海角大神

Russian and Ukrainian officials are meeting for a second day of U.S.-mediated peace talks in Geneva today. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said yesterday鈥檚 talks 鈥渂rought about meaningful progress,鈥� although disputes over territory and security guarantees remain. A top Ukrainian negotiator said the discussion focused on 鈥減ractical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions.鈥� Dominique Soguel reports today on what Ukrainians may be willing to give up in exchange for peace.

Japan is set to invest around $36 billion in the United States under a broader $550 billion trade and investment pact, focusing on energy, critical minerals, and manufacturing. The largest project is a natural-gas plant in Ohio, alongside a crude oil export facility in Texas and a synthetic diamond manufacturing plant in Georgia. Returns will be shared equally until Japan recoups its investment, the Wall Street Journal reports, after which the U.S. will take 90%. As part of the wider agreement, Washington lowered tariffs on Japanese goods to 15%.

Peru鈥檚 Congress voted to remove interim President Jos茅 Jer铆 after just four months in office, and less than two months before scheduled presidential elections. His ouster continues a pattern of political upheaval: seven other presidents have left office before finishing their terms since 2016. It follows the release last month of videos showing undisclosed meetings with two influential Chinese businessmen. Despite the instability, Peru鈥檚 economy remains among the region鈥檚 steadiest.

A judge ordered the National Park Service to restore a slavery exhibit at the site of George Washington鈥檚 residence in Philadelphia. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, who was appointed by George W. Bush, said the exhibit 鈥� detailing the lives of nine people enslaved by the first president 鈥� must return to Independence Mall. Its removal last month followed an executive order from President Trump directing national parks and cultural sites to avoid displaying elements that 鈥渋nappropriately disparage Americans past or living.鈥�

Around 100 U.S. troops arrived in Nigeria to support the West African country鈥檚 fight against Islamist extremist groups. The soldiers were sent at the request of the Nigerian government and are tasked with providing training and technical support. They will not see combat. Tensions have eased since President Trump repeatedly accused Nigeria of not doing enough to protect 海角大神s from jihadist violence and launched Christmas Day airstrikes on camps linked to the Islamic State.

A 125-million-year-old dinosaur is offering scientists new clues about prehistoric life. The juvenile iguanodontian was discovered in China with its skin unusually well-preserved for the fossil鈥檚 age. Using advanced imaging tools, the researchers determined that the plant-eater was covered in hollow spikes, a feature never before seen in dinosaurs. The discovery, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting dinosaurs were far more diverse than was once thought.

鈥� From Monitor writers around the globe

Ukraine and Russia may be at the negotiating table, but for the Ukrainian public, the idea of giving up territory for peace is still anathema. What would make Ukrainians consider such concessions? Guarantees of security against future Russian aggression.

Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday, took up the mantle of Martin Luther King Jr. as a voice for equality, a presidential candidate, and a champion of Black voting. Our commentator traces Mr. Jackson鈥檚 journey to its roots in their shared home state, South Carolina.

The yellow cement blocks demarcating Israeli-held territory in Gaza were supposed to mark a temporary armistice line. But with the ceasefire process stalled, the blocks keep moving deeper into Gaza, making Palestinians feel more closed in, and trapped.

From the ski slopes to the figure skating rink, women Olympians are making their mark in these Winter Games by competing 鈥� and succeeding 鈥� at ages well past what is considered the prime for elite athletes.

Support for tribal members has surged among residents of the Twin Cities, as Native Americans 鈥� legal citizens if born in the U.S. 鈥� allege incidents of targeting during ICE deportation raids.

In a well-known folktale, young Goldilocks tests out three bears鈥� porridge (too hot, too cold, just right), as well as their chairs and beds. The story delights most children of preschool age. But when these children enter school, according to education experts in the United States, a 鈥淕oldilocks approach鈥� to developing foundational skills does not serve them well.

Teaching and grading that aligns content and standards to a 鈥渏ust right鈥� fit, rather than challenging students to grow, is a disservice, in the view of University of Illinois Chicago literacy professor Timothy Shanahan. 鈥淭his popular approach to teaching has been holding kids back rather than helping them succeed,鈥� he wrote in The Conversation last fall. 鈥淪tudents learn more when taught with more difficult texts.鈥�

This observation captures a renewed focus in U.S. public education on elevating standards, curricula, and performance. Too many American students are woefully underprepared for college. And last year鈥檚 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed a continuing decline in test scores in reading and mathematics.

But that same report also highlighted bright spots 鈥� a handful of Southern states that are blazing a trail to higher student achievement, even with limited financial resources. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee 鈥� previously seen as perennial low achievers 鈥� have all made remarkable strides in recent years.

Their gains are challenging conventional wisdom about the links between learning gaps, funding, poverty, and racism. About a decade ago, Mississippi was 49th in fourth-grade national reading results. Now, when adjusting for socioeconomics and demographics, NAEP ranks it No. 1 in fourth-grade reading 鈥� as well as in fourth- and eighth-grade math.

Strategies contributing to the 鈥淪outhern surge鈥� include the tackling of student absenteeism, prekindergarten and holiday learning programs, and teacher upskilling.

Mississippi changed how it teaches reading and also embraced 鈥渃ontentious school accountability policies other states have backed away from,鈥� according to a January New York Times report. One of those is the 鈥渢hird-grade gate鈥� 鈥� a test that all students must pass to move to the fourth grade. There were concerns this test would disproportionately impact low-income children. But according to Times commentator Nicholas Kristof, 鈥淭he third-grade gate lit a fire under Mississippi. It injected accountability: Principals, teachers, parents and children themselves were galvanized.鈥� In fact, the state鈥檚 Black students (about 47% of the student population) now rank No. 3, and Hispanic students (5%) are No. 1, in fourth-grade national testing.

Alongside academic rigor and support systems, elevated expectations and trust in young learners鈥� innate intelligence, curiosity, and goodness are also key. A blog on the educator-focused website New Leaders notes, 鈥淪tudents know and understand when [educators] ... have high expectations for them, and they perform better academically as a result.鈥�

鈥淗aving high expectations means we believe all students can learn at exceedingly high levels,鈥� it says. This, in turn, 鈥渋nstills the confidence and agency ... to strive.鈥