The field of public sector technology is shifting towards a greater emphasis on equity and effectiveness. Researchers are working to develop systems that are grounded in the goals and organizational contexts of employees, with a focus on surfacing important equity considerations around data and technology use. This includes exploring the challenges that employees face when operationalizing equity, as well as the design space for acceptable government technology. Meanwhile, studies are also highlighting the importance of soft skills in academic and professional success, and the need for early intervention to support students in developing these skills. The integration of research data management into teacher training programs is also being explored, with a focus on adequately preparing future teachers to handle data competently. Noteworthy papers in this area include: How Soft Skills Shape First-Year Success in Higher Education, which presents a teaching intervention aimed at fostering key soft skills among first-year computer science students, and shows significant improvement in individual presentations and team projects. How to Elicit Explainability Requirements, which examines the efficiency and effectiveness of different methods for eliciting explainability requirements, and recommends a hybrid approach combining surveys and interviews.