During a typical school year, educators collect an abundance of information to plan and deliver targeted instruction. This usually includes student attendance, classroom grades, and New Jersey Student Learning Assessment performance, as well as qualitative data such as parent reports and observational insights. For students receiving special education services, these pieces of information, along with diagnostic assessments and evaluations, are vital as educators monitor student progress toward Individualized Education Programs (IEP) goals, determine student placement, and provide highly targeted, individualized instruction and interventions.

As a result of the COVID-19 school closures, the practice of monitoring student progress has taken on greater importance for students with IEPs since their instruction and related therapy services (occupational, speech, etc.) have been disrupted by the pandemic. Understanding students present progress toward their IEP goals is crucial for teachers as they address academic and skill regression during the past year. However, COVID-19 has complicated the monitoring of student progress as teaching and learning are now happening in a new, virtual environment. District leaders, teachers, and child study teams have had to think outside the box to measure student learning, monitor student progress, and develop tools that are adaptable for a variety of learning settings.

As school and district leaders rise to these challenges, and teachers innovate and adapt their practices to the virtual classroom, consider the following suggestions to support virtual progress monitoring districtwide, schoolwide, and classroom-wide.

As a teacher or school district administrator, this means:

As a parent, this means:

As a school board member, this means:

COVID-19 is forcing districts to rethink the way they serve students. These unusual times are necessitating that schools reimagine the traditional school experience and modify practices to support students in virtual or hybrid learning environments. For more best practices on virtual progress monitoring, read our recent blog post: 4 Best Practices for Progress Monitoring during Virtual Learning.

About Public Consulting Group

Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) is a leading public sectorsolutions implementation and operations improvement firm that partners with health, education, and human services agencies to improve lives. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Boston,Massachusetts, PCG has over 2,500 professionals in more than50 officesworldwide. PCG offers education consulting services and technology solutions that help schools, school districts, and state education agencies/ministries of education to promote student success, improve programs and processes, and optimize financial resources. To learn more, visitwww.publicconsultinggroup.com/education/.

Our work reflects our deep educational expertise and the capacity to implement change within schools. Our products and services help school and district leaders improve outcomes and equity for all students and help educators make effective decisions by transforming data into meaningful results. Click here to learn more about PCGs EDPlan Progress Track solution.

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Virtually monitoring progress and collecting information during remote education for students with disabilities - NJ Spotlight

Ronnie O'Sullivan has reached the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix with a 4-1 victory over Barry Hawkins in Milton Keynes.

The Rocket started the match in fine form, rattling off a century to win the first frame comprehensively.

Snooker

O'Sullivan: Sometimes I feel 'superhuman'

15 HOURS AGO

He followed it up with another sound performance, albeit without any big breaks, to double his lead in the second.

O'Sullivan was plagued by ill fortune in the third, with a fluent break of 58 curtailed by a foul, and a fluked snooker on Hawkins' part. It came down to a respotted black, which O'Sullivan sunk into the pocket.

Hawkins began the fourth with a break of 40. When he slipped up, O'Sullivan made a brisk 57 but a miss on the brown allowed Hawkins to return to the table. He mopped up all of the colours to get on the board.

With the 41-year-old's confidence suitably boosted he made a strong start to the fifth, but a miss on a routine red gave O'Sullivan a chance.

Though he fouled in bizarre fashion, scooping the cueball off the table, his safety game held up during a tough period of the frame, forcing Hawkins to foul.

OSullivan reveals why he played on for snookers with just black left

Eventually, though, he was able to pot a few reds and, when he cleared up to the pink, the match was his.

Next up, O'Sullivan faces Kyren Wilson in a rematch of the World Championship final this summer.

World Grand Prix

O'Sullivan: I'm running on empty despite running 16 miles

YESTERDAY AT 23:04

World Grand Prix

O'Sullivan eases past Carter to reach second round at World Grand Prix

YESTERDAY AT 20:29

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World Grand Prix 2020: Ronnie O'Sullivan continues progress with convincing win over Barry Hawkins - Eurosport COM

One of the more confusing components of the Season 1 update to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the implementation of a rankings reset.

In theory, the idea is clear: Players in Cold War, Modern Warfare and Warzone will be synced to the same ranking level. But with some people deep into unlocks already, there are questions about what will carry over beyond the update.

The Season 1 download will be available on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 2 a.m. ET for all gaming platforms.

Here's what to know about how the Season 1 update will affect your ranking and unlocked items.

