White Kids: Identity Construction, Critical Mass, and Symbolic Exclusion in High School Cliques and other Groups

Abstract:

This ethnographic study explored to what extent white students were able to critically understand the significance of their racial identity in more diverse demographic settings. It further looked at the discourse the students used to describe themselves, their cliques, and other groups with regard to race and racial identities. The participants in this study were students at two public urban high schools in the same district, one where white students have a substantial critical mass but are not the majority and one in which they comprise a small minority. Interview and observation data were analyzed through thematic coding. The emerging themes coded for included boundary work, symbolic exclusion, group rigidity and group options, critical mass, and white consciousness.

Source: Berkeley Review of Education, University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley [via eScholarship Repository]


Download full pdf publication | Link to eScholarship repository

The New Digital Economy: How it will transform business

nternational leaders face an era of unprecedented change. The financial crisis that ended in 2009 caused a seismic shift that has reshaped the global business landscape. The world economy is now characterized by sluggish growth in the West, a shift in power to the East, value-driven customers and rising risks everywhere. At the same time, the downturn has hastened the adoption of new tools that are transforming businesses and sparking a new wave of wealth creation, particularly in the emerging world: Mobility, cloud computing, business intelligence and social media.

Today’s economic realignment and digital transformation are inextricably linked. The current economic conditions are fostering investment in technology as emerging markets ramp up their demand for technology to fuel growth and advanced markets seek new ways to cut costs and drive innovation. This becomes a virtuous circle as digital technologies drive consumer income and demand, education and training, and efficient use of capital and resources—leading to increased economic growth, particularly in emerging markets.

To understand how these shifts will affect the global marketplace over the next five years, we conducted a study of 363 corporate decision-makers, supplemented by interviews and panel discussions with global c-level executives and thought leaders. The report offers a set of imperatives for CEOs to ensure their firms remain competitive. These include the development of a forward-thinking mobile strategy, reversing the traditional approach to innovation, and installing safeguards to protect against greater risks from cyber attacks, piracy and reputational damage, as well as economic volatility.

Source: Oxford Economics

Download full pdf publication | Link to online summary at Oxford Economics

Do two live as cheaply as one? Evidence from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

This article examines per-person—also known as per-capita—differences in spending patterns between singles[1] ages 21 to 29 and married couples[2] with at least one person in that age group. It also examines differences between married couples and singles who are in their early twenties (ages 21 to 23) and those in their late twenties (ages 27 to 29). Spending is measured in terms of weighted[3] out-of-pocket outlays[4] by consumer units (CUs).[5] According to the 2008-09 interview component[6] of the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE), total per-person spending levels of married couples and singles who are ages 21 to 29 are quite similar—$26,753 and $26,567, respectively, in 2008–09. (See table 1.) That was also true of the early-twenties groups, with married couples spending $21,138 per person and singles $19,980. However, married couples in the late-twenties group spent about $7,200 less per person ($27,816 versus $35,026) than did singles.

Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics

Link to online article

Summer Counts: Making Summer Programs Part of the Learning Equation

Summer vacation takes a toll on students' knowledge and skills. When they report to school in the fall, they perform, on average, one month behind where they left off in the spring. Of course, not all students experience 'average' losses. Summer learning loss disproportionately affects low-income students. While all students lose some ground in mathematics over the summer, low-income students lose more ground in reading, while their higher-income peers may even gain. Most disturbing is that summer learning loss is cumulative; over time, the difference between the summer learning rates of low-income and higher-income students contributes substantially to the achievement gap.

Source: RAND Corporation

Download full pdf e-book publication | Download pdf Research Brief | Link to online record at RAND

The Health Status and Unique Health Challenges or Rural Older Adults in California

From the Abstract:

Despite living in the countryside where open space is plentiful and there is often significant agricultural production, rural older adults have higher rates of overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and food insecurity than older adults living in suburban areas. All three conditions are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and repeated falls. This policy brief examines the health of rural elders and, by contrast, their urban counterparts

Source: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

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Know Your Digital Rights guide from EFF

"With smart phones, tablet computers, and laptops, we carry around with us an unprecedented amount of sensitive personal information," said EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury. "That smart phone in your pocket right now could contain email from your doctor or your kid's teacher, not to mention detailed contact information for all of your friends and family members. Your laptop probably holds even more data -- your Internet browsing history, family photo albums, and maybe even things like an electronic copy of your taxes or your employment agreement. This is sensitive data that's worth protecting from prying eyes."

