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Early Results of Rooted School Foundation’s “The $50 Study” Include Promising Findings

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2 years ago

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The $50 Study is a first of its kind study to measure the impact of direct, unconditional, cash transfers on teens. Results and findings from cohort I of a multi-year Randomized Controlled Trial show that students who receive direct cash transfers experience improved school attendance, reading level and financial capability. 

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Rooted School Foundation is excited to share preliminary findings and results from “The $50 Study”, an innovative guaranteed income program aimed at high school students in New Orleans and Indianapolis. Since its inception in 2020, The $50 Study has reached over 400 students, making it one of the largest studies of its kind globally. From 2022-2024, Rooted School Foundation (RSF) facilitated a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) in which two cohorts of students received $50/week for 40 weeks. The results from the first cohort offer a promising outlook on the ways guaranteed income can impact high school students.

Treatment group reading scores grew 0.5 years vs 0.25 for control group in same period, showing greater improvement.

Cohort I Key Findings

The first cohort included 156 students from Rooted School New Orleans and Rooted School Indianapolis; 82 students were in the treatment group receiving $50/week for 40 weeks during the 2022-2023 school year. The remaining students were in the control group and did not receive the cash transfers. Preliminary results from of the study, compiled by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, are directionally promising as they suggest that direct cash transfers impact students’ lives in the following ways:

Students in the treatment group missed two fewer days of school (over a semester) compared to those in the control group. As students are required to be present a specific number of days for both grade promotion and graduation, the impact of decreased absenteeism can have a significant impact on students’ educational outcomes.Lexile (reading) score levels grew more for students in the treatment group (0.5 years growth) compared to those in the control group (0.25 years growth) over the same time period. Reading level is a key indicator of educational success, both in high school and after graduation.Students in the treatment group improved their knowledge and habits related to managing money. While financial literacy was not explicitly taught to students in the treatment group, the findings from survey responses suggest that students’ who receive the cash transfers deepen their financial capability.Transaction data shows that students predominantly used the money for basic needs such as food and transportation. Approximately 47% of money transferred to students in cohort I was still in bank accounts at the end of the study, suggesting that students are also intentionally saving their money.

“When young people have access to money – and the stress relief inherent within that access – transformative outcomes are possible. These outcomes transcend credit attainment, Lexile growth, and excellent attendance numbers… This transcendence means actively walking the path to financial freedom every day.” – Kaitlin Karpinski, Rooted School New Orleans Executive Director and School Leader

Impact on The Field
While many guaranteed income pilots and studies explore and highlight the positive impacts of guaranteed income for adults, minimal research has been done to understand the implications of direct cash transfers on youth, specifically through the lens of academic outcomes. This study starts to fill that gap, showing that small cash transfers can improve school performance, increase financial capability, and improve well-being. RSF is in the final months of cohort II of the RCT (230 students total; 91 in treatment), and will have results from both cohorts available in 2025.

“We know that the odds for upward economic mobility are increasingly stacked against young people, particularly those from lower income backgrounds and marginalized identities. This study, the first ever conducted with high schoolers, shows that when young people are trusted and supported with unconditional cash, they invest in their futures – improving their reading ability, class attendance, and capacity to manage money. Expanding The $50 Study will not only lead to improved outcomes for more students, but will also further the research base for the impact of these programs” – Dr. Stacia West, Co-Founder, Center for Guaranteed Income Research, University of Pennsylvania; Associate Professor, University of Tennessee

The $50 Study Expansion Plans
Building on the success of the RCT, RSF is preparing to launch “The $50 Study: Long Term Impacts of Unconditional Cash for High School Students” in partnership with The City of New Orleans’ Office of Economic Development. This RCT study will include 1,600 New Orleans public high school seniors; 800 students will receive $50/week for 40 weeks. Students will continue to be enrolled in the study for an additional 46 months after the transfers end to further understand the impact of the cash transfers on long-term outcomes, such as college enrollment and persistence.

