It’s been 17 months since the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed our lives. It has been difficult, but we have found some outlets helped us reflect on, and even escape, our current reality. On this episode with guest host Jacinth Jones, you’ll hear from Urban staff about the books, miniseries and podcasts that have been getting them through since March 2020. Related Links: WandaVision, The Death of Vivek Oji, The Vanishing Half, The Kite Runner, The Atomic Habits, A Gentleman in Moscow, Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Maintenance Phase, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT Up New York, 1987 to 1993

Critical Value

The Books, Podcasts, and TV Shows That Are Getting Us through the Pandemic

A lot of the conversation around improving education outcomes centers the effectiveness of teachers, but how important are principals in shaping students’ direction and success? Host Justin Milner talks with Constance Lindsay of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Urban Institute, Michele Shannon of the Leadership Academy, and Kerensa Wing, principal at Collins Hill High School, about who principals are, how their role has changed, how they can be as effective as possible, and how they can advance equity in our school systems.   Related Links: How Principals Affect Students and Schools Culturally responsive leadership matters, research indicates

How Do Effective School Principals Drive Impact in Education?

The recently passed American Rescue Plan Act could reduce poverty among families with children by half. How will this work, and why is it a big deal? Host Justin Milner talks with tax policy expert Elaine Maag and Gaynell Brady and M.A. Sheehan from the Lower 9th Ward Homeownership Association in New Orleans about the expansion of the child tax credit and ways to ensure all families benefit from it.

Lifting Millions of Kids Out of Poverty

The country has now spent a year dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and the pandemic has brought an array of unprecedented challenges for public leaders. Host Justin Milner speaks with Philadelphia Councilmember Kendra Brooks, King County, Washington Executive Dow Constantine, and Pueblo, Colorado Mayor Nick Gradisar on how they worked to support their communities and how they envision the road to recovery.

Public Leadership in the Time of COVID

Nearly a year into the pandemic, the definition of ‘giving’ has been expanding and the idea of philanthropy at multiple levels is more salient than ever. As we think about developing a culture of giving, it is important to start at the beginning and look at how we learn about charitable giving as kids. Host Justin Milner speaks with Shena Ashley, the vice president of Urban's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Alison Body, a lecturer in philanthropic studies at the University of Kent, and Amy Neugebauer, executive director and founder of The Giving Square, to discuss how children develop their philanthropic identity.

Teaching Kids How to Give

Research organizations are increasingly thinking about how to make their research more inclusive. Community-based participatory research is an approach engages people who would normally be research subjects as full partners in a research project, from beginning to end. In this episode, we will hear about a truly inclusive project called Promoting Adolescent Health and Safety, or PASS, in southeast Washington DC. You will hear from four PASS participants, facilitators Stan Hamilton and Dannielle Hamilton and Urban Institute senior research associate Elsa Falkenburger about how PASS centers lived experiences and community expertise. Related Links:  Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health and Safety When Teens Are Aware and Empowered, Healthy Dating Norms Prevail Making Their Voices Heard: Improving Research through Community Collaboration

How to Make Research More Inclusive

How are American Indian tribes and Native communities faring during the COVID-19 pandemic? Host Justin Milner speaks with Lukaya Williams of the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority, Joe Cushman and Justine Capra of the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s planning and economic development department, and Nancy Pindus, senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Related links: White Mountain Apache Tribe White Mountain Apache Housing Authority Nisqually Indian Tribe, Department of Planning and Economic Development Emerging Stronger than Before: Guidelines for the Federal Role in American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes’ Recovery from the COVID‐19 Pandemic Federal COVID‐19 Response Funding for Tribal Governments: Lessons from the CARES Act Steps States Can Take to Help Break Down Housing Barriers for Native Communities Four Ways to Improve Water Access in Navajo Nation during COVID-19 

Native Communities and COVID-19

Technological advancements continue to redefine how the world operates. How can government take advantage of technological innovations to improve their services and help American citizens? Host Justin Milner speaks with Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America, and Urban Institute data scientist Alena Stern about how government can put real people at the center of policy design to better meet the needs of vulnerable Americans.