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you from unreasonable government searches and seizures, and this protection extends to your computer and portable devices. In EFF's "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, we outline various common scenarios and explain when and how the police can search the data stored on your computer or portable electronic device -- or seize it for further examination somewhere else -- and give suggestions on what you can and can't do to protect your privacy.

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Download full pdf whitepaper | Download one page summary | Link to online version at EFF

Promoting Psychological Resilience in the U.S. Military

Summary:

As U.S. service members deploy for extended periods on a repeated basis, their ability to cope with the stress of deployment may be challenged. A growing number of programs and strategies provided by the military and civilian sectors are available to encourage and support psychological resilience to stress for service members and families. Though previous research from the field of psychology delineating the factors that foster psychological resilience is available, there has been no assessment of whether and how well the current military resilience programs are addressing these factors in their activities. Further, little is known about the effectiveness of these programs on developing resilience. To assist the Department of Defense in understanding methodologies that could be useful in promoting resilience among service members and their families, the authors conducted a focused literature review to identify evidence-informed factors for promoting psychological resilience. The study also reviewed a subset of military resilience programs to determine the extent to which they included those evidence-informed factors. This report describes the context, approach, and findings from these research activities.

Source: RAND Corporation

Download full pdf publication | Download pdf Summary | Link to online summary at RAND

Living Together: The Economics of Cohabitation

From: Executive Summary

Cohabitation is an increasingly prevalent lifestyle in the United States. The share of 30- to 44-year-olds living as unmarried couples has more than doubled since the mid-1990s. Adults with lower levels of education—without college degrees—are twice as likely to cohabit as those with college degrees.

Source: Pew Research Center

Download full pdf publication | Link to Executive Summary and infographics

E-reader ownership doubles in six months

Overview:

The percent of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011. Hispanic adults, adults younger than age 65, college graduates and those living in households with incomes of at least $75,000 are most likely to own e-book readers. Parents are also more likely than non-parents to own these devices.

Tablet computers have not seen the same level of growth among U.S. adults in recent months. In May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Xoom. This is roughly the same percentage of adults who reported owning this kind of device in January 2011 (7%), and represents just a 3 percentage-point increase in ownership since November 2010. Overall, the highest rates of tablet ownership are among Hispanic adults and those with household incomes of at least $75,000 annually.

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Download full pdf publication | Download pdf questionnaire | Link to online overview

How Performance Information Affects Human-Capital Investment Decisions: The Impact of Test-Score Labels on Educational Outcomes

Students receive abundant information about their educational performance, but how this information affects future educational-investment decisions is not well understood. Increasingly common sources of information are state-mandated standardized tests. On these tests, students receive a score and a label that summarizes their performance. Using a regression-discontinuity design, we find persistent effects of earning a more positive label on the college-going decisions of urban, low-income students. Consistent with a Bayesian-updating model, these effects are concentrated among students with weaker priors, specifically those who report before taking the test that they do not plan to attend a four-year college.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research : NBER Working Paper No. 17120

Download full pdf publication | Link to online abstract

The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color

The report seeks to identify not only what we know but also what we don’t know about young men of color. It places this investigation within the context of President Obama’s call for the United States to retake its position as the world’s best educated nation. America cannot achieve this lofty goal without seriously engaging
the issue of increased diversity on college campuses. It is also clear from the existing research, however, that the situation is much more complex than simply addressing the gender disparities now emerging.Young women of color, though performing better than young men, are themselves still in need of serious attention. This, therefore, cannot be seen as a zero-sum game. While greater attention needs to be paid to the growing disparity between young women and young men of color, clearly, we will have to devise ways of serving both populations well.

Source: College Board [via New York Times]

Download full pdf publication | Link to NYT Article

Big Ideas for the Future

Big Ideas for the Future is a new report from Research Councils UK (RCUK) and Universities UK that explores the excellent research taking place in UK higher education at the moment and what it will mean for us in 20 years time. It features research from all fields including science, engineering, social sciences, medicine and the arts and humanities, and is supported by personalities including Lord Karan Bilimoria, Professor Lord Robert Winston, Dr Alice Roberts and Professor Iain Stewart.