Your Season level will reset to 1, but all create-a-class unlocks will be carried over and your highest preseason prestige level will remain intact. Note that this change is applicable to Modern Warfare and Warzone in addition to Black Ops Cold War.

Perhaps most important to note: Unline in some past Call of Duty games, you will NOT lose all of your unlocks each time you prestige.

From Activision:

If you reach level 200 in any Season, youll also achieve the title ofPrestige Masterfor that Season. Your Prestige Level color will change to signify your Prestige Master status, and youll gain the ability to personalize your Prestige Icon with Legacy Prestige Icons from previousCall of Dutygames that youve unlocked (more details on that below).

The journey doesnt stop there if you want to keep climbing. Once you reach Prestige Master in a Season, you can continue to level up all the way tolevel 1000 every Season, with milestone rewards to earn at every 50 levels along the way.

Four prestiges have been added in the Season 1 update, with new rewards accompanying them. By reaching Level 200, you can attain a Prestige Master achievement.

Below is an outline for the prestige system in Season 1:

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Call of Duty Season 1 ranking system reset, explained: What progress carries over after update? - Sporting News

Warren Buffett famously wrote that "'turnarounds' seldom turn" in his 1979 letter to shareholders. It is easy to agree with Warren Buffett on investing and I agree on turnarounds. The most common outcome with turnarounds seems to be that they fail to turn. In order to increase the odds, it is great to find a turnaround that has already started to make the turn, but hasnt yet seen the share price respond. Atento (ATTO) may be one of those companies.

Atento was created when Telefonica (TEF) spun out its call center business in 1999, and for many years, Telefonica was the primary customer. Atento has suffered from customer concentration, a lower tech product offering and margin issues. However, the company is addressing each of these issues. CEO Carlos Lpez-Aada took the reins at the end of 2018 and set a path forward with the companys Three Horizons Plan.

Atentos turnaround is characterized by several important areas of focus: customer diversification, product offering growth, geographic expansion and EBITDA margin expansion. Each of these have shown important improvement and are evidence of a company actually turning.

Given the companys origin, it is not surprising that Atento began as a company hugely reliant on Telefonica. Way back in 1999, Telefonica represented about 90% of Atentos business. So far in the first three quarters of 2020, Telefonica has accounted for 32% of Atentos business. That leaves Telefonica as an important customer, but Atento is no longer a single customer company. The company has made progress in the recent quarters as in Q3 2020, multi-sector accounted for 67.7% of TTM revenue, versus 60.7% of revenue just prior to the start of the Three Horizon Plan.

Atento reports results grouped by three regions: Brazil, the Americas and EMEA. Brazil is Atentos home country and its largest and most important single market. As of last month, Atento had 27.9% market share in Brazil, well ahead of any other competitor. Having a dominant base is important and the Brazilian market produces the companys best margins. I expect Brazil to remain Atentos most important market and hope for growth there. In fact, having by far the largest market share in the country should only be supportive of the growth through scale advantage.

However, it is also important that Atento grows and expands in other countries. Obviously, the more markets, the more opportunities for growth. Additionally, geographic expansion may help with currency risks. Atento trades in the US and has US dollar denominated debt and so can be affected by currency fluctuations, particularly declines of the Brazilian real.

Atento has been working to diversify from a pure call center company to a more diversified customer support company with a better customer service support product. The transformation provides Atento with the opportunity for increased margins and a growing moat. The more advanced the services, the more value that Atento provides and the greater the moat and margins. Atento calls their more advanced product offerings next generation services and the next generation services have accounted for 50% of new sales in 2020 versus 42% in 2019. The more this continues, the stronger the margin and moat trends.

Flowing from the client diversification, product offering and costs controls, Atento has started to show improving margin. EBITDA margins were 12.7% in Q3 and Atento is targeting 14-15% margins. Atento has dramatically improved cash flow metrics in 2020. Through the first 9 months of 2019, Atento had operating cash flow of negative $29 million and free cash flow of negative $88 million. Both of those have dramatically improved in 2020 and the company has had positive operating cash flow of $40 million and positive free cash flow of $9 million through the first 9 months of 2020. Further improving margins and a focus on costs should continue to improve these metrics.

