TEN BEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
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The 10 best countries in the world, ranked
Story by jpandy@insider.com (Jordan Pandy,Noah Sheidlower)
• 2mo
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The 10 best countries in the world, ranked©Michael Robinson/Getty Images
- Switzerland regained the top spot on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best countries in the world.
- The 2024 rankings assessed 89 countries on factors including heritage, power, and entrepreneurship.
- European countries tend to offer the best quality of life, while the US excels at power and agility.
For the third year in a row, Switzerland was ranked the best country in the world.
The 2024 rankings, released Tuesday, were determined by U.S. News & World Report, which partnered with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Switzerland took the top spot from 2017 to 2020, but in recent years was superceded by Canada. The Commonwealth nation fell to fourth in 2024.
The rankings, which examined 89 countries, considered factors such as quality of life, entrepreneurship, and power. Each country received scores on 10 categories, including business-friendliness and agility, which U.S. News describes as being “most adaptable to change.” The weighted sum determined the overall score.
“The Best Countries report speaks to the value of having a strong global image as nations compete for foreign trade, tourists and socioeconomic influence,” David Reibstein, professor of marketing at the Wharton School, said in a statement. “The Best Countries ranking is more than a beauty contest. Global leaders need to realize that how their countries are viewed affects their economies through tourism, foreign direct investment and foreign trade, all critical components of their GDP.”
Below, read on for the best countries in the world, according to U.S. News, and the categories in which each one excels.
Population data for each country is from the US Census Bureau and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) information was sourced from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Read the original article on Business Insider
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CRSD teachers join chorus of frustrations over Career Pathways Program rollout
Story by Nick El Hajj
• 1h • 4 min read
CRSD teachers join chorus of frustrations over Career Pathways Program rollout
Cedar Rapids Community School District’s rollout of the College and Career Pathways program has sparked frustration among parents and, more recently, teachers.
During this week’s open houses, parents could be seen constantly refreshing the district’s online Q&A form, taking screenshots, and discussing questions with one another. The live forum quickly filled with hundreds of inquiries, many of which went unanswered.
Some teachers are now voicing their own concerns anonymously, highlighting what they describe as exclusion from the planning process and an environment of intimidation.
One Cedar Rapids Schools teacher, who did not want to be identified in fear of job retaliation, told Iowa’s News Now, “There has been a lot of kind of rhetoric around, like, ‘Get on board with this, or we’ll just fire you.’ Our jobs have been threatened, administrative positions have been threatened over and over and over. Like, ‘You can do this our way, or we’ll just replace you.’”
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The teachers’ frustrations echo many of the concerns raised by parents.
Both groups have questioned the pace of the rollout, the clarity of communication, and the degree of stakeholder involvement.
“We’re not against change,” the anonymous teacher said. “But the way this is happening, it feels like teachers’ voices—and our experience—don’t matter anymore.”
The district said the program aims to create more meaningful high school experiences for students, aligning their education with career and college goals.
Superintendent Tawana Grover acknowledged the gaps in communication.
“We spent too much time working internally before we came to our parents,” Grover acknowledged at an open house. “We feel like we’re about 80% there with the framework, but we’re not. We’re committed to making sure that we have family input. And we are committed to getting better for every learner.”
The district also pointed to the low graduation rate—currently at 77%—as a key motivator behind the program’s urgency. However, teachers are questioning why the rollout couldn’t proceed at a more deliberate pace.
“Why do we need to start over from scratch?” the teacher said. “We already had systems that worked. We want to build on what we have, not throw it all out.”
The lack of teacher input in shaping the program has been a significant point of contention.
“At the beginning, they said teachers would be involved every step of the way,” the anonymous teacher said. “But instead, outside consultants were brought in, and decisions were made without consulting us.”
Teachers expressed concerns about changes to the curriculum and class structure, which they feel prioritize district objectives over student needs.
“For example,” the teacher said, “they decided to eliminate one of our science courses and sprinkle it into other classes. Not a single science teacher would have suggested that.”
The move has also raised staffing issues.
“Next year, all the current eighth graders and freshmen will be taking biology, but we don’t have enough licensed biology teachers to handle that load,” the teacher said. “This will also force us to give up some of our electives—classes that help kids explore different fields and careers—to make room for the new requirements.”
A prepackaged math curriculum already implemented in high schools has added to the tension. The anonymous teacher described it as rigid and unresponsive to student needs.
“It’s not working,” the teacher said. “The students are struggling, and we’re not allowed to deviate from the script, even though we know what would help them.”
The rollout’s timing has only compounded the challenges.
“The math teachers received the new curriculum just two days before the school year started,” the teacher said. “They were expected to learn it on the fly, and now everyone—teachers and students—is playing catch-up.”
Teachers also highlighted an allegedly growing culture of fear within the district.
“We’ve been told in no uncertain terms to keep quiet if we have concerns,” the teacher said. “It’s not just implied; for some of us, it’s been explicit. You speak out, and you risk your job.”
The teacher noted that even principals and associate principals seem hesitant to advocate for their staff.
“When we bring up legitimate concerns, we’re often met with vague answers or outright dismissal. It feels like pushing for what’s best for our students is being interpreted as being difficult,” they said.
This sentiment mirrors what parents have expressed during the open houses. Many parents told Iowa’s News Now they’re not satisfied with the answers they’re receiving during the sessions or submitted through the district’s online Q&A form.
“It’s frustrating to watch parents go through what we’ve been experiencing all year,” the teacher said. “At least now, more people are seeing what’s going on.”
Superintendent Grover acknowledged the challenges of the rollout in Thursday’s open house session, the third and last session, and emphasized the district’s commitment to improvement.
“We recognize that over this week, the intent of our work—that that’s not necessarily being conveyed in the way that we initially thought about it,” Grover said. “We’re committed to smaller groups of families giving us feedback that we can further refine the model.”
As frustrations mount, a petition calling for a delay in the program’s rollout has gathered over 500 signatures.
“We want this program to work,” the teacher said. “But we also want to do it right.”
The district said the rollout is part of a five-year plan, with changes being implemented incrementally. The freshman academies are set to begin next fall, with the pathways program fully launching in 2026.
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