Big Ideas for the Future demonstrates the value of public investment in higher education and research and the positive impact this has on economic growth and the social wellbeing of the UK.

Source: Research Councils UK (RCUK) and Universities UK

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African Youth Report

This Report seeks to promote new and deeper knowledge of the potential of African young people and the broad conditions that have an influence on this potential. It acknowledges the predicament of African young people today, noting that they share visions and aspirations that are seemingly beyond their reach, yet are essential elements of today’s societies and the future which awaits coming generations.

Source: United Nations, Economic Commission for Africa [via U.N. Pulse]

Download full pdf publication | Link to report Site

California Language Archive: Open to all

A catalog and online archive of the indigenous languages of California, western North America, and the Americas

The site is filled with downloadable digital content that includes rare audio recordings and written documentation. A few examples include 51 hours of Wintu songs and conversations, the hummingbird fire story recited in the nearly extinct language of Nisenan, and handwritten notes on Chochenyo that are based on linguist and ethnographer J.P. Harrington’s work with the language’s last good speaker.

Link to California Language Archive

Once Burned, Twice Shy: How Naïve Learning, Counterfactuals, and Regret Affect the Repurchase of Stocks Previously Sold

Investors’ previous experiences with a stock affect their willingness to repurchase the stock. Using detailed trades data for two brokers, we document that investors are reluctant (1) to repurchase stocks previously sold for a loss and (2) to repurchase stocks that have risen in price subsequent to a prior sale. We propose that this behavior is driven by investors’ emotional reactions to trading and their attempts to distance themselves from negative emotions (e.g., disappointment and regret). Investors are disappointed when they sell a stock for a loss and regret having ever purchased the stock; these negative emotions deter investors from later repurchasing stocks sold for a loss. Having sold a stock, investors are disappointed if the stock continues to rise and regret having sold the stock in the first place; these negative emotions deter investors from repurchasing stocks that go up after being sold. Thus investors engage in reinforcement learning, by repurchasing stocks whose previous purchase resulted in positive emotions and avoiding stocks whose previous purchase resulted in negative emotions.

Source: U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business, Terrance Odean

Download full pdf publication | Link to news release

Search Diversion, Rent Extraction and Competition

Retailers, search engines, shopping malls and other intermediaries often deliberately design their physical layouts or e-commerce sites in order to divert customers' attention away from the products they were initially looking for, with hopes that they'll buy a bunch of other products, too. This paper explores various incentives for so-called "search diversion" in a couple of scenarios—when stores internalize their affiliation decisions with intermediaries, and when competition is introduced among intermediaries. Research was conducted by Andrei Hagiu of Harvard Business School and Bruno Jullien of the Toulouse School of Economics.

Source:Harvard Business School, Working Paper Series

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Application of Religious Law in U.S. Courts: Selected Legal Issues

This report discusses proposals to limit the consideration by domestic courts of religious principles in general, and Islamic law in particular. It explains the role that religious law and beliefs may play in U.S. courts and analyzes the constitutional protections for religion in the First Amendment. Finally, the report also addresses the role of foreign and international law generally in U.S. courts and potential unintended consequences of restrictions on the consideration of religious or foreign law.

Source: Congressional Research Service [via federation of American Scientists

Download full pdf publication

Pew Report: Social Networking Sites and Our Lives

From the overview:

Questions have been raised about the social impact of widespread use of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter. Do these technologies isolate people and truncate their relationships? Or are there benefits associated with being connected to others in this way? The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project decided to examine social networking sites in a survey that explored people’s overall social networks and how use of these technologies is related to trust, tolerance, social support, and community and political engagement.

The findings presented here paint a rich and complex picture of the role that digital technology plays in people's social worlds. Wherever possible, we seek to disentangle whether people's varying social behaviors and attitudes are related to the different ways they use social networking sites, or to other relevant demographic characteristics, such as age, gender and social class.

