Targeted News Service

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- The Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History issued the following news release on April 22, 2026:

* * *

National Museum of Natural History Celebrates the Enduring Legacy of American Bison With New Exhibition, "Bison Standing Strong"

Exhibition Spotlights the Significance and Resilience of the National Mammal in Celebration of the Nation's 250th Anniversary

*

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will open a major new exhibition, "Bison: Standing Strong," Thursday, May 7, inviting visitors to explore the enduring legacy of the American ... Show Full Article

National Gallery of Art Receives Historic $116 Million Gift From the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation Endowing "Across the Nation" National Lending Program

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- The National Gallery of Art issued the following news release:

* * *

The National Gallery of Art Receives Historic $116 Million Gift from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation Endowing "Across the Nation" National Lending Program

Made on the occasion of America's 250th anniversary, the monumental gift from National Gallery trustee Mitchell Rales will enable countless Americans to experience masterpieces from the nation's collection in their own communities

*

The National Gallery of Art has received a transformational gift of $116 million from the Mitchell P. Rales ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, April 22 -- The National Gallery of Art issued the following news release: * * * The National Gallery of Art Receives Historic $116 Million Gift from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation Endowing "Across the Nation" National Lending Program Made on the occasion of America's 250th anniversary, the monumental gift from National Gallery trustee Mitchell Rales will enable countless Americans to experience masterpieces from the nation's collection in their own communities * The National Gallery of Art has received a transformational gift of $116 million from the Mitchell P. RalesFamily Foundation to endow Across the Nation, the museum's nationwide loan partnership program launched in 2025. Made to commemorate America's 250th anniversary this year, the landmark gift will fund the program in perpetuity. Now a foundational element of the museum's national service, Across the Nation will continue to advance the National Gallery's ability to reach all Americans by bringing key works from the nation's collection on long-term loan to regional museums across the country.

This is the largest gift to endow programming in the National Gallery's history, on par with the National Gallery's original founding gifts. The historic endowment embodies Rales's enduring and visionary support of the museum, where he has been a member of the Board of Trustees for 20 years and served as president from 2019 to 2024. During this time, Rales has funded other major initiatives, including gifting and facilitating the acquisition of important works of art. Staunchly committed to the arts, Rales is also cofounder of Glenstone, a foundation and museum in Montgomery County, Maryland, that seamlessly integrates art, architecture, and nature into a serene and contemplative environment, always free of charge.

Across the Nation's continuation will build upon the success of its pilot program, also generously funded by Rales. The pilot program has reached nearly 900,000 visitors across 10 partner museums since the loans were installed in spring 2025. Throughout the program's inaugural year, visitors to these partner institutions shared overwhelmingly positive feedback, stating that the loans have enriched their overall experience and created meaningful connections with the works of art on view from the partners' permanent collections and exhibitions.

"Mitchell Rales has been a leading benefactor of the National Gallery for two decades, committed to supporting our mission and work at every step," said Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Gallery of Art. "His stewardship and belief in Across the Nation have been instrumental in shaping the program since its inception. Through his remarkable partnership and thanks to this landmark gift, the National Gallery is able to establish Across the Nation as a core pillar of our work and fulfill a central part of our vision--of the nation and for all the people. We will not only be able to introduce beloved works of art from our collection to new audiences for generations to come, but will also establish a dynamic model for collection-sharing and build a collaborative network with our museum colleagues nationwide."

"I am thrilled and humbled to support a program that will deepen access to the nation's collection for Americans throughout the country in perpetuity and to honor this remarkable moment in our country's history--our 250th anniversary," said Rales. "Endowments are the superpower of nonprofits, enabling institutions to fulfill their missions. I have long admired the National Gallery's commitment to national service and sharing artistic excellence with all people. In its inaugural year, Across the Nation has already demonstrated the impact it can have at regional museums and in communities nationwide. I could not be more proud of what the National Gallery stands for and what it delivers to Americans across the country."

Through Across the Nation, partner museums select works of art from the National Gallery's permanent collection for long-term loan at no cost to them. The National Gallery then offers support to these institutions by way of transport, installation, insurance, training, and regional marketing campaigns, which are fully underwritten. With this partnership, the National Gallery also collaborates with partners to develop and execute digital, scholarly, and educational programming related to their Across the Nation presentations.

The next cycle of Across the Nation will launch in fall 2027 and run until 2029. Partner institutions will be announced at a later date and will include new regions across the country, aiming to extend the program's geographic breadth and enable as many Americans as possible to access the nation's art collection. The National Gallery intends to lend artworks to museums in all 50 states in the first 10 years of the program, reaching millions of Americans who may not otherwise be able to visit the nation's collection in Washington, DC.