The risks and catalysts here are inter-related and so Ill address them together. Debt and refinancing is the big one. Atento has a net debt position of $514.2 million as of the end of the third quarter. About $500 million of that debt is due in August 2022. The company announced that they were going to refinance in September, but called off the refinancing by October due to market conditions. It was not a confidence inspiring move. However, conditions may be improving and Atento may be in a better position to refinance the notes next year than they were this fall. In particular, the Brazilian Real has been strengthening and Atento has been reporting improved EBITDA. Along with that, the current notes are trading more strongly. If waiting a couple quarters allows Atento to secure the new financing at better terms such as a lower rate and longer term, then waiting will be well worth it. I would hope, however, that next time they attempt a refinancing the company be sure they can complete it.

Atentos reliance on Brazil and the Latin American market is another risk. Atento borrowed in US dollars but most revenues are not in US dollars. When local currencies decline, Atentos revenues decline in US dollar terms.

The Brazilian real to USD ratio started the year at just over 4 and moved to over 5.8 in the spring. The real has now recovered some and is trading at 5.06 as of December 12. If the real continues to recover, that will help Atentos financial results, but the opposite is true as well and the setup of borrowing in a different currency than most revenues inherently introduces some risk due to the mismatch.

The turnaround seems to have started, but it is still in its early stages. Even with the large improvement in FCF, it has only been $9 million for the first 9 months of 2020. Continued improvement in revenues, mix and margin should bolster the FCF number, but it is currently only tenuously positive. A small stumble could take the company back to a negative FCF situation.

Atento has an Enterprise Value of $703 million and a market cap of only $188 million, so the stock price is leveraged to small changes in the value of the company. A doubling of the EV would lead the market cap, and thus the stock price, more than quadrupling.

Is a doubling of the EV possible? I think so. Atento had EBITDA of $44.8 million in the most recently reported quarter. EBITDA trends are favorable with the increasing margins and improving currency situation. If these continue, I think that yearly EBITDA could reach $200 million by 2021 or 2022. A 7x EBITDA multiple on $200 million of EBITDA would lead to a doubling of the EV, and as discussed above, a more than quadrupling of the stock price to about $60.

A 7x multiple to EBITDA wouldnt be unreasonable if Atento is able to execute a favorable refinancing, the company is able to continue to improve margins and execute other components of their Three Horizon Plan, and the Latin American markets and currencies continue to stabilize. That is a number of conditions and present very real risks, but some of the turn already appears to be in progress.

Turnarounds may rarely turn, but every now and then one does.

Disclosure: I am/we are long ATTO. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Atento: Turnaround In Progress With 100%+ Potential Upside And A Catalyst - Seeking Alpha

The Seattle Great Wheel, located on Pier 57, is lit up in blue to honor essential workers during the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

Pier 57 has been approved to reopen as the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) has lifted the red tag on the privately-owned pier.

The city had temporarily closed Pier 57 in September due to its proximity to the failing Pier 58 structure, deeming it unsafe for public use. Thanks to progress on the removal of Pier 58, SDCI was able to remove the red tag on the neighboring pier, which is home to Miners Landing and the Great Wheel.

Closure of two Seattle piers hurting waterfront businesses

Pier 58 is owned by the city and will be rebuilt as part of the Waterfront Seattle project. Earlier this month, a large piece of concrete was removed, which mitigates the risk to Pier 57, says the citys structural engineer advising the project.

The potential hazard to Pier 57 has been eliminated by the successful removal of key portions of Pier 58 immediately to the north, said Nathan Torgelson, director of the SDCI. Our inspectors have coordinated with the Citys engineering consultant and inspected Pier 57 to confirm it can be safely reopened.

A release from the city says approximately 90% of Pier 58 has been removed. The timber deck has been fully removed, along with many of the pier piles and the southern portion of the concrete terrace, ramps and stairs. Remaining work includes concrete demolition, pile removal, the salvaging of materials, and removal of elements from the water.

Removing the southern terrace of Pier 58 and lifting the red tag on Pier 57 are important steps forward for the waterfront, said Marshall Foster, Director of Seattles Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects. We appreciate the support and understanding of Pier 57, the Seattle Aquarium, and the entire waterfront community as we moved quickly to respond to this emergency.

Hal Griffith, owner of Pier 57 and Miners Landing, is looking forward welcoming the public back, with plans in the works for a grand re-opening.

We are excited to welcome everyone back to Pier 57. We are bringing back staff, re-stocking our restaurants and planning for a fun and safe grand re-opening with more announcements to come, Griffith said.

