Latest news with #BenAustin
The Hill
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Actually, research supports the COVID school closures
When the COVID lockdowns began and our schools closed down, 'In effect, officials steered a car off the road, threw a cinder block on the accelerator, then jumped out of the vehicle with passengers still in the back,' says journalist David Zweig. Ben Austin, founding director of Education Civil Rights Now, writes that United Teachers Los Angeles 'wielded its considerable power' to 'trap' students and keep them home 'indefinitely.' And Corey DeAngelis of the CATO Institute says teachers' unions 'def[ied] evidence' on the virus, instead 'prioritizing union demands over kids.' Listening to critics of teachers' unions, you'd never guess that all we were trying to do during COVID was protect our students and their families. That the COVID school closures were wrong and that teachers' unions were to blame is now a fundamental tenet of modern conservatism. Yet a considerable body of research has emerged that supports the basic contentions teachers' unions have been making all along. Critics' principal assertion is that closing schools was unnecessary because children were at little risk of serious harm from COVID. Teachers' unions asserted that, because students in large public school districts are disproportionately low-income, they often live in apartments with extended families and multiple generations, leaving these families particularly vulnerable to the virus, even if their school-age children were asymptomatic. A cohort study of over 165,000 American households containing both adults and children confirms this assessment, finding that among all 'household transmissions … 70.4 percent started with a pediatric index case.' The authors of the study, published in the American Medical Association's 'JAMA Network,' conclude: 'We discerned an important role for children in the spread of viral infection within households during the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened when schools were in session, supporting a role for school attendance in COVID-19 spread.' Teachers' unions also pointed to racial disparities in relation to school closures, for which critics, to this day, give us considerable grief. The student body at public schools is heavily minority, and we asserted that COVID would hit minority groups harder than whites. The study 'COVID-19–Associated Orphanhood and Caregiver Death' confirms this view. Published in 'Pediatrics,' researchers found that from April 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, over 140,000 American children 'experienced the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver,' and that the frequency of such losses was significantly higher among 'children of racial and ethnic minority groups compared with non-Hispanic White children' — in some instances as much as 4.5 times higher. Another common criticism is that the school closures were ineffective. Research contradicts this, demonstrating that school closures did play a significant role in reducing the spread of COVID. The 'Estimating the impact of school closures on the COVID-19 dynamics in 74 countries' study found that school closures 'reduced peak hospital occupancy pressure in nearly all countries, with 72 out of 74 countries (97 percent) showing a positive median estimated effect.' That study, published in 'PLOS Medicine,' a peer-reviewed medical journal from the Public Library of Science, also found that while results of school closures varied from country to country, 'school closures achieved moderate to significant [COVID] reductions in most settings over the period 2020 to 2022.' Similarly, the study ' School closures during COVID-19: an overview of systematic reviews,' published in the British Medical Association's 'BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine,' found both 'school closures and in-school mitigations were associated with reduced COVID-19 transmission, morbidity and mortality in the community.' Critics also assert that unions shut the schoolhouse door on protesting parents. Austin accuses us of 'bullying' parents into submission, while Zweig, author of ' An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions,' states, 'parents were really kept out of the decision-making process.' The facts contradict this narrative. A year after COVID hit, two nationally representative polls found that between two-thirds and three-fourths of parents believed their children were receiving the proper type of instruction. 'Chalkbeat,' an education-oriented news organization that analyzed the data, explained, '[P]arents' preferences are varied, with the largest group wanting their child to learn from home full-time.' The organization noted that most parents wanted to continue with the type of instruction their children were then receiving — 'an indication that schools nationwide have been responsive to families as they craft their instructional plans.' In March of 2021, I conducted a written survey of my own students and learned that only 15 percent of their parents wanted them to return to school, which was consistent with these studies' findings. Had schools opened in the face of this parental disapproval, many students would not have attended, and we'd have faced the disruptive chaos of classes split between in-school and at-home learners. Moreover, if schools are open, state law obliges educators to enforce attendance requirements. Schools would then have been in the position of demanding that parents send students to school even though the parents, believing this could endanger their families, may have resisted. Zweig, Austin and others are correct that students' learning loss from the closures was considerable. Did the benefits outweigh the costs? Unlike our critics, I do not presume to know what history's verdict will be. I do know that, in the context of the time, what we did was not unreasonable, and that we acted in good faith to protect our students, their families and their communities.