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Download full pdf publication | Download topline questionnaire | Link to online overview

Dimensions of Health in the Elderly Population

In this paper, we characterize the multi-faceted health of the elderly and understand how health along multiple dimensions has changed over time. Our data are from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, 1991-2007. We show that 19 measures of health can be combined into three broad categories: a first dimension representing severe physical and social incapacity such as difficulty dressing or bathing; a second dimension representing less severe difficulty such as walking long distances or lifting heavy objects; and a third dimension representing vision and hearing impairment. These dimensions have changed at different rates over time. The first and third have declined rapidly over time, while the second has not. The improvement in health is not due to differential mortality of the sick or a new generation of more healthy people entering old age. Rather, the aging process itself is associated with less rapid deterioration in health. We speculate about the factors that may lead to this.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research

Download full pdf publication | Link to online abstract

Increased educational attainment and its effect on child mortality

Between 1970 and 2009, women of reproductive age worldwide have doubled the average number of years of education they have been able to attain, and this increase is estimated to be responsible for lowering the mortality rate in children by more than half, according to a study by IHME researchers. The study, Increased educational attainment and its effect on child mortality in 175 countries between 1970 and 2009: a systematic analysis, shows that women are advancing further in school than at any time in recent history.

Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

Article published in the Lancet: Abstract | pdf Article (Academic Institutional Subscribers)

IHME : Overview with links to data methods and visualization

Making Food Safer to Eat

Reducing contamination from the farm to the table

Each year, roughly 1 in 6 people in the US gets sick from eating contaminated food. The 1,000 or more reported outbreaks that happen each year reveal familiar culprits—Salmonella and other common germs. We know that reducing contamination works. During the past 15 years, a dangerous type of E. coli infection, responsible for the recall of millions of pounds of ground beef, has been cut almost in half. Yet during that same time, Salmonella infection, which causes more hospitalizations and deaths than any other type of germ found in food and $365 million in direct medical costs annually, has not declined. Each year, 1 million people get sick from eating food contaminated with Salmonella. Applying lessons learned from reducing E. coli O157 infections could help reduce illness caused by Salmonella.

Source: U.S. Center for Disease Control

Download full pdf publication | Link to online report

The Geography of Immigrant Skills: Educational Profiles of Metropolitan Areas

Despite public perception of immigrants as being pooly educated, the high-skilled U.S. immigrant population today out numbers the low-skilled population. Fourty-four of the nations 100 largest metropolitan areas are high-skill immigrant destinations, in which college-educated immigrants outnumber immigrants without high school diplomas by at least 25 percent.

Source the Brookings Institution

Download full pdf publication | Link to online summary

How educated are state legislators?

The Chronicle has looked at where each of the 7,000-plus state legislators in America went to college—or whether they went at all. In doing so, we got a glimpse of how the citizens who hold these seats reflect the average American experience.

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education

Link to online interactive infographic

Medicaid Works: A Review of How Public Insurance Protects the Health and Finances of Children and Other Vulnerable Populations

...the report describes the enormous success of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in increasing health insurance coverage among children; strengthening access to medical, health, and developmental services; and safeguarding the finances of low-income families and individuals. The brief also explores the potential impact of the fiscal year 2012 budget resolution approved by the House of Representatives, which would block grant the Medicaid program. Such a proposal would end Medicaid as we know it- causing states to reduce enrollment, limit benefits, cut provider payments, and shift more costs onto the children and families who rely on public programs.

Source: First Focus / George Washington University

Download full pdf report | Download summary and key findings | Link to press release

Arts Integration in Teacher Preparation: Teaching the Teachers

This classroom study focused on modeling a hands-on approach for understanding classroom applications of multiple intelligence theory through arts-based integration. Thirty-five preservice teachers enrolled in Educational Psychology classes participated in an interdisciplinary geometry lesson modeling Artful Learning™, experiencing an arts- based pedagogical approach in the lesson. Students identified and described geometric concepts and relationships and photographed geometrical elements authentically on campus as part of the model’s original creation. Assessment of lesson objectives revealed that students appreciated arts-based pedagogy, but had difficulty translating theory into practice when creating their original lesson plans. Discussion includes reflective responses of preservice teachers to inquiry and arts-based classroom instruction for enhancing student understanding, as well as implications for integrating art pedagogy in professional practices.

Source: Center for Learning through the Arts and Technology, UC Irvine

Download full pdf publication | Link to online abstract at eScholarship Repository

Complete Pentagon Papers Released

The Pentagon Papers, officially titled "Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force", was commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in 1967. In June of 1971, small portions of the report were leaked to the press and widely distributed. However, the publications of the report that resulted from these leaks were incomplete and suffered from many quality issues.

On the 40th anniversary of the leak to the press, the National Archives, along with the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon Presidential Libraries, has released the complete report. There are 48 boxes and approximately 7,000 declassified pages. Approximately 34% of the report is available for the first time.