Whenshifting was observed at Pier 58and it was deemed unsafe for the public, removal of the pier started earlier than originally anticipated. However, funding for the pier replacement had already been secured as part of theWaterfront Seattleproject.Theredesignwill include a public plaza, large lawn, and a childrens playground. Its also designed to improve the salmon habitat and migration corridor.

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Pier 57 deemed safe to reopen as progress is made on Pier 58 removal - MyNorthwest.com

According to the latest edition of the Greening the Blue report 2020, from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),the UN system with its 310,000 personnel spread across some 60 entities, also found innovative ways to fund these initiatives.

Among the practical examples, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) office in Uruguay upgraded its air conditioning system and replaced all lighting with energy-efficient LEDs using money generated from a 3 per cent air travel surcharge,used to finance or co-finance environment projects.

Thursday'sreportcovers emissions for 2019. Therefore, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on emissions are not yetfactored in,and will be included in the 2021 edition.

In 2019, the UN system as a whole logged some 6.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq)per capita, down from 7 tonnes a year in 2018. In total, about 2 million tonnes of tCO2eqwere emitted across the system.

Similarly, the system continued its efforts towards ensuring that no solid waste from UN facilities, operations or activities is causing pollution or harming the environment and local populations, generating on average, about 457 kilograms of waste per person.

The system also worked to conserve water and avoid the release of untreated wastewater into the environment. In 2019, the average water consumption was about 49 cubic metres per personnel.

Through the year, UN system entities also embarked upon ways to improve biodiversity, with offices and operations plating indigenous trees, hosting and taking care of local wildlife.

One such creature is a juvenile African Rock Python, making the grounds of the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) its home.

The 2020 report also marks a key change, with a new strategy endorsed by UNs top management to accelerate efforts across the board to systematically integrate sustainable development considerations into how the system operates.

This year, the Greening the Blue community also opened its membership to other intergovernmental organizations willing to follow UN systems path towards emissions reduction.

The Green Climate Fund, which assist developing countries in climate change adaptation and mitigation practices, joined up, and its environmental information included in the report.

Another addition this year was gathering data on fossil fuels and ozone depleting substances. As this is a brand new entry into the report, it will be assessed and developed next year. As of reporting, about 70 per cent of the UN offices did not know which refrigerants they use, 20 per cent use non-ozone depleting refrigerants, and 10 per cent use them.

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UN makes progress on 'greening the blue' - UN News

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AnPac Bio-Medical Science Co., Ltd. (AnPac Bio, the Company or we) (ANPC), a biotechnology company with operations in China and the United States focused on early cancer screening and detection, announced today it has made significant progress in detecting pre-cancer diseases. This development was made via novel sensor design, sensor fabrication, detection process, signal collection, signal processing and proprietary algorithms, which has been validated in both multi-year retrospective and prospective, large sample and population studies. The Company recently completed a prospective large population screening of over 110,000 individuals (and over 150,000 samples throughout this study with some individuals tested multiple times over the years) using AnPac Bios Cancer Differentiation Analysis (CDA) technology. The follow-up study involved over ~ 13,000 individuals assessed with high cancer risk, medium cancer risk and low cancer risk using AnPac Bios CDA technology.

Initial results indicated that AnPac Bio CDA technology is capable of providing meaningful information while also screening out pre-cancer diseases, with over 20 types of pre-cancer diseases diagnosed following initial screening utilizing CDA technology and subsequent confirmation by hospital or physical testing center health check-ups. Of the over 20 types of screened out pre-cancer cases, thyroid nodule/tumor ranked number one and pulmonary nodule ranked number two, with about 92.5% confirmed pre-cancer patients in medium to high risk cancer groups. Of the ~ 13,000 individuals, AnPac screened out and confirmed pre-cancer cases at roughly 4.5 times of that of cancer cases, strongly demonstrating that AnPac Bio CDA technology is sensitive to detecting pre-cancer diseases and it could play a critical role in cancer prevention.

Developing a viable pre-cancer and early-stage cancer screening technology has been a long-term goal of global scientists. However, its development and progress has been relatively slow, despite years of heavy investment and efforts by leading scientists and research groups. One of key factors inhibiting breakthroughs in cancer detection has been the lack of previous involvement and contributions of leading semiconductor detection experts (with sensor signal collection and processing).

