Schools in NJ experienced a 2% decrease in enrollment from Fall 2010 to Fall 2021, and an additional 7% drop is projected to occur between Fall 2021 and Fall 2031. And yet in roughly the same amount of time, state’s population has increased overall by 5.5%. Understanding these trends will require further research to take into account a greater multitude of demographic variables.
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NJSPL
NJSPL – Nearly Half of NJ Residents Struggled to Pay Household Expenses
According to a follow-up survey conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, more New Jerseyans are finding it difficult to pay for typical household expenses. In July 2022, 42% of residents indicated they found it somewhat or very difficult to pay for household expenses such as food, mortgages, or medical expenses, and in the May 2023 poll, that number rose to 48%.
NJSPL – New Jersey’s Nursing Shortage: Burnout, Staffing, and More
About one-third of nurses have left clinical care at hospitals across NJ in the past three years. The registered nurse workforce will decrease by 5% from 2022 to 2025. That said, nursing schools are making efforts to increase their capacity—the Rutgers School of Nursing recently received a federal grant to expand its simulation program with the goal of providing more opportunities for hands-on clinical training for its students.
NJSPL – Telehealth May Worsen Physician Burnout: How to Avoid It
While there are many potential benefits to be found with telehealth, the burden placed on the clinical workforce must be considered carefully. A Mayo Clinic study found that approximately 62.8% of physicians showed signs of at least one manifestation of burnout in 2021 compared to 38.2% in 2020. Written by Aakanksha Deoli and Esther Martinez.
NJSPL – Roadside Tree Removal: The Need for Collaborative Decision-Making
Written by Ellen Oettinger White (PhD ’23) and Bob Noland, this blog post focuses on highway design guidelines for tree zoning. However, the guidelines that specify this clear zone are more than 50 years old, and written at a time when occupant protections such as airbags were almost nonexistent.
NJSPL – Telehealth for Cancer Care: Opportunities and Challenges
The use and reliance on telehealth as an alternative and/or supplement to traditional in-person health visits has increased significantly since the pandemic, with some patients indicating they benefited from the communication tool more than others.
NJSPL – Do New Jersey High Schools Have STEM Focus? Piloting New Measures
This study examines whether schools that offer greater proportions of advanced curricula in STEM and enroll greater proportions of students are more likely to hold STEM participation as a priority.
NJSPL – Energy Equity Evaluation Metrics
Energy efficiency programs that focus on equity can acknowledge and address past injustices by involving marginalized communities in the decision-making process and proactively ensuring that all residents have equal access to benefits. The Energy Equity Project with the University of Michigan set out to establish a comprehensive system for assessing and promoting fairness in clean energy initiatives and investments.
NJ State Policy Lab – New Jersey’s Changing Population and Childcare Needs
Authors Sarah Small & Deb Lancaster say we must prioritize childcare in NJ. Almost 3/4 of NJ children under age 6 have “all available parents” in the labor force. LGBT, Hispanic, and low-income parents endure the greatest unmet childcare needs.
New Jersey State Policy Lab: State CIOs Prioritize Digital Equity After Pandemic
State CIOs are prioritizing digital equity more after the pandemic.