To help students regain academic ground lost during the pandemic, schools have often rearranged their class schedules to eke out more time for instruction in individual subjects. But new research suggests adding extra time to the school calendar—rather than rescheduling classes—is what really adds up for students over time.
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Entrepreneurial Responses to Infrastructure Failures in Nigeria
PSTC researcher Daniel Jordan Smith’s 2022 book documents how citizen-government relationships in Nigeria have been impacted by the state’s infrastructural shortcomings.
The top 1% of American earners now own more wealth than the entire middle class
The top 1% of American earners now control more wealth than the nation’s entire middle class, federal data show.
Free New AI Tool to Help Americans Search and Compare Student Test Scores Across All 50 States
Brown University’s Emily Oster says Zelma could democratize school performance data as schools struggle to recover from pandemic.
Science of Reading Push Helped Some States Exceed Pre-Pandemic Performance
Brown University analysis of test data shows that ‘recovery is possible,’ but many states lag behind.
Brown University Unites Against Future Contagions
A research project called MAPPS is convening a wide array of community members to better understand how social mixing contributes to virus spread, and how that may inform future pandemic response.
The Launch of a Project on Mesoamerican Migration
Using innovative survey techniques, the project aims to comprehensively document the experiences of migrants to the U.S. from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
An Innovation System That Works
Before rushing to build the next DARPA, we need to assess the R&D model we have.
Legislating Inequity: Structural Racism In Groups Of State Laws And Associations With Premature Mortality Rates
Most evaluations of health equity policy have focused on the effects of individual laws. However, multiple laws’ combined effects better reflect the crosscutting nature of structurally racist legal regimes.
EPA to propose full ban on chemical linked to Woburn leukemia cluster
The childhood cancer cases and subsequent litigation were chronicled in ‘A Civil Action.’
Racial Discrimination in Child Protective Services
Childhood experiences have an enormous impact on children’s long-term societal contributions. Experiencing childhood maltreatment is associated with compromised physical and mental health, decreased educational attainment and future earnings, and increased criminal activity.
New SAT Data Highlights the Deep Inequality at the Heart of American Education
The differences in how rich and poor children are educated start very early.
International Experts to Feature in Keraleeyam Seminars
Robin Jeffrey, a visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, and Patrick Heller, Professor of Sociology and International and Public Affairs at Brown University in the U.S., will speak at a session on Kerala economy.
A Community-Driven Project to Analyze Local Drug Supply
As part of the TestRI research project, PSTC epidemiologist Alexandra B. Collins worked alongside RI community partners to better understand and mitigate local overdose risk.
Math test scores show some recovery from pandemic learning loss; reading scores stagnant
The scores offer among the most comprehensive national pictures of student learning, pointing to some progress but persistent challenges.
How to smash the class ceiling in the workplace
We like to think of the workplace as a meritocracy, but is it really?
New Report Identifies Policies to Reduce Intergenerational Poverty in the U.S.
Implementing a portfolio of programs and policies to reduce intergenerational poverty would yield a high payoff for children and the entire nation, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Youngkin wants tutors for many students. Where will they come from?
Virginia educators say that it will be difficult to find enough tutors to implement Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new plan to boost test scores for elementary and middle school students.
Education, Growth, and Religion
Dayo Sobowale argues that religion has a way of interfering with states’ capacity for sustainable growth.
They moved to Vermont for climate safety. Then came floods.
In the past few years, Vermont has earned high rankings for its relatively low climate risk. A 2020 ProPublica report classified four Vermont counties as part of the top 10 across the country that are least likely to suffer from climate change effects like wildfires, extreme heat, and sea level rise.
Can Teachers and Parents Get Better at Talking to One Another?
Families are more anxious than ever to find out what happens in school. But there may be value in a measure of not-knowing and not-telling.
Big Tech and Its Discontents
Does technology still have what it takes to make life better?
The U.S. had more than 9 million open roles in June, and while that’s down from the peak of 12 million in March 2022, it’s still among the highest number of openings we’ve had since before 2000.
PSTC Researcher Investigates Social Determinants of Gender Differences in Dementia
Assistant Professor of Population Studies Meghan Zacher explores potential link between educational inequality and women’s increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Declining birth rates and falling enrollments prompt school consolidation concerns
Concerns over school closures in Rhode Island are being sped up by a rapid drop in public school students. The state has 17,000 fewer students enrolled in public schools than it did in 1999.
Drivers on the 405 Freeway in O.C. could pay $10 tolls, get extra lanes. Would it help with traffic?
Critics of freeway expansion projects cite the need to combat climate change and air pollution, the legacy of displacing and polluting communities of color, and research that shows that expanding freeways doesn’t alleviate traffic congestion.
The roots of cultural diversity
Societal diversity fosters creativity and cultural cross-pollination, but can also hinder social cohension. This column uses data on oral traditions and folkloric motifs across the world to examine the impact of the prehistoric migration of humans out of Africa on cultural diversity.