Story continues

AnPac Bio consists of research and development team with extensive knowledge and experience in detection technologies including novel and advanced detection technologies including highly sensitive sensor design and fabrications, as well as small signal collection and processing. AnPacs founder, Dr. Chris Yu, graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Ph. D. degree in novel detection technology which involved novel sensor design and fabrication, and small signal detection and processing. Mr. Du, vice president of research and development of AnPac Bio, has ten years of extensive integrated circuit (IC) processing and integration experience, which is critical in fabricating highly sensitive cancer detection sensors, at a New York Stock Exchange traded IC manufacturing company prior to joining AnPac Bio.

AnPac Bio has innovated and developed biophysics based detection technology (in which biophysical properties of blood are detected and analyzed) for pre-cancer disease and early stage cancer screening and detection. The Company is also one of the very first companies to champion multi-cancer detection idea and methodology. The employment of biophysical properties for cancer detection is novel and is an alternative approach to traditional methods, with advantages of being able to detect multiple cancer and pre-cancer types earlier, more cost effective, achieves higher sensitivity and specificity, and has relatively simple sample requirements and test procedures. Specifically, it could play an important role in democratizing cancer screening to large populations at an affordable cost.

Dr. Chris Yu, CEO and Chairman of AnPac Bio commented: We are very pleased to have achieved this significant breakthrough in successfully detecting pre-cancer diseases, which is critical in cancer prevention and saving lives. From a commercialization perspective, this breakthrough has significant ramifications for market and customer needs, and revenue generation potential. AnPac Bio is very proud to be one of the first research groups to have achieved this important technical milestone, which will significantly expand AnPac Bios available market size and customer base, and play an important role in revenue generation for years to come.

About AnPac Bio

AnPac Bio is a biotechnology company focused on early cancer screening and detection, with 128 issued patents as of June 22, 2020. With two certified clinical laboratories in China and one CLIA and CAP accredited clinical laboratory in the United States, AnPac Bio performs a suite of cancer screening and detection tests, including CDA (Cancer Differentiation Analysis), bio-chemical, immunological, and genomics tests. In a 2019 market research report by Frost & Sullivan, AnPac Bio ranked second worldwide among companies offering next-generation early cancer screening and detection technologies in terms of the number of clinical samples for cancer screening and detection, based on approximately 35,000 clinical samples as at June 30, 2019. AnPac Bios CDA technology platform has been shown in retrospective validation studies to be able to detect the risk of over 20 different cancer types with high sensitivity and specificity.

For more information, please visit: https://www.Anpacbio.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Company:Phil Case, Marketing and Investor RelationsPhone: +1-267-810-6776 (US)Email: phil_case@AnPacbio.com

Investor Relations:Ascent Investor Relations LLCTina Xiao, PresidentPhone: +1-917-609-0333 (US)Email: tina.xiao@ascent-ir.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are relating to the Company's future financial and operating performance. The Company has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminologies including "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "projects," "intends," "potential," target, aim, predict, outlook, seek, goal objective, assume, contemplate, continue, positioned, forecast, likely, "may," "could," "might," "will," "should," "approximately" or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, assumptions and uncertainties involving judgments about, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the Company's control. These statements also involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the implementation of our business model and growth strategies; trends and competition in the cancer screening and detection market; our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our cancer screening and detection tests and our ability to expand our customer base; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protections for our CDA technology and our continued research and development to keep pace with technology developments; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals from the NMPA, the FDA and the relevant U.S. states and have our laboratories certified or accredited by authorities including the CLIA; our future business development, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to obtain financing cost-effectively; potential changes of government regulations; general economic and business conditions in China and elsewhere; our ability to hire and maintain key personnel; our relationship with our major business partners and customers; and the duration of the coronavirus outbreaks and their potential adverse impact on the economic conditions and financial markets and our business and financial performance, such as resulting from reduced commercial activities due to quarantines and travel restrictions instituted by China, the U.S. and many other countries around the world to contain the spread of the virus. Additionally, all forward-looking statements are subject to the Risk Factors detailed from time to time in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Because of these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. In addition, these statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

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AnPac Bio Makes Significant Progress in Detecting Pre-cancer Diseases and Recorded Over 20 Types of Pre-cancer Diseases - Yahoo Finance

UHC is at the core of WHO's strategic direction, and effective, evidence-informed health financing policies are essential for progress. The Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM) is the World Health Organizations standardized qualitative approach to assessing how aligned a countrys health financing system is with Universal Health Coverage. It crystallizes thinking on what matters in health financing for UHC, based on a body of evidence and normative work developed over the past thirty years. The HFPM assesses a countrys health financing institutions, policies and their implementation at a given point in time, which ultimately impacts on population access to quality health services, and the incidence of financial hardship. Given the centrality of health financing to UHC, the HFPM is integral to supporting progress towards the target of 1 billion people covered by UHC by 2023.