Source: National Archives

Link to read more about declassified Pentagon Papers | Download pdf index | Link to download Pentagon Papers in sections

Public Views of Middle East Unchanged by Recent Events

Major events in the Middle East –including tensions between the U.S. and Israel, growing political unrest in many Arab countries, and the death of Osama bin Laden – have had little effect on public attitudes toward the region.



The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted May 25-30 among 1,509 adults, finds that the public continues to cast a wary eye on the turmoil sweeping the Middle East.

Source: Pew Research Center for People and the Press

Download full pdf report | Download pdf Questionnaire | Link to online overview and graphs.

The Battle Behind the Wire U.S. Prisoner and Detainee Operations from World War II to Iraq

Abstract:

Although prisoner of war and detainee operations ultimately tend to become quite extensive, military planners and policymakers have repeatedly treated such operations as an afterthought. In reality, such operations can be a central part of the successful prosecution of a conflict. Determining how to gain knowledge from, hold, question, influence, and release captured adversaries can be an important component of military strategy and doctrine, both during the conflict and in reconstruction afterward. This monograph finds parallels in U.S. prisoner and detainee operations in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq: underestimation of the number to be held, hasty scrambling for resources to meet operational needs, and inadequate doctrine and policy. During the later phases of military operations, an attempt is often made to educate prisoners and detainees and influence their social and political values. The results of a survey by RAND researchers of Iraq detainees contravene many assumptions that had been guiding decisions related to detainee operations. The survey found that local and personal motives, along with nationalism, were more prevalent than religious ones and that detainees were often economic opportunists rather than illiterates seeking economic subsistence through the insurgency. Recommendations include that detailed doctrine should be in place prior to detention and that detainees should be surveyed when first detained.

Source: RAND Corporation

Download full pdf publication | Link to online abstract

FCC Working Group Delivers New Report: Information Needs of Communities.

The FCC Working Group on the Information Needs of Communities has delivered an in-depth analysis of the current state of the media landscape along with a broad range of recommendations. The staff-level report, titled “Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age” was delivered to the FCC at an open commission meeting.

Source: Federal Communications Commission

Download full pdf report | Download press release| Link to FCC

Report: Information seeking behaviours of doctoral students born between 1982-1994

Tech-savvy doctoral students increasingly look to open web technologies

The UK’s largest survey of the information seeking behaviours of doctoral students born between 1982-1994, commonly dubbed generation Y, shows a ‘modest increase’ in the students’ use of web technology in the last year.

Compared with a sample of older students, more of the generation Y sample had used at least one kind of open web or Web 2.0 technology with only 8% saying they had used none at all.

The report shows that passive use of these open web technologies is more common than active use. Researchers are reading wikis and blogs without adding to them; they make passive use of internet forums for research, and few blog themselves. For example, while 29% made passive use of internet discussion forums, only 13% were active on them.

Source: British Library/ JISC

Download full pdf report | Link to reports site that includes video interviews

Hidden value of nature

From the Press Release:

The UK NEA has used new approaches to estimate the value of the natural world by taking account of the economic, health and social benefits we get from nature.

While in the past people may have thought that caring for the environment meant extra financial burdens, the UK NEA shows that there are real economic reasons for looking after nature. The NEA also shows that the benefits we get to our health, well being and from the enjoyment of nature have not always been fully appreciated or valued.

The assessment provides values for a range of ecosystem services to help us fully understand the value of the natural environment and how the benefits to individuals and society as a whole can be better protected and preserved for future generations.

Source: United Kingdom National Ecosystem Assessment, Department of environment, food, and rural affairs.

Download pdf publication | Link to Press Release

Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from early adolescence to young adulthood

An estimated 2,500 youth are newly infected with HIV every day, with women and adolescent girls facing a disproportionately higher risk, according to a new joint report by the United Nations and the World Bank that calls for a “chain of prevention” to protect young people.

“Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from early adolescence to young adulthood” presents, for the first time, data on HIV infections among young people and identifies factors that increase risk of infection as well as opportunities to strengthen prevention.

Source: United Nations

Download full pdf publication | Link to online press release

Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education

Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education reviews and synthesizes relevant research from economics, psychology, education, and related fields about how incentives work in educational accountability systems. The book helps identify circumstances in which test-based incentives may have a positive or a negative impact on student learning and offers recommendations for how to improve current test-based accountability policies. The most important directions for further research are also highlighted.