RSF has invited all open enrollment charter high schools in Orleans Parish to participate in the expanded $50 Study. The following schools have opted-in to participate: Rooted School New Orleans, New Harmony High School, Sophie B. Wright High School, InspireNOLA Schools: Edna Karr High School, McDonough 35 College Preparatory High School and Eleanor McMain Secondary School, Collegiate Academies Schools: Abramson Sci Academy, G.W. Carver High School and Livingston Collegiate Academy, and EQA Schools: The NET: Central City, The NET: East, and The NET: Gentilly. RSF will keep the invitation to participation open until September 1, 2024.

“The Office of Economic Development is thrilled to be an investor in ‘The $50 Study,'” said Jeff Schwartz, Director of Economic Development at the City of New Orleans. “This unique guaranteed income study enrolling public high school students will produce results that will inform policy and programming as we all work toward a more equitable and inclusive city. This study meets students where they are and provides opportunities for economic mobility that will surely create lasting impacts for individuals and in the larger community.” – Jeffery E. Schwartz, Director of Economic Development, City of New Orleans

“With The $50 Study, we’re charting new territory in youth economic empowerment and education. Our initial observations are intriguing, showing potential in areas like school engagement and financial capability. However, we’re cautious about drawing broad conclusions at this early stage. What’s clear is that this approach warrants further exploration. As we expand the study, we hope to gain deeper insights that could inform future educational strategies and economic policies for young people.” – Jonathan Johnson, Founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation, who is also an Advisor with the Guaranteed Income & Health Consortium at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Support for The $50 Study
Individuals and organizations interested in investment or involvement in The $50 Study can connect with the team by emailing youthcashtransfer@rootedschool.org, listening to participant stories on The Rooted Cash Podcast, or donating to the program here.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/early-results-of-rooted-school-foundations-the-50-study-include-promising-findings-302217009.html

SOURCE Rooted School Foundation

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Driving Certainty Through Uncertainty: eclicktech’s Engineering Approach to Agentic AI

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May 9, 2026

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XI’AN, China, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As generative AI moves from experimentation to enterprise deployment, the industry focus is shifting from model capability to operational reliability. The challenge is no longer simply building smarter AI, but ensuring AI systems can operate safely and consistently inside complex production environments.

eclicktech recently shared its internal engineering practices around Agentic AI, highlighting how the company is applying context engineering, multi-cloud infrastructure, and layered security frameworks to support enterprise-scale AI deployment.

To support global operations across more than 230 countries and regions, eclicktech built its Cycor platform around a multi-cloud architecture integrating AWS, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Huawei Cloud, and other providers. According to the company, this approach improves infrastructure flexibility, reduces vendor lock-in risk, and enables more efficient orchestration of large-scale Kubernetes clusters and AI workloads.

eclicktech stated that one of the key lessons from early Agent development was that prompt engineering alone was insufficient for enterprise deployment. The company therefore shifted toward context engineering — an approach focused on delivering the right information, at the right time, while optimizing limited token resources.

Its engineering framework includes six layers of context management covering active sessions, short-term memory, long-term semantic storage, knowledge graphs, operational experience, and reusable organizational skills. The system also supports proactive context injection, allowing relevant operational history and risk information to be surfaced automatically before sensitive actions are executed.

To improve inference efficiency, eclicktech introduced layered token governance and progressive tool-loading mechanisms, dynamically loading tools and information only when required. The company said this approach helped improve tool selection accuracy and reduce unnecessary token consumption during complex operational workflows.

Security remains a core requirement throughout the architecture. eclicktech’s governance framework includes namespace isolation, dry-run verification, human approval workflows, rule-based validation, and rollback mechanisms designed to reduce operational risks associated with AI-driven automation.

According to eclicktech, the next stage of enterprise AI competition will depend not only on model capability, but also on engineering reliability, infrastructure orchestration, context management, and organizational knowledge systems.