* * *

About the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Millions of people come through its doors each year--with even more online--making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. The National Gallery's renowned collection includes over 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.

* * *

Original text here: https://www.nga.gov/press/historic-gift-endows-national-lending-program

National Capital Planning Commission: Pennsylvania Avenue's Design Concepts Available for Public Review and Feedback

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- The National Capital Planning Commission issued the following news release:

* * *

Pennsylvania Avenue's Design Concepts Available for Public Review and Feedback

General Services Administration Awards Funding to Advance Implementation of the New Vision

*

At the National Capital Capital's Planning Commission's (NCPC) April 2 meeting, the Commission received and commented on a range of design concept alternatives that are now available for public review and feedback. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Ed Forst also announced at the meeting that GSA is ... Show Full Article

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine: Opportunities to Prevent Pregnancy-Related Cardiovascular Disease and Maternal Mortality Identified in New Report

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSrep) -- The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine issued the following news release:

* * *

Opportunities to Prevent Pregnancy-Related Cardiovascular Disease and Maternal Mortality Identified in New Report

Cardiovascular conditions are a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States, and many opportunities to identify and manage risk are being missed before, during, and after pregnancy -- including between pregnancies -- says a new report (https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/HMD-BPH-24-07/publication/29425) from the National ... Show Full Article

Inter-American Development Bank: 'Overcoming the Gender Bias in Training: An Empirical Approach in the Latin American Quick-Service Restaurant Industry'

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following white paper in April 2026 entitled "Overcoming the Gender Bias in Training: An Empirical Approach in the Latin American Quick-Service Restaurant Industry."

Here are excerpts:

* * *

1 Introduction

Men and women behave differently in the workplace, often making different decisions and exhibiting different preferences across a range of contexts (Mas and Pallais, 2017; Goldin, 2015; Haegele, 2021; Goldin and Katz, 2011). These differences are particularly relevant in management roles, where the way individuals ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following white paper in April 2026 entitled "Overcoming the Gender Bias in Training: An Empirical Approach in the Latin American Quick-Service Restaurant Industry." Here are excerpts: * * * 1 Introduction Men and women behave differently in the workplace, often making different decisions and exhibiting different preferences across a range of contexts (Mas and Pallais, 2017; Goldin, 2015; Haegele, 2021; Goldin and Katz, 2011). These differences are particularly relevant in management roles, where the way individualsapproach their work directly shapes both their own performance and that of their subordinates (Bloom et al., 2019; Ranganathan and Shivaram, 2021). A large body of empirical work highlights the critical role of managerial skills and practices--particularly in personnel management--in shaping worker productivity (Bloom and Van Reenen, 2007, 2011; Adhvaryu et al., 2018; McKenzie and Woodruff, 2016; Adhvaryu et al., 2022; Frederiksen et al., 2020; Hoffman and Tadelis, 2021). More recent research has highlighted that the managers themselves--their personal characteristics and attitudes--are also important for firm outcomes (Metcalfe et al., 2023; Friebel et al., 2025; Beam et al., 2025). Given the performance implications of managerial behavior and characteristics, understanding how managerial styles differ by gender--and how these differences may affect the daily work of female managers--is essential. These dynamics may also help explain persistent barriers to women's advancement into leadership positions (Feldberg, 2022).

Despite growing evidence on what constitutes effective management, organizations may not always reward the practices that drive performance--either because these practices are difficult to observe or because their value is not fully recognized. Managerial styles and behaviors vary significantly within firms (Adhvaryu et al., 2023c), and those that contribute most to outcomes are not necessarily the most visible to top leadership. These challenges are even more pronounced when the effectiveness of certain practices depends on the identities of both managers and their teams. Gender, in particular, plays a key role: women remain underrepresented in leadership positions, even in sectors where they constitute the majority of frontline workers. This underrepresentation may limit firms' ability to identify, appreciate, and replicate gender-specific management strategies. Prior research highlights that female managers are more likely to devote time to scheduling and accommodate employee preferences, which in turn fosters stronger team cohesion and significantly higher sales--especially in gender-balanced teams (Adhvaryu et al., 2023a).

Do men and women differ in their managerial styles and practices? Do these differences translate into distinct effects on performance? Should firms seeking to maximize productivity encourage gender-tailored approaches to management? And could training managers in styles less common within their own gender group yield additional gains? Answering these questions requires overcoming substantial empirical challenges. It demands observing male and female managers in the same role, within the same industry, operating under identical conditions--then testing whether systematic differences in behavior and performance emerge.

We address these questions in two stages. First, we take a data-driven approach to examine whether male and female managers differ in their practices and behaviors and whether these differences are associated with variation in productivity within the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry. Using survey and performance data, we identify the characteristics most strongly associated with higher performance for male and female managers, respectively.