How Technology Can Improve Government

What happens when researchers come from the communities they study? Host Justin Milner speaks with two Latina researchers at different points in their career—one at the pinnacle, and one who is just starting her journey. Both have similar upbringings that influence their motivations and work to this day. Together, their stories show why representation in research matter. Related links: Latinx Communities in America How Social Scientists Can Incorporate a “Latinx Lens” in Their Work Marta Tienda Biography Clara Alvarez Caraveo Biography

Why Representation Matters in Research

What role can the federal government play to ensure that all families live in neighborhoods that support their well-being and their children’s ability to thrive? Host Justin Milner discusses ideas around zoning and the Housing Choice Voucher Program with Urban researchers Solomon Greene and Martha Galvez, NYU’s Ingrid Gould Ellen, and Sarah Oppenheimer of Opportunity Insights. Related links: Breaking Barriers, Boosting Supply: How the Federal Government Can Help Eliminate Exclusionary Zoning Taking Neighborhood Mobility to Scale through the Housing Choice Voucher Program Opportunity for All: Federal strategies to support strong and inclusive neighborhoods

How the Federal Government Can Support Opportunity For All

Over the past decade, the number of Latino entrepreneurs increased 34 percent—compared with just 1 percent for all business owners in the US, but the pandemic may affect that growth. How might COVID-19 affect Latino entrepreneurship, and what can we do to help ensure an equitable recovery? Host Justin Milner discusses trends with Marlene Orozco, lead research analyst with the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, business owner Josh Melendez from Crossfit Be Someone, and Urban Institute researcher Jorge González. Related Links: Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative The Pandemic Is Threatening Latino Entrepreneurship, but Local Leaders Can Help Crossfit Be Someone Measuring the Latinx "Tsunami" and Its Impact on the US Latinx Communities in America

What Does COVID-19 Mean for the Future of Latino Entrepreneurship?

The dramatic shift to online learning has many families struggling to balance work and virtual learning, especially parents who aren’t able to work from home. Host Justin Milner speaks with Urban Institute researchers, Megan Gallagher and Gina Adams, and Melissa Hicks, director of the Albina-Rockwood Promise Neighborhood about how remote learning has presented major challenges for students and parents and what can be done to support working parents with school-age children.   Related Links: Mapping Student Needs during COVID-19 For Students of Color, Remote Learning Environments Pose Multiple Challenges Meeting the School-Age Child Care Needs of Working Parents Facing COVID-19 Distance Learning Child Care and Feeding Young Children during the Pandemic Finding Solutions to Support Child Care during COVID-19 Stabilizing Supports for Children and Families during the Pandemic

Better Supporting Working Families with Kids in the Time of COVID

 Charitable giving and philanthropy is as important today as ever. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic and in a moment of national reckoning with racial injustice, Americans from all backgrounds are giving in important and different ways. Host Justin Milner speaks with Urban Institute researcher Benjamin Soskis, Emily Boardman Ndulue, researcher and community manager with the Media Cloud Project at Harvard University, and Erica Rosenthal, director of research at The Norman Lear Center at USC about how trends on charitable giving are shifting and how the media can influence the discourse.  

Why Charitable Giving and Philanthropy Matters Today

Technology has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, but technological innovations don’t always benefit everyone equally. And COVID-19 has revealed that this digital divide is even greater than we thought. Host Justin Milner speaks with Urban Institute researcher Alena Stern, chief information officer of Atlanta Gary Brantely, and Miguel Gamiño Jr., executive vice president for Global Cities at Mastercard, about why cities should care about tech equity and how they can achieve it. Related links:  The Equity Imperative   How Cities Are Leveraging Technology to Meet Residents’ Needs during a Pandemic  How Governments, Nonprofits, and the Private Sector Can Help Technology Work for Everyone  To Make “Smart Cities” More Inclusive, Leaders Need Better Tools and Data Expanding Online Use of SNAP Benefits Can Help People Stay Safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic Four Questions Cities Are Asking about Equitable Technology  Technology and Equity in Cities  Projects in Chicago and St. Louis Show How Technology Can Support Inclusion      

Why Closing the Digital Divide Matters

This week’s New York Times list of best-selling books shows a country reading all about race and racism. On this episode, Urban offers its own reading (and watching) list. You'll hear from Urban staff about the books, movies and documentaries they are reflecting on to contextualize anti-racism, structural racism, police brutality and privilege in this moment. Links to all the recommendations can be found at: https://www.urban.org/criticalvalue

What We’re Reading (and Watching) to Help Reflect on Race, Power and Privilege

Critical Value is a podcast from the Urban Institute that explores issues of significance for research, policy, and people. We talk with experts and highlight the best available data and evidence to elevate the debate on topics that matter.

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Critical Value

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