Khaleej Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Absolute Digital Media expands to the UAE with new Dubai headquarters
Performance marketing agency Absolute Digital Media has officially launched its new headquarters in Dubai, coming from the UK. Absolute Digital Media brings its award-winning SEO, PPC, paid social, content marketing, link building and CRO services to one of the world's fastest-growing digital hubs. Absolute Digital Media has built its reputation by delivering high-impact campaigns that generate real commercial growth. With nearly 30-strong in-house team based in the UK, and new staff now on the ground in the UAE, the agency will be supporting businesses locally and internationally with a full-service delivery model. 'Dubai is built for ambition. We're here to partner with brands that want real results, not vanity metrics,' said Ben Austin, founder and CEO. 'Our Dubai HQ isn't just a footprint, it's a commitment to helping the UAE businesses dominate their industries online.' The agency will serve clients across a wide range of sectors including crypto, real estate, finance, healthcare, education, eCommerce, SaaS, and more. Delivery will be handled by teams in both the UK and UAE, ensuring strategic oversight and local execution at scale. What sets Absolute apart in the region: A fully in-house team, no outsourcing, no shortcuts. Proven SEO and PPC strategies that prioritise pipeline over page views. Transparent reporting and performance tracking backed by advanced analytics and AI from in-house built tools. A deep understanding of the commercial challenges and compliance needs of high-growth sectors, including crypto and finance. Absolute Digital Media's Dubai launch is part of a broader international growth plan, with further global rollouts in development. For UAE based businesses serious about digital growth, consultations are now open.
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Absolute Digital Media Enters Dubai With A Goal To Make Crypto Brands Unmissable in Search
Cutting Through the Noise: Performance Marketing Built for Crypto Brands That Want Real Visibility DUBAI, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, July 7, 2025 / / -- Absolute Digital Media, the award-winning UK performance agency, has officially launched its Dubai HQ with a clear mission: to help crypto, Web3, and iGaming brands achieve dominant visibility through elite SEO and performance marketing. As the UAE cements itself as a global hub for blockchain innovation and decentralised finance, many crypto businesses still struggle to gain sustainable visibility across Google, AI-driven search platforms, and key acquisition channels. Absolute Digital Media aims to close that gap — fast. 'The crypto space is flooded with noise, but most brands are invisible where it actually matters: in search,' said Ben Austin, Founder & CEO of Absolute Digital Media. 'We're here to change that. Our Dubai expansion is built around a single focus — making serious crypto brands impossible to ignore online.' With a track record of scaling high-growth brands in competitive industries, Absolute brings deep expertise in SEO, paid media, content strategy, and AI-led visibility — all underpinned by a performance-obsessed delivery model. The agency has won over 100 industry awards and is known for driving measurable ROI, not vanity metrics. Why Dubai, Why Crypto Dubai's forward-thinking regulation, investor interest, and entrepreneurial ecosystem have made it the natural choice for the agency's international expansion. Crypto exchanges, casinos, Web3 startups and blockchain projects now have access to a UK agency that combines deep technical SEO with commercially intelligent growth strategy. Absolute's team will operate across both the UAE and UK, giving clients round-the-clock delivery, multilingual capability, and global experience with local insight. Built for Scale, Not Just Rankings From technical site architecture and international SEO rollouts to LLM (Large Language Model) optimisation and aggressive link acquisition, Absolute's approach is engineered for crypto brands that want to scale — not just launch. Clients also benefit from customised dashboards, transparent reporting, and a direct line to senior strategists who've scaled brands in crypto, finance, iGaming and high-stakes B2C markets. About Absolute Digital Media Founded in the UK, Absolute Digital Media is a full-service performance agency specialising in SEO, paid search, paid social, content, CRO and LLM optimisation. With over 30 in-house experts and 100+ industry awards, Absolute works with ambitious brands across finance, crypto, healthcare, e-commerce and iGaming. Now live in Dubai: mr b austin Absolute Digital Media L.L.C FZ +971 4 251 8056 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