Note: Certain technical information referenced in this article is derived from eclicktech’s internal engineering practices and is provided for industry reference purposes only.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/driving-certainty-through-uncertainty-eclicktechs-engineering-approach-to-agentic-ai-302767441.html

SOURCE eclicktech

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How a Unified Monetization Solution Is Driving eCPM and Revenue Growth for Casual Games Worldwide

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2 hours ago

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May 9, 2026

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SINGAPORE, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Casual, hyper-casual, and hybrid-casual games have become dominant categories in the global mobile market, making in-app advertising (IAA) a key driver of monetization success. However, many developers continue to face major challenges, including unstable fill rates, fluctuating eCPMs, difficulties balancing multiple regional markets, and the ongoing tradeoff between user experience and revenue growth.

To address these issues, zMaticoo has compiled a series of monetization case studies from leading game publishers and studios across China, Vietnam, Europe, and North America. These teams span hyper-casual, puzzle, board, card, and light-casual game categories, with DAUs ranging from millions to tens of millions. By adopting the same monetization framework, they achieved simultaneous growth in fill rate, eCPM, and ad revenue while maintaining stable user experience.

A common challenge among these teams was the shrinking monetization margin across global markets, creating an urgent need for sustainable revenue growth. At the same time, developers were cautious about over-monetization negatively impacting retention and player engagement.

To solve these challenges, zMaticoo introduced an AI-driven monetization system with full-funnel optimization capabilities. The platform connects developers directly to premium global advertiser budgets across both performance and brand advertising. AI models identify high-value traffic in real time based on region, audience, and usage scenarios, prioritizing high-eCPM demand sources. Separate bidding strategies are applied for mature and emerging markets to avoid revenue loss caused by one-size-fits-all pricing models.

The platform also provides refined ad format optimization:

Banner Ads: optimized display share and loading timing to improve SOV and stabilize eCPM;Interstitial Ads: precisely triggered during high-value moments such as level completion or pause screens, with especially strong premiums in emerging markets;Rewarded Video: deeply integrated into gameplay loops, delivering high user acceptance and conversion performance.

On the technical side, zMaticoo optimized SDK infrastructure to improve fill stability under weak network conditions. Ad loading time was reduced from five seconds to under two seconds through a rebuilt loading architecture. Progressive asset loading further minimized timeout-related drop-offs. AI-powered ad templates dynamically generated personalized creatives, improving both CTR and conversion performance.

The zMaticoo team also provides one-stop operational and analytics support. Developers can monitor fill rate, impressions, eCPM, and revenue through a unified dashboard, while dedicated optimization specialists provide 7×12 support for A/B testing, strategy iteration, and scaling guidance. The platform is deeply integrated with major mediation solutions, enabling one-time integration and multi-scenario deployment while reducing development and maintenance costs.

According to zMaticoo platform data:

In mature markets including the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea, banner eCPMs increased by 5%–10%, while interstitial premiums improved by over 5%;In emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico, and Southeast Asia, interstitial eCPMs increased by more than 10%.

The monetization framework has demonstrated effectiveness across hyper-casual, puzzle, board/card, and utility app categories, supporting both rapid scale-up and long-term monetization stability.

Partner feedback includes:

“We are highly satisfied with the revenue uplift after integration. Our core products’ banner performance now ranks among the top tier.””Revenue recovered significantly after A/B testing, and we are expanding testing across more products.””One solution now supports multiple global markets without requiring separate monetization strategies for each region.””Interstitial monetization performance has been especially strong, with SOV reaching 10%–20% for several partners.”

zMaticoo believes successful monetization today is not about stacking more ad platforms, but about leveraging AI, technology, and refined operations to unlock long-term traffic value. Whether for hyper-casual publishers, puzzle game studios, or global mobile app companies, this AI-powered monetization framework is designed to deliver sustainable revenue growth while preserving user experience.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-a-unified-monetization-solution-is-driving-ecpm-and-revenue-growth-for-casual-games-worldwide-302767432.html

SOURCE zMaticoo

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Fox ESS Celebrates Strong Momentum with Integrated Solar Storage & Charging Solutions at Smart Energy 2026

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3 hours ago

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May 9, 2026

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SYDNEY, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fox ESS, a global leader in renewable energy solutions, attended Smart Energy 2026 during 6-7 May as a platinum sponsor. At the event, Fox ESS showcased its next-generation approach to solar storage and EV charging solution, delivering a seamless, future-ready energy experience for homeowners and installers across Australia.

