American high schoolers’ reading skills are declining, according to new federal testing data.

Happening in the World: Nepal’s military started to deploy troops late Tuesday in Kathmandu after protesters set upon the nation’s political elite both in government offices and in their homes. A day after government forces opened fire on protestors, killing at least 19, protestors set fire to the Parliament and Supreme Court buildings, as well as the homes of past and present lawmakers. The chaos began last week after a government ban was issued on major social media platforms. The heads of Nepal’s main security agencies issued a joint statement appealing for peace and called on political parties to find a peaceful way out of the crisis. (NYT)

Happening in the US: According to new federal testing data, the reading skills of American high school seniors are the worst they have been in three decades. About a third of the seniors who were tested from the National Assessment of Educational Progress did not have basic reading skills, indicating that less than half of seniors are leaving high school with the reading skills necessary for college-level work. For the last 10 years, declines in scores have been most pronounced among low-performing students. The seniors tested also had the lowest scores in math since 2005. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: Starting on September 11, the Feast of San Gennaro opens! Vendors set up throughout Little Italy, filling the streets with food and lively singing, dancing, and theatrical performances. The event will last from September 11 to September 21. The full schedule of events can be found here. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Tonight, Tuesday, September 9, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, the Columbia Engineering AI Entrepreneurship Series begins. This first talk, titled Focus is Everything — How to Effectively Navigate the AI Landscape, will be led by Aaron Vontell, a member of technical staff at Anthropic and the founder and former CEO of Regression Games. Vontell will talk through his experience building in the AI space and focus on the scientific problems and how to navigate the frequently changing technological landscape. To learn more about the event, click here.

Image via Bwog Archives