Why is progress in health financing central to support accelerating towards UHC? How do countries know whether they are heading in the right direction? How can the progress matrix support countries to identify priority issues, and subsequently drive progress towards UHC in the process. To answer these questions WHOs Department of Health Systems Governance and Financing, jointly with WHOs Department of Delivery for Impact, are organizing a launch event on Wednesday 16th December 14:30-15:30 (CET). This event provides an overview of the HFPM2.0,the culmination of almost three years of conceptual development and testing in 20 countries,and showcases how it supports countries to systematically track progress in health financing and ultimately UHC. A key focus of GPW13 is to build country-level capacity to measure impact and collectively progress towards the Triple Billion Targets and health-related SDGs. The session will present how the HFPM enables countries to track progress, monitor data and policies implementation and ultimately catalyze actions to improve health financing institutions and policies.

A selection of speakers will reflect on how the HFPM can support their work in countries to support the development of health financing policy and UHC, which contributes to more resilient health systems and improved emergency preparedness and response.

Zoom Meeting Details

https://who.zoom.us/j/97665838265

Meeting ID: 976 6583 8265Passcode:Launch2#

Programme:

Welcome and introductory remarks:

Joseph Kutzin, Unit Head, Health Financing, WHODr. Pavel Ursu, Director, Dept. Delivery for Impact, WHO

An overview of the HFPM

Matthew Jowett, Senior Health Financing Specialist, WHO

Country reflections:

Kingsley Addai, Technical Officer, Health Financing, WHO Country Office GhanaElina Dale, Adviser on Health Policy, WHO County Office Ukraine

The researchers perspective

Kara Hanson, Professor of Health System Economics, and Dean, Faculty of Public Health And Policy, LSHTM

Intensive support to countries

Dr. Pavel Ursu, Director, Dep. Delivery for ImpactAwad Mataria, Director Health Systems Strengthening, WHO EMRO

The perspective from a funding agency

Jo Keatinge, Health Advisor, FCDO United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Rapid Q&A

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Health Financing Progress Matrix Launch Event - World Health Organization

For much of the second half, Michigans offense had sputtered in the worst possible way. Isaiah Livers couldnt get anything going. Mike Smith didnt have a second-half point. 3-pointers werent falling, no matter how open they were.

And with just over two minutes left, the Wolverines offensive struggles had reached an apex. They hadnt scored for nearly three minutes, enabling Penn State to take a two-point lead on the back of an 8-0 run.

Then, suddenly, Michigan found its remedy in the form of Hunter Dickinson, who started his first career game after Austin Davis suffered a foot injury in the last game. The freshman center had 16 points to that point, eclipsing his season average of 14.8. But this was a unique moment in Dickinsons nascent college career. Even in the Wolverines overtime win over Oakland, they were never down this late, never with their backs this far against the wall.

Dickinson paid no mind. As Smith drove to the hoop, Dickinson cut alongside him, positioning himself to receive Smiths feed for a two-handed slam. With the score knotted a possession later, he received another pass from Smith. This time, Penn States Izaiah Brockington was draped all over him, forcing Dickinson to make a spinning finish through traffic.

For Michigan, the basket would provide the ultimate difference in a 62-58 win. For Dickinson, it was a culmination of everything hes prepared for since arriving in Ann Arbor.

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In narrow win, Michigan reaps the rewards of Dickinson's progress - UM Hoops

Nebraska's Zavier Betts hauls in pass against Purdue on Dec. 5 in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nobody in college football is going to mistake Nebraskas offense in 2020 for a juggernaut, but the Huskers have turned in arguably their two most efficient performances passing the ball over the past two weeks.

The Huskers averaged 8.2 yards per attempt and completed 77.4% of their passes in a 37-27 win against Purdue one week after hitting 7.1 per attempt and 84% the week before against Iowa.

The reasons for the increase in efficiency likely start with improved quarterback play. Junior Adrian Martinez has completed 41 of 50 passes over those two games at a clip of 8.32 yards per attempt and has not thrown an interception.

"We're working overtime to try to get those guys more and more comfortable with what we're doing, and I think they've been improving every week.

