YEAR IN REVIEW

A report by the interdisciplinary Connected Learning Research Network proposes a new framework, “connected learning,” to take advantage of the Internet and digital technology and to help close the gap between the no-frills learning that too often happens in school and the interactive, hands-on learning that takes place out of school.

MacArthur named 13 organizations in five countries as recipients of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, which recognizes exceptional grantees and helps ensure their long-term sustainability. 

A partnership of MacArthur and four other philanthropic groups commit nearly $18 million to innovative projects that will increase the participation, quality, and relevance of secondary education for economically disadvantaged and marginalized children in developing countries.

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A MacArthur-supported study in The New England Journal of Medicine finds that access to Medicaid increased the use of healthcare and strengthened financial security, but did not necessarily improve the basic health of adults.

The Illinois Humanities Council announces the winners of the Looking@DemocracyChallenge, a national media competition supported by MacArthur and aimed at sparking creative ideas for strengthening American democracy. From a pool of more than 400 submissions, judges selected 11 winners to share in $100,000 in prize money.

President Clinton announces a commitment by MacArthur, Mozilla, and HASTAC to expand “open badges,” online representations of earned knowledge and skills, to help improve the futures of two million students and U.S. workers.

Building on its nearly 20-year, $150 million investment in supporting juvenile justice reform, MacArthur announces an additional commitment of $15 million to the field, in part to establish the Models for Change Resource Center Partnership, which will provide technical assistance, training, and resources to help further advance reform.

A review finds that the MacArthur Fellows Program succeeds in increasing the capacity of recipients to pursue creative ideas and projects and is well respected by a broad range of key opinion leaders and experts. 

The Foundation names its 2013 class of MacArthur Fellows, recognizing 24 exceptionally creative individuals with a track record of achievement and the potential for even more significant contributions in the future. 

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Substantial health and economic returns from delayed aging may warrant a new course for medical research, according to a study by members of the MacArthur Research Network on an Aging Society.

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In a commentary published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, MacArthur President Robert Gallucci explains why philanthropy must try to help heal the breakdown in American democracy.

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Affordability problems for renters have skyrocketed over the past decade both in number and the share of renters facing them, according to a MacArthur-supported report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.