Integrated Solutions Tailored for Aussie Homes

At Smart Energy 2026, Fox ESS highlighted its storage-to-charging solution, designed to make everyday energy use more convenient for local residents. With performance-led products and proven market traction, Fox ESS is set to play its part in building a more resilient energy future for Australia.

Battery Systems

Fox ESS continues to build momentum in the battery market. Sunwiz, an Australian solar consultancy, recently reported that Fox ESS ranked No.1 in March for installation capacity. And the company also revealed it has installed more than 25,000 systems in April. During the exhibition, Sunwiz presented Fox ESS with an award, recognising the company as Top Solar Company for Fastest Growing Battery.

CQ7 V6+ High Voltage Battery (42kWh and above)
Building on Fox ESS’ proven strengths, compact design and high capacity, CQ7 V6+ is well suited to medium-sized households and ensure the free use of electricity and maximize the self-consumption.EQ4800 High Voltage Battery (28kWh)
A reliable choice for smaller households, designed for efficient day-to-day energy storage.

Alongside its battery range, Fox ESS showcased all-in-one systems, including Stackable AIO and EVO, designed to simplify installation while maintaining a high standard of design and presentation.

Inverters

Fox ESS offers a range of inverters to suit local requirements, supported by up to 200% PV oversizing and a 10-year product warranty.

Single-phase: H1‑G2 (3–6kW); KH series (7–10.5kW)Three-phase: H3 Smart (5–15kW); H3 Pro (15–29.9kW); H3 Plus (50–125kW)

EV Chargers

With EV adoption accelerating, Fox ESS also offers EV charging solutions with solar linkage, designed to work across its inverter portfolio. The chargers provide robust, smart energy management, including dynamic load balancing to help protect home circuits.

A Series (7.3kW / 11kW / 22kW): IP65 and IK08 protection, OCPP-compliant.L Series (7.3kW / 11kW): straightforward installation with multiple colour options.

Big Battery Still Takes Centre Stage

As the Cheaper Home Battery Program moves into a new phase under an updated rebate policy, interest in larger battery systems continues to grow, particularly as more households consider EV upgrades amid rising fuel costs. More EVs typically mean households need greater energy availability, making higher-capacity storage an increasingly attractive option.

Looking ahead, from 1 July 2026, the Australian Government’s Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) will provide eligible households with three hours of free daily electricity to align with peak solar generation. Households with larger batteries will be well placed to make the most of this opportunity.

Fox ESS is also working with local VPP partners, including Amber Electric and Origin Loop VPP, helping homeowners unlock maximum value while supporting greater grid stability.

Maimai Comes Alive at the Exhibition

Visitors to the Fox ESS stand experienced a full programme of brand activations across the event. Following the online announcement, Sydney served as Maimai’s first physical stop, bringing the community together for face-to-face engagement. Attendees queued to take photos with the brand’s friendly and recognisable mascot.

Long-Term Commitment to Australia

Fox ESS has opened two local offices in Melbourne and Sydney, with more than 30 dedicated specialists supporting local customer needs. The company is also looking to play a wider role in Australia’s energy transition.

Notably, Ian Thorpe made his first in-person appearance at Fox Night, where he presented partners with awards. At the event party, Fox ESS also hosted a battery installation challenge, featuring eight rounds of competition, with the final winners receiving a range of prizes.

“We’re delighted to see such a strong result following the rollout of local policy. With nearly 400,000 Australian households now installing batteries, Fox ESS has played a key role, but this is only the beginning. We’re committed to keeping momentum and helping make a smarter, more reliable energy future a reality for more homes.” said Brooks Richard Geng, APAC & Middle East Managing Director, Fox ESS.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/fox-ess-celebrates-strong-momentum-with-integrated-solar-storage–charging-solutions-at-smart-energy-2026-302767429.html

SOURCE Fox ESS

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