A digital ‘atlas’ of the refugee imprint in Greece
Is the trauma of displacement enduring? What is its impact – on the economy, on electoral behavior, on art – even decades later? How is a society affected when it suddenly needs to take in a large number of refugees?
Elevated Office Blood Pressure: Exploring the Effect of Adapted Mindfulness Training
About 46% of Americans have hypertension, among whom more than 75% do not have it under control. “Hypertension is a primary cause of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading killer in the United States and worldwide,” says Eric B. Loucks, PhD.
Ending health disparities requires full federal government, National Academies panel says
To narrow the nation’s deeply entrenched health disparities, a permanent entity with regulatory powers should be created by the president to oversee health equity efforts across the entire federal government, says a report issued by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
PSTC Researcher Uncovers Educational Disparities among Africa’s Largest Religious Populations
In his recently published paper, PSTC economist Stelios Michalopoulos investigates why Christian populations experience higher rates of educational mobility throughout Africa.
We must invest in behavioural economics for the HIV response
Effective HIV prevention and treatment are widely available, but services are underused and underdelivered. Behavioural economics offers insights into why this is and shows us cost-effective interventions to change behaviours.
Professor Oded Galor Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Athens University of Economics and Business
On July 6, 2023, members of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) community gathered in the Amphitheater “Leonidas Zervas” of the National Research Foundation in Athens to award an Honorary Doctorate of the Department of Economics, of the School of Economics, to Professor Oded Galor.
A new study shows how Medicaid coverage policies shape maternal health disparities
Medicaid is an essential source of maternal and postpartum care for low-income Americans, covering 42% of births in the U.S. But many immigrants don’t have access to this coverage, making them more vulnerable to maternal health problems, as highlighted by a new study of nearly 73,000 postpartum people across 19 states and New York City between 2012 and 2019.
Study of Elite College Admissions Data Suggests Being Very Rich Is Its Own Qualification
Elite colleges have long been filled with the children of the richest families: At Ivy League schools, one in six students has parents in the top 1 percent. A large new study, released Monday, shows that it has not been because these children had more impressive grades on average or took harder classes.
The teaching profession is facing a post-pandemic crisis
Dire warnings of teacher shortages are nothing new, especially during the pandemic, and are sometimes overblown. But a confluence of warning signs suggest that the country is at a post-pandemic inflection point.
In Poorer Countries, Obesity Can Signal Financial Security
It’s not surprising that in places where food is scarce, obesity serves as a significant marker of wealth. But what the new study points out is that in poor countries, information is also scarce. And in those situations, loan officers use whatever bits of evidence they can find to help make critical economic decisions.
PSTC Economist Explores Link Between World War II Labor Policies and Racial Wage Gap
PSTC researcher Anna Aizer and her colleagues identify heightened wartime labor demand as source of increased economic opportunity for Black families.
Interview with bestselling 'The Journey of Humanity' author Oded Galor
Renowned economist and Nobel candidate Oded Galor spoke with RTL ahead of an event at Neumünster Abbey in late June to discuss his bestseller 'The Journey of Humanity.'
Americans are older than ever
The nation’s median age reached 38.9 in 2022, according to new Census data; that’s the highest it has ever been.
The Mount will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Summer Lecture Series with a weekend of panel discussions
David Kertzer will be a featured speaker at The Mount's 2023 Summer Lecture series. Now in its 30th year, the annual 8-part series brings leading biographers and historians to the Berkshires.
"It's clear from national data that there was a large decline in student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic," says study co-author Emily Oster.
Papay named Annenberg Institute’s permanent director
Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform’s interim director will now lead the institute on a permanent basis.
“Immigrant Student Research Project” Creates Living Record of Immigrant Graduate Student Experience
PSTC researchers are creating a new national database to record the triumphs of immigrant graduate students and highlight the remaining barriers to educational equity.
How important was your favorite teacher to your success? Researchers have done the math
For the lucky among us who have formed connections with a teacher, a school counselor or a coach, their value can seem immeasurable. That has not deterred a trio of researchers from trying to quantify that influence.
Education gap remains among religions in West Africa
Over the last three generations, Christian children in Africa have surpassed their parents’ level of education at a much higher rate than Muslim and traditionalist children there have, research shows.
A crazy idea worth considering: more school
Minnesota children spend fewer hours and days in the classroom than their peers nationwide. Among states with mandated instructional time, only Colorado requires fewer days than Minnesota, according to the Education Commission of the States.
Congratulations to our 2023 PSTC Graduates!
On Thursday, May 18, members of the PSTC community gathered to celebrate the graduation of 10 PSTC trainees who will receive PhDs from the Brown University Graduate School this month.
Chinese Doctor Who Sounded the Alarm on SARS Dies
Katherine Mason offers commentary on the legacy of Jiang Yanyong.
Providence safe injection site will be studied by Brown, NYU — what they're looking for
In 2021, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to authorize centers for people to consume illegal drugs under supervision, and now lessons learned in the Ocean State could help pave the way for similar harm-reduction efforts elsewhere.
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