Boosting Pay for Essential Workers, Improving Community College Outcomes, and More

The state of U.S.-Russia relations, programs to support community college students, and how local policymakers can provide hazard pay.

View in browser April 8, 2021 It's time for state and local governments to boost pay for frontline essential workers   "The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended for the country's 50 million frontline essential workers, even if the public displays of gratitude and most voluntary hazard pay programs have." Molly Kinder argues that with federal aid on the way, America's state and local policymakers have an enormous opportunity to finally provide the hazard pay that essential workers deserve.   Read more Why expanded student supports can improve community college outcomes and skill attainment   Community colleges serve as important avenues for upward mobility, especially for lower-income and minority Americans. However, many students need stronger support services to successfully navigate community college and attain a degree. Rachel Fulcher Dawson, Melissa Kearney, and James Sullivan explore the evidence on these types of programs and how to expand them.   Read more US-Russian relations will only get worse   It is hard to imagine that U.S.-Russian relations could get much worse, but even with recent cooperation on arms control, they are unlikely to improve anytime soon. In his recent op-ed, James Goldgeier explains how the two countries got to this point and the clash of interests currently at work.   Read in Foreign Affairs Help support Brookings with a donation   Brookings is committed to making its high-quality, independent policy research free to the public. Please consider making a contribution today to our Annual Fund to support our experts' work. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. is currently closed and all events are virtual only. For more information on the Institution's response, read our full guidance here. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often