks. A court settlement this week blunted his Parental Rights in Education Act, a law that critics call Don’t Say Gay. And earlier this month, a federal court blocked another key measure that DeSantis introduced in 2021 and called the Stop WOKE Act. It marked the beginning of DeSantis’ efforts to reshape how Floridians view and teach issues involving race and gender identity. The Stop WOKE Act banned instruction in schools or mandatory training in workplaces that suggest a person is privileged or oppressed because of their race, sex or national origin. Other bills and regulations soon followed, targeting programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. For decades, DEI programs as they’re known have worked to promote fair treatment of underrepresented groups. DeSantis believes DEI programs that focus on issues such as race and sexual orientation …

‘Retribution’ Shows Liam Neeson’s Action Era Is Waning

‘Retribution’ Shows Liam Neeson’s Action Era Is Waning

Published by skeptic

About 15 years ago, Liam Neeson picked up a cellphone and growled a haunting, threatening monologue that changed the course of his career. Playing the hardened ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills in the movie Taken, Neeson warned the men who’d kidnapped his teenage daughter about his “very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.” It was the beginning of a surprising renaissance for the esteemed actor. In his mid-50s, he became an action star, headlining a long run of cheaply made, typically European-set thrillers in which he played gun-toting men in leather jackets with, well, murderous skills. There are too many of these movies to name, and they tend to be better known by a one-sentence plot description. Neeson on a plane? That’s the marvelous Non-Stop. On a train? The decently schlocky The Commuter. Neeson at a ski resort? Cold Pursuit. Neeson as an ice-road trucker? They just called that one The Ice Road. Further evidence that the studios are …

Even Boris Johnson seems to have given up the Partygate fight – he knows his power is waning | Katy Balls

Published by Sam

In the buildup to the privileges committee’s inquiry into whether Boris Johnson intentionally misled parliament over Covid breaches, the former prime minister and his supporters refused to go down without a fight. Team Johnson repeatedly questioned the integrity of the committee, likening it to a kangaroo court. When Johnson received a draft copy of the report stating that he had indeed misled parliament, the former prime minister was so angry that he quit, slamming its findings ahead of publication and labelling it a “witch-hunt”. His key ally Nadine Dorries warned that “any Conservative MP who would vote for this report is fundamentally not a Conservative and will be held to account by members and the public”, adding: “deselections may follow. It’s serious.” And yet, very few Tory MPs appear to have taken Dorries that seriously. When the report – along with its recommendation of banning Johnson from having the Commons pass former MPs are entitled to – came to a vote on Monday night, 118 Tory MPs voted in favour. Only six MPs went against …

Tech investors’ obsession over profit is already waning

Tech investors’ obsession over profit is already waning

Published by skeptic

When it became clear that the public market had forever descended from the peaks of 2021, venture investors decided to break camp and head downhill as well, advising their portfolio companies to focus on lowering their burn because capital had suddenly become expensive. Why the focus on cost-cutting? Because conserving cash is an easy way for startups to postpone fundraising, giving them more time to both increase their revenue and potentially wait for tech valuations to recover. But new data indicates investor preference is moving akin to a pendulum: They wanted startups to scramble and change their focus from a “growth at any cost” mindset to becoming profitable at low cost when things went to hell, and now they’re already looking for growth again. The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. Read it every morning on TechCrunch+ or get The Exchange newsletter every Saturday. For startup founders, the rapid change in investor preferences may feel like a whipsaw. But such an evolution in market preferences is actually rather logical and, frankly, somewhat boring in how …