Scott Frost

Not to be overlooked is the steady progress from a mostly inexperienced wide receiving corps. Theres been no overnight transformation like many hoped for this offseason, but the longer the Huskers continue to play, the more of an idea you get for why head coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Matt Lubick think things are headed in the right direction.

Ive been happy as far as guys striving to get better every day and focusing on daily improvement, Lubick said. The last two games have been two of our better games. Especially in the run game and blocking. Guys look at stats and fans see guys catching balls, but we were on the right hats and guys were moving some guys on crucial bubbles, which is a big part of our offense. That was good to see.

It was also a step forward in the passing game.

Frost said that Nebraskas staff decided it was doing a disservice to the receiver group by spreading game repetitions around to so many different players, so it tried to narrow down the rotation a little bit.

Freshman Marcus Fleming transferred after not seeing the field much after a breakout performance against Northwestern. In recent weeks, junior captain Kade Warner has seen his playing time reduced significantly and freshman Alante Brown has seen fewer chances, too. Redshirt freshman Chris Hickman has been essentially a package player in run-heavy personnel.

Thats left sophomore WanDale Robinson far and away Nebraskas leader in catches (39), targets (50) and yards (341) freshman Zavier Betts and a trio of walk-ons in senior Levi Falck, junior Oliver Martin and sophomore Wyatt Liewer as the primary rotation in recent games.

Betts and Falck, in particular, have seen their roles and production steadily grow over the course of the season. Falck joins Robinson and tight end Austin Allen as the only players on the roster with at least one catch in every game this season. Betts didnt play in NUs opener against Ohio State but has at least one catch in each of the five games since.

Nebraska wide receiver Levi Falck catches a pass against Penn State on Nov. 14 at Memorial Stadium.

He's a freshman, he's coming on, he's talented and he just had to get comfortable with everything, Frost said of the gifted freshman from Bellevue West, who is third on the team with 131 receiving yards. Know the signals, know the plays, know the details, know the routes.

Betts and Falck had their best joint outing against Purdue, combining for 11 catches on 12 targets. They didnt make any huge plays the 11 catches went for a modest 76 yards but that level of involvement and catch rate speaks to a growing sense of dependability between the receivers and Martinez.

Ive said it a bunch, we have a lot of players that really could have benefited from spring ball, fall camp, a nonconference schedule, all those things, and they didn't get the luxury of any of that, Frost said. So we're working overtime to try to get those guys more and more comfortable with what we're doing, and I think they've been improving every week.

It certainly doesnt hurt that Robinson has 18 catches on 20 targets for 189 yards the past two weeks, either. He had his best receiving game of the year against Purdue, hauling in nine for 114.

To be sure, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Nebraska has not shown an ability to throw the ball over the top of defenses its longest passing play remains a 45-yard touchdown on a fly sweep shovel pass to Betts in the backfield and its 254 yards passing against the Boilermakers was just the second outing with 200-plus yards of the year.

Lubick called a 10-yard touchdown pass to Liewer on a quick throw to the flat his favorite play of the year so far because of the way Falck and Allen blocked for the walk-on from ONeill, allowing him to get into the end zone untouched.

Guys dont come here to block. They come here to catch balls, Lubick said. Naturally, as receivers, they want to make plays and thats kind of innate to the position. But once they get here, they learn pretty fast that if you dont block, you dont play. Nothing says more about who you are as a person than by the way you block for your teammates.

Thats an area where Falck has shown proficiency and Betts has shown want-to.

We feel like weve got seven to eight guys that can play for us, Lubick said. We feel good about that and we feel that if we get nicked up, the next guy, because he has taken reps in practice, is ready to roll. I like our depth situation.

Its certainly nowhere near a finished product, but NU would happily take continued small steps forward in the coming weeks. Everybody is eligible to return next year, plus the Huskers could get healthy returns from freshman Will Nixon and junior Omar Manning. They will also add three incoming freshmen who are 6-2 or taller and are expected to sign their national letters of intent next week.

