Keeping up with the Joneses is expensive

Feb 27, 2020
We're working more than we really need to.
The arms race over consumption is what drives people in wealthy countries to work more than they really need to.
Preston C. Mack/Getty Images

Adventures in Housing: Holding out on a home to invest in something else

Nov 26, 2019
Zarrish Khan was about to buy a house when tragic news prompted a U-turn.
Zarrish Khan with her children, Hasan, left, and Mishal.
Photo courtesy of Zarrish Khan

States increase spending at fastest clip since the recession

Nov 21, 2019
States spent money on education, infrastructure and transportation.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Colleges worry visa system could deter international students

Nov 14, 2019
College leaders do not want to lose out on some one million overseas students.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

There's a big divide in who gets to learn about how government works

Nov 13, 2019
Nearly a third of white students were at least “proficient” in civics. Only 9% of black students met that standard.
Seventeen-year-old Mya Kelly in her high school American government class at Paul Lawurence Dunbar High School.
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace

What federal funding for civics reveals about American political discourse

Nov 6, 2019
As Americans grapple with questions of impeachment, many schools have shifted attention away from civics education.
Teacher Oumar Diallo at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., says he tries to use current events to keep his students interested in civics.
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace

The enduring legacy of “Schoolhouse Rock!”

Nov 6, 2019
After 45 years, the songs are still a hit in classrooms.
From Disney's "Schoolhouse Rock!", uploaded to YouTube by NBC

For public good, not for profit.

Cincinnati's Oyler School tries to rebuild its neighborhood

Oct 14, 2019
A new plan aims to create housing and jobs.
Cincinnati's Oyler School is on a mission to uplift not just its students, but its neighborhood.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

The contestants behind a college debt game show

Oct 11, 2019
How do these people feel about competing on “Paid Off With Michael Torpey”? It’s an “absurd,” “dystopian” idea that will hopefully start a national conversation.
Photo courtesy Sean Collins-Smith