NEWS

The Legacy Project with Jim Copple

April 28, 2021 — Listen to the latest episode of The Legacy Project with Jim Copple. John Bridgeland and Jim Copple discuss legacy, the one we inherit and the one we can create.

How to Sell the Coronavirus Vaccines to a Divided, Uneasy America | The Washington Post Magazine

April 26, 2021 — Read The Washington Post Magazine's article about the COVID Collaborative partnership with the Ad Council on their "It's Up to You" campaign. It's an inside look into one of the biggest, most difficult public service campaigns in U.S. history — and the decisions that led to a surprising strategy. "We’ve got to get back to a sense of ‘we’...Our campaign [with the Ad Council] is reaching a population that’s more difficult for the government campaign to reach," says John Bridgeland, Co-Founder of the COVID Collaborative.  

Fireside Chat with CDC Director, Dr. Walensky | COVID Collaborative

April 23, 2021 — Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the Centers of Disease Control, joined the COVID Collaborative for a fireside chat, moderated by former Governor Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) and Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) on how we can safely and sustainably reopen schools and the economy. This event was co-hosted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Council of the Great City Schools, Chiefs for Change, and the American College Health Association. Watch here.

Nation Faces ‘Hand-to-Hand Combat’ to Get Reluctant Americans Vaccinated | The New York Times

April 21, 2021 — Half of American adults have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine. Now comes the hard part: persuading the other half to get it. “People have very legitimate concerns,” John Bridgeland said, “and they need good answers from trusted people.” Read the full article. 

NEW REPORT! Ready to Engage

April 13, 2021 — A new report from Civic in partnership with Hart Research Associates and made possible by The Allstate Foundation validates educators and parents countrywide who view social and emotional learning and service-learning as solutions to the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and divisions throughout the nation. Read the full Ready to Engage report and view the press release to learn more.

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New Data Emphasizes the Challenges Students Experiencing Homelessness Face in Graduating | Education Leads Home

March 30, 2021 — For the second year in a row, the U.S. Department of Education did not release a national graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness due to missing data from one state. Cohort counts from 49 states and the District of Columbia, however, show a national graduation rate of 67.7 percent, up slightly from 67.5 percent in 2018. Read more.

National High School Graduation Rate Hits Record High of 85.8% | GradNation Campaign

March 23, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Education released data showing the high school graduation rate for the class of 2019 has reached a record high of 85.8%. These new figures show an increase from the previous year’s rate of 85.3% and indicate continued progress toward equity across the country, as rates for students from historically disadvantaged communities increased by more than the national average. Read the press release.

Fireside Chat with Dr. Nunez-Smith | COVID Collaborative

March 23, 2021 — As the Chair of the Biden-Harris Health Equity Task Force, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith is leading the Administration's important work to to ensure that response, care, and treatment for COVID-19 is distributed equally. Dr. Nunez-Smith joined the COVID Collaborative for a special event to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead on health equity—from vaccine distribution to school reopening to treatments. Watch here.

Willie Nelson & Sports Leagues Team Up with Ad Council & COVID Collaborative

March 23, 2021 — "As an extension of their COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative, "It's Up To You," the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative today announced the launch of a new campaign in partnership with thirteen leading sports leagues and organizations. Highlighting iconic moments in sport and a brand-new recording of "I'll Be Seeing You" performed by Grammy Award-winning musician, Willie Nelson, the videos encourage fans to visit GetVaccineAnswers.org for the latest information about the COVID-19 vaccines." Read the Press Release.

White House Shifts Ad Campaign | CNN Politics

March 19, 2021 — "Reluctance among conservatives to get vaccinated against Covid-19 has caused growing concern inside the White House, according to people familiar with the matter...Bridgeland said [The COVID Collaborative] has helped the White House with a key part of its outreach to conservatives: arming trusted local leaders -- including doctors, religious leaders and others -- with the facts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines." Read here.

Louisiana's Most Under-Vaccinated | New Orleans Public Radio

March 17, 2021 — White people in Louisiana’s parishes that voted most heavily Republican in 2020 are getting vaccinated at lower rates than the rest of the state, a WWNO/WRKF analysis finds, reinforcing concerns that some public health officials are voicing over vaccine hesitancy among people who identify as conservative. “[That correlation] is almost twice as large as if you were Black, Republican, Democrat, Hispanic, or even have an underlying health condition,” said John Bridgeland, founder of the Covid Collective, a group working to reduce vaccine hesitancy. “So, it’s a group that is clearly very hesitant.” Read here.