Purdue running back King Doerue (22) goes over Nebraska safety Marquel Dismuke (9) for a touchdown during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska place-kicker Connor Culp (33) celebrates a 49-yard field goal against Purdueduring the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (1) makes a catch in front of Purdue safety Marvin Grant (4) during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) holds off Nebraska linebacker Will Honas (3) during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver Jackson Anthrop (33) blocks the punt of Nebraska punter William Przystup (90) during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wyatt Liewer (85) runs in for a touchdown against Purdue during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) and linebacker Garrett Nelson (44) celebrate a stop on fourth down in the second quarter against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Simon Otte chases down the ball after a blocked punt during the first quarter in the Huskers' game against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska linebacker Simon Otte (34) chases down the ball after a blocked punt during the first quarter against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Connor Culp kicks a field goal against Purdue during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wyatt Liewer (85) celebrates his touchdown with running back Dedrick Mills during the second quarter against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wyatt Liewer scores a touchdown against Purdue during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer (13) throws against Nebraska during the third quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell (3) runs in for an 89-yard touchdown after a catch against Nebraska during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez throws against Purdue during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez breaks away from Purdue defenders on his way to a touchdown run during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver Jackson Anthrop (33) celebrates after blocking a punt against Nebraska during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer (13) is sacked by Nebraska linebacker Garrett Nelson (44) during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer throws against Nebraska during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska linebacker Garrett Nelson (44) celebrates a sack against Purdue during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez throws against Purdue during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Wyatt Liewer and Dedrick Mills celebrate Liewer's touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt runs into Purdue's TJ Sheffield during a punt return Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind. Taylor-Britt was penalized on the play.

Nebraska's Ben Stille and Garrett Nelson sack Purdue's Jack Plummer on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt defends Purdue receiver David Bell in the end zone on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Nadab Joseph is carted off the field after an injury against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Dedrick Mills rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez practices a snapbefore the Huskers play Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Luke McCaffrey practices a snapbefore Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Will Honas tackles Purdue's Rondale Moore after a reception Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska running back Dedrick Mills uns against Purdue during the third quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) runs in for a touchdown against Purdue during the third quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell makes a catch over Nebraska safety Marquel Dismuke (9) and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) on his way to an 89-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell makes a catch over Nebraska safety Marquel Dismuke (9) and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) on his way to an 89-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell (3) runs in for an 89-yard touchdown after a catch against Nebraska during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Zander Horvath runs the ball against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt gets a grip on Purdue receiver David Bell on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Deontai Williams defends a pass to Purdue's Payne Durham on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Branson Deen grabs the jersey of Nebraska offensive lineman Matt Sichterman on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Ben Stille sacks Purdue's Jack Plummer on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's David Bell runs into the end zone to complete a touchdown reception against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt breaks up a pass intended for Purdue's David Bell on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez throws a pass against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Connor Culp kicks a field goal against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

A pass eludes Nebraska's Wan'Dale Robinson against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Dicaprio Bootle knocks down a pass against Purdue's Milton Wright on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams tackles Purdue's TJ Sheffield on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Jack Plummer throws a pass against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska sophomore wideout Wan'Dale Robinson tries to escape a defenderduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska junior quarterback throws a pass Saturday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez looks downfield Saturday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams (8) and linebacker Will Honas combine to stop Purdue running back Doerue King Saturday game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska coach Scott Frost talks to linebacker Caleb Tannor (2)during Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska offensive tackle Brenden Jaimes blocks a Purdue defender on Dec. 5 in West Lafayette, Ind.

A pair of Husker defenders stop Purdue running back Zander Horvathduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Garrett Nelson (44) picks up Cam Taylor-Britt after a big defensive play Saturday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Levi Falck is stopped by a Purdue defenderduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Wyatt Liewer scores against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Nebraska defense mostly held Purdue star receiver David Bell in check. He had 10 catches for 132 yards, but 89 of those yards came on a touchdown in which two Huskers collided into each other.

Nebraska's Austin Allen catches a pass against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska and Purdue players get testy during Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Geovonte' Howard and Marvin Grant react to penalty flags being thrown against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt breaks up a pass intended for Purdue's David Bell on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Scott Frost and Purdue's Jeff Brohm shake hands after Nebraska defeated Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) breaks up a pass intended for Purdue wide receiver David Bell (3) during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) throws against Purdue during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska junior quarterback Adrian Martinez looks for room to runduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska senior cornerback Dicaprio Bootle defends Purdue's Milton Wright on a pass playduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska receiver Zavier Betts tries to work his way around Purdue's Kieren Douglas on Saturday's in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams defends Purdue's Payne Durhamduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez fires a passduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska guard Matt Farniok celebrates a big playduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska senior running back Dedrick Mills picks up yardsduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

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No overnight transformation, but Huskers' WR group showing steady signs of progress in recent weeks - Lincoln Journal Star