The Pay Teachers Act aims to address staffing shortages while recruiting and retaining teachers — many of whom are historically underpaid. Long hours. Low morale. Little pay. These are just some of the reasons researchers say that many states face a teacher shortage that the Great Recession ushered in over 15 years ago and the pandemic only made worse. To retain and recruit teachers, politicians in red and blue states have raised teacher salaries throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and national lawmakers are addressing the problem, too. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one. What is the...…The Pay Teachers Act aims to address staffing shortages while recruiting and retaining teachers — many of whom are historically underpaid. Long hours. Low morale. Little pay. These are just some of the reasons researchers say that many states face a teacher shortage that the Great Recession ushered in over 15 years ago and the pandemic only made worse. To retain and recruit teachers, politicians in red and blue states have raised teacher salaries throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and national lawmakers are addressing the problem, too. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one. What is the...WW…

What do you want to know about caregiving, aging and disability? We want to hear from you, our readers, about what we should be reporting and how we can serve you. Transgender older adults aren’t the most visible members of the LGBTQ+ community, but they’re here — continuing to carve out unique spaces for themselves and redefining cultural norms around aging. They’re taking up new hobbies, taking up space and drawing inspiration from younger trans people. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.This story is part of our Pride Month coverage. From lived experiences to in-depth Q&As...…What do you want to know about caregiving, aging and disability? We want to hear from you, our readers, about what we should be reporting and how we can serve you. Transgender older adults aren’t the most visible members of the LGBTQ+ community, but they’re here — continuing to carve out unique spaces for themselves and redefining cultural norms around aging. They’re taking up new hobbies, taking up space and drawing inspiration from younger trans people. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.This story is part of our Pride Month coverage. From lived experiences to in-depth Q&As...WW…

A new biography captures “Big Mama” Thornton's unapologetic life and the ways it transcended genres and gender norms beyond her bluesy hit song and the “Elvis moment.” June is a month of joy, resistance and celebration. In addition to Pride, a celebration of queer identities that stemmed from the Stonewall uprising, June is also Black Music Month.Black musical traditions, originating in Africa and remixed in the many places Africans were distributed, have left their mark on music worldwide. From gospel to country, from jazz to the blues, from hip-hop to rock and roll, traces of Black...…A new biography captures “Big Mama” Thornton's unapologetic life and the ways it transcended genres and gender norms beyond her bluesy hit song and the “Elvis moment.” June is a month of joy, resistance and celebration. In addition to Pride, a celebration of queer identities that stemmed from the Stonewall uprising, June is also Black Music Month.Black musical traditions, originating in Africa and remixed in the many places Africans were distributed, have left their mark on music worldwide. From gospel to country, from jazz to the blues, from hip-hop to rock and roll, traces of Black...WW…

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which is now in effect, requires employers provide accommodations to pregnant workers for everything from pregnancy through the postpartum period, including time off to recover. As of June 27, after more than a decade of advocacy, workplace accommodations for pregnant people are finally law as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act takes effect. The law, which passed in December, requires that employers provide accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions, everything from pregnancy to childbirth to postpartum recovery. The 19th thanks our sponsors....…The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which is now in effect, requires employers provide accommodations to pregnant workers for everything from pregnancy through the postpartum period, including time off to recover. As of June 27, after more than a decade of advocacy, workplace accommodations for pregnant people are finally law as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act takes effect. The law, which passed in December, requires that employers provide accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions, everything from pregnancy to childbirth to postpartum recovery. The 19th thanks our sponsors....WW…

In Florida and Kentucky, teachers are struggling under the weight of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ+ education laws in the country. And some of them are leaving — either their profession or their state. Nick Clarkson, a transgender man who has been teaching for 13 years, resigned last month from the New College of Florida after the college voted to eliminate the gender studies program where he taught. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one. School Board Policies enacted this year by the state’s board of education, or signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would keep Clarkson from telling...…In Florida and Kentucky, teachers are struggling under the weight of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ+ education laws in the country. And some of them are leaving — either their profession or their state. Nick Clarkson, a transgender man who has been teaching for 13 years, resigned last month from the New College of Florida after the college voted to eliminate the gender studies program where he taught. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one. School Board Policies enacted this year by the state’s board of education, or signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would keep Clarkson from telling...WW…