Second, we use these insights to design gender-informed training curricula and implement a randomized intervention to test whether aligning training content with gender-specific styles influences managers' comprehension and retention of key concepts. Each curriculum is tailored to the traits linked to higher productivity by gender and adapted from a previously implemented managerial training program (Adhvaryu et al., 2023b).

* * *

View full text here: https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Overcoming-the-Gender-Bias-in-Training-An-Empirical-Approach-in-the-Latin-American-Quick-Service-Restaurant-Industry.pdf

[Category: IADB]

Inter-American Development Bank: 'Intercultural Bilingual Education and Early Childhood Mathematics Learning: RCT Evidence From the Mate Raymi Program in Quechua Chanka Schools in Peru.'

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following white paper in April 2026 entitled "Intercultural Bilingual Education and Early Childhood Mathematics Learning: RCT Evidence from the Mate Raymi Program in Quechua Chanka Schools in Peru."

Here are excerpts:

* * *

1. Introduction

Although access to primary and secondary education has expanded for Indigenous children in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), recent studies show that significant educational disparities remain. These inequalities affect Indigenous students not only in terms of access, retention, ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following white paper in April 2026 entitled "Intercultural Bilingual Education and Early Childhood Mathematics Learning: RCT Evidence from the Mate Raymi Program in Quechua Chanka Schools in Peru." Here are excerpts: * * * 1. Introduction Although access to primary and secondary education has expanded for Indigenous children in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), recent studies show that significant educational disparities remain. These inequalities affect Indigenous students not only in terms of access, retention,and years of schooling, but also in learning outcomes (e.g., Corbetta, 2021; Naslund-Hadley & Santos, 2022; Organizacion de Estados Iberoamericanos [OEI], 2015; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2021b; UNESCO, 2021c). Beyond broader equity-oriented reforms--such as more progressive spending, better preparation and training of teachers in disadvantaged schools, and targeted investments in rural or low-income areas--one policy response specifically aimed at Indigenous students has been the adoption of intercultural bilingual education (IBE) models across the region.

Despite variations in how IBE is defined across countries, Porter and Morrison (2024) argue that models in LAC tend to pursue two overarching goals. The first is to improve Indigenous students' learning outcomes by ensuring their right to be educated in both their mother tongue and the majority national language, integrating core elements of their culture into classroom instruction, and exposing them to diverse cultural perspectives that nurture critical thinking. The second extends beyond academic achievement: IBE policies also seek to revitalize and safeguard Indigenous languages and cultures--many of which face decline--while fostering students' cultural pride and promoting diversity as a valuable asset for society as a whole.

However, a recent review of the literature on IBE in LAC highlights persistent challenges in the classroom-level implementation of the model (Santos et al., 2025). These include the limited use of Indigenous languages as a medium of instruction, the insufficient incorporation of students' cultural knowledge and practices into classroom content, and the weak promotion of critical thinking about intercultural relations. Another frequent limitation is the absence of pedagogical approaches suited to culturally and linguistically diverse contexts--for example, cooperative and hands-on learning, teaching methodologies rooted in Indigenous traditions, active student participation in lessons, and the integration of family and community knowledge into classroom activities. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the limited implementation of IBE, such as the lack of bilingual and locally adapted learning resources (Garcia & Velasco, 2012; Manresa-Axisa, 2018; Rodriguez Cruz, 2018), the scarcity of teachers with sufficient knowledge of Indigenous languages and cultures (Corbetta, 2021; UNESCO, 2021a), weaknesses in initial teacher education (Schmelkes & Ballesteros, 2020) and training (Drouet et al., 2025; Valdiviezo, 2009, 2010), and the limited connection between schools and local communities (Lopez, 2009).

* * *

View full text here: https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Intercultural-Bilingual-Education-and-Early-Childhood-Mathematics-Learning-RCT-Evidence-from-the-Mate-Raymi-Program-in-Quechua-Chanka-Schools-in-Peru.pdf

[Category: IADB]

From a BookCon to Bruce Lee, Smithsonian's 2026 IlluminAsia Festival Spotlights Asian American Storytelling

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- The Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Asian Art issued the following news release on April 21, 2026:

* * *

From a BookCon to Bruce Lee, Smithsonian's 2026 IlluminAsia Festival Spotlights Asian American Storytelling

Special 250th Edition Features Film Screenings, Book Fairs and a Dance Party

*

This May, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art will present its fourth annual IlluminAsia Arts and Culture Festival, a celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month during the 250th of America.

IlluminAsia highlights ... Show Full Article

Existing Customer Login