Source: National Academies Press

Download full pdf (free registration required) | Link to online summary

Geographic Adjustment in Medicare Payment: Phase I: Improving Accuracy

Medicare is the largest health insurer in the United States, providing coverage for 39 million people aged 65 and older and 8 million people with disabilities. Although Medicare is a national program, it adjusts fee-for-service payments according to the geographic location of a practice. At the request of Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined ways to improve the accuracy of data sources and methods used for making the geographic adjustments in payments to providers. The IOM recommends an integrated approach that includes moving to a single source of wage and benefits data; changing to one set of payment areas and labor markets; and expanding the range of occupations included in the index calculations.

Source: National Academies Press

Download pdf (registration required) | Link to National Academies site

U.S. Hispanic Country of Origin Counts for Nation, Top 30 Metropolitan Areas

From the introduction:

Hispanics of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban origin or descent remain the nation's three largest Hispanic country-of-origin groups, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. However, while the relative position of these three groups has remained unchanged since 2000, the next four Hispanic sub-groups grew faster during the decade.

Source: Pew Hispanic Center

Download full pdf publication | Link to online summary | Link to interactive graphics

Internet should remain as open as possible – UN expert on freedom of expression

UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression Frank La Rue warned Friday that fearful Governments are increasingly restricting the flow of information on the Internet due to its potential to mobilize people to challenge the status quo.

“In recent months, we have seen a growing movement of people around the world who are advocating for change – for justice, equality, accountability of the powerful and better respect for human rights,” Mr. La Rue said while presenting his new report* on the right to freedom of opinion and expression on the Internet to the UN Human Rights Council.

“However, the unique features of the Internet, which allow individuals to spread information instantly, to organize themselves, and to inform the world about situations of injustice and inequality, have also created fear among Governments and the powerful,” the expert said.

In his report, Mr. La Rue explores key trends and challenges to the right of all individuals to exercise their right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed in article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

While noting that the Internet is a relatively new communication medium, the expert stressed the applicability of the international human rights framework when assessing whether Governments are unduly restricting the flow of information online.

Source: United Nations: General Assembly, Human Rights Council

Download full pdf publication | Link to press release

The Copyright Rebellion: Chronicle of Higher Education series of articles

New lawsuits and policies have hobbled teaching and research. Now scholars are pushing back.

In a special report, The Chronicle looks at university faculty and staff members who are pushing, in court and on campus, to keep teaching and research from being starved of material.

Online Articles:

A Professor Takes His Fight to the Supreme Court

The Million-Book Lockup

Putting Fair Use Forward

2 Universities Under Threat

What You Don't Know About Copyright, but Should

The Condition of Education 2011

The Condition of Education 2011 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 50 indicators on the status and condition of education, in addition to a closer look at postsecondary education by institutional level and control. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available. The 2011 print edition includes indicators in five main areas: (1) participation in education; (2) learner outcomes; (3) student effort and educational progress; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education; and (5) the contexts of postsecondary education.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Download full pdf publication | Download pdf summary | Link to online description with more pdf download options

The Economics of Risky Health Behaviors

Abstract:

Risky health behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use, unprotected sex, and poor diets and sedentary lifestyles (leading to obesity) are a major source of preventable deaths. This chapter overviews the theoretical frameworks for, and empirical evidence on, the economics of risky health behaviors. It describes traditional economic approaches emphasizing utility maximization that, under certain assumptions, result in Pareto-optimal outcomes and a limited role for policy interventions. It also details nontraditional models (e.g. involving hyperbolic time discounting or bounded rationality) that even without market imperfections can result in suboptimal outcomes for which government intervention has greater potential to increase social welfare. The chapter summarizes the literature on the consequences of risky health behaviors for economic outcomes such as medical care costs, educational attainment, employment, wages, and crime. It also reviews the research on policies and strategies with the potential to modify risky health behaviors, such as taxes or subsidies, cash incentives, restrictions on purchase and use, providing information and restricting advertising. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research

Download pdf publication | Link to abstract at NBER

Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety

The National Center for Education Statistics collects data on crime and violence in U.S. public schools through the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). This First Look report presents findings from the 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety data collection.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Download full pdf | Link to online description | Link to previous SSOCS collections