Republican women are twice as likely as Republican men to say there are too few women in high-profile political offices, and they are less certain about the prospect of achieving equal representation than men of both parties, a new survey from the Pew Research Center found. Republican women are still less likely to think there are too few women in these leadership roles than Americans overall. Forty percent of Republican women believe there are too few women in these leadership roles, compared with 82 percent of Democratic women, 53 percent of American adults overall and just 19 percent...…Republican women are twice as likely as Republican men to say there are too few women in high-profile political offices, and they are less certain about the prospect of achieving equal representation than men of both parties, a new survey from the Pew Research Center found. Republican women are still less likely to think there are too few women in these leadership roles than Americans overall. Forty percent of Republican women believe there are too few women in these leadership roles, compared with 82 percent of Democratic women, 53 percent of American adults overall and just 19 percent...WW…

Some polls this year have focused on a lack of excitement for both incumbent President Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris and for former President Donald Trump — or any of his Republican challengers. So when The 19th’s second annual poll with SurveyMonkey came out, I was drawn to results that showed an increasing number of Americans — though still not a majority — said democracy and the economy are working well for them. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one. School Board It’s a boost driven by Democrats on both issues. On democracy, 45 percent of U.S. adults say our system is...…Some polls this year have focused on a lack of excitement for both incumbent President Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris and for former President Donald Trump — or any of his Republican challengers. So when The 19th’s second annual poll with SurveyMonkey came out, I was drawn to results that showed an increasing number of Americans — though still not a majority — said democracy and the economy are working well for them. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one. School Board It’s a boost driven by Democrats on both issues. On democracy, 45 percent of U.S. adults say our system is...WW…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to appoint an interim senator to fill the vacancy created by the death Thursday of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein— but he has said he would not consider any of the high-profile Democrats who for months have been vying to replace her. Newsom in a statement early Friday praised Feinstein as a “powerful, effective leader” but did not comment on the potential timeline of her replacement. The California governor will face pressure to quickly fill Democrats’ bench amid a spending fight and looming government shutdown. The 19th thanks our sponsors....…California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to appoint an interim senator to fill the vacancy created by the death Thursday of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein— but he has said he would not consider any of the high-profile Democrats who for months have been vying to replace her. Newsom in a statement early Friday praised Feinstein as a “powerful, effective leader” but did not comment on the potential timeline of her replacement. The California governor will face pressure to quickly fill Democrats’ bench amid a spending fight and looming government shutdown. The 19th thanks our sponsors....WW…

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate, died Thursday at age 90 after more than 30 years in Congress and a groundbreaking career in politics. Punchbowl News was first to report her death. “Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington, D.C.,” her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement Friday. “Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving.” Feinstein, a Democrat, achieved several firsts and broke barriers...…Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate, died Thursday at age 90 after more than 30 years in Congress and a groundbreaking career in politics. Punchbowl News was first to report her death. “Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington, D.C.,” her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement Friday. “Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving.” Feinstein, a Democrat, achieved several firsts and broke barriers...WW…

Education does not solve the pay gap between men and women, data from the U.S. Census Bureau found, and the higher-paying the field, the greater the difference. That disparity is unsurprising to experts and advocates, who point to societal norms, policy shortcomings and inflexible working schedules as big parts of the problem.  The gender wage gap is the difference in median annual earnings of women compared to men, and, according to a report published by the Pew Research Center earlier this year, it has not changed much in the past 20 years. Pew found that in 2022, women earned 82...…Education does not solve the pay gap between men and women, data from the U.S. Census Bureau found, and the higher-paying the field, the greater the difference. That disparity is unsurprising to experts and advocates, who point to societal norms, policy shortcomings and inflexible working schedules as big parts of the problem.  The gender wage gap is the difference in median annual earnings of women compared to men, and, according to a report published by the Pew Research Center earlier this year, it has not changed much in the past 20 years. Pew found that in 2022, women earned 82...WW…