Population Studies and Training Center
In the Media
PSTC Professor of Education Matthew Kraft advocates for a plan to recruit and train thousands of tutors across America.
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The Guardian
Can we trust Chinese Covid-19 science?
Since the SARS epidemic, China has transformed their public health system and become a leader in the COVID-19 response, according to PSTC Anthropologist Kate Mason.
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In a podcast interview, faculty associate Emily Oster shares data from her online platform that tracks coronavirus cases in schools around the country.
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The New York Times
The Coronavirus Mostly Spares Younger Children. Teens Aren’t So Lucky.
Faculty associate Megan Ranney says that data surrounding COVID-19 testing on children may only be "catching" symptomatic cases.
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Faculty Associate Megan Ranney stresses the importance of masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and argues that these officials are sending the American public the wrong message by failing to follow health precautions.
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Faculty associate Megan Ranney comments on the proliferation of ineffective masks in hospitals due to a national N95 mask shortage.
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Faculty affiliate John Friedman comments on inequalities in the recovery to an economic crisis like that of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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From sending kids back to school to flying on an airplane, faculty affiliate Emily Oster explore how everyone make better choices amid the pandemic.
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Washington Monthly Magazine
Repeal-Proofing the Biden Administration
Faculty affiliate Andrew Schrank argues that if Joe Biden is elected president, he should give workers tangible benefits early on in his term to safeguard his policies from future repeals.
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As one of the first to publish research on the newly unsealed archives of Pope Pius XII, faculty associate David Kertzer explores whether the former Pope displayed indifference to Jewish suffering during the holocaust.
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Faculty associate Emily Oster discusses how relying on data can help parents—including herself—make informed decisions during the pandemic.
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Education Week Teacher
Teachers Felt Less Successful During the Spring School Closures, Survey Finds
Faculty associate Matthew Kraft comments on the importance of teachers' own perceptions of their self-efficacy.
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The Boston Globe
A tragic milestone, an uncertain future
In an op-ed for the Boston Globe, faculty associate Megan Ranney reflects upon Rhode Island's coronavirus response and the tragic milestone of 1000 R.I. deaths from COVID-19.
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The Providence Journal
R.I. faces uncertain COVID-19 prognosis for fall
PSTC faculty associates Mark Lurie and Megan Ranney caution that Rhode Islanders must continue to practice protective measures against COVID-19 if the state expects its relative success against the virus to continue in the coming months.
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The New York Times
Are Protests Dangerous? What Experts Say May Depend on Who’s Protesting What
Faculty associate Mark Lurie comments on the potential for COVID-19 transmission at recent protests in the US.
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The Atlantic
Parents Can't Wait Around Forever
Faculty associate Emily Oster discusses the need for better data on kids, schools, and COVID-19.
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The New York Times
What is Owed: Without Economic Justice, There Can Be No True Equality
Faculty associate John Logan's work on residential income segregation is cited.
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The New York Times
The Rich Cut Their Spending. That Has Hurt All the Workers Who Count on It.
Faculty associate John Friedman comments on consumer spending during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Faculty Associate John Papay comments on disparities in college completion and earnings among students of different backgrounds with similar MCAS scores.
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Faculty associate John Friedman comments on the potential long-term economic effects of the pandemic.
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The New York Times
When Couples Fight about Virus Risks
Faculty associate Emily Oster comments on how parents should assess risks associated with Covid-19.
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Cultural Anthropology: Fieldsights
Missing the Revolution with Covid-19: On Hindsight and Ethnographic Expertise
Faculty associate Kate Mason comments on her early assumptions about Covid-19.
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Faculty associate John Friedman comments on unemployment during the COVID pandemic.
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Faculty associate Michael White comments on the potential for population shifts in New York City due to the coronavirus.
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PSTC faculty associate Mark Lurie comments on the epidemic curve.
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PSTC faculty associate and Professor of Economics David Weil discusses the economic impacts of the pandemic.
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PSTC faculty associate Andrea Flores discusses the sacrifices older siblings make for younger siblings' education.
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The New York Times
Peaks, Testing, Lockdowns: How Coronavirus Vocabulary Causes Confusion
Faculty associate Mark Lurie comments on how COVID-19 cases are reported.
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Plan A Magazine
COVID-19 and Imaginaries of China
PSTC Postdoctoral Fellow Grazia Deng, an anthropologist, discusses anti-Chinese sentiment in the age of coronavirus.
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Hechinger Report
Labeling kids with mild disabilities can backfire, study finds
Research on childhood ADHD diagnoses by PSTC faculty associate Jayanti Owens is highlighted.
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From the Newsroom: The Providence Journal
Mark Lurie, Brown University epidemiologist,discusses COVID-19
PSTC faculty associate Mark Lurie discusses the coronavirus epidemic in a podcast with the Providence Journal.
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The New York Times
A Simple Way to Equalize the Ivies? Give Others the Legacy SAT Bonus
PSTC faculty associate John Friedman discusses how to make college admissions more equitable.
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PSTC faculty associate Kate Mason comments on the potential consequences of overreacting to the coronavirus outbreak.
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PSTC faculty associate Kate Mason comments on the potential for a new global pandemic.
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PSTC Faculty Associate Matthew Gutmann debunks the myth that biological determinism drives and explains human male violence.
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The Nation
What Never-Ending War Does to Kids
PSTC Alum Andrea Mazzarino considers the effects of war on children's education.
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Vermont Public Radio
Why Do We Have to Go to School?
PSTC Associate Emily Rauscher answers children's questions about school.
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National Academy of Medicine
National Academy of Medicine Honors Three Members for Outstanding Service
PSTC Associate David Savitz receives prestigious honor.
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The Boston Globe
Miracle on the Mystic: Chelsea, Everett, and the New American Dream
"The Opportunity Atlas: Mapping the Childhood Roots of Social Mobility," a study coauthored by Economist John Friedman.
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BBC Radio
The Problem with Boys
Why are boys failing at school? What can be done about it? And, can experts agree on root causes? Jayanti Owens provides commentary based on her education and gender research.
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Washington Examiner
What do you think of the economy? Depends on which party you're in
Jesse Shapiro provides insight on political polarization.
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Partly filmed at the PSTC, Economist Emily Oster reveals key data points that challenge conventional parenting wisdom.
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Scientific American
Debate Arises over Teaching “Growth Mindsets” to Motivate Students
Research shows conflicting data on the impact of the intervention, but a major new study confirms it can work. PSTC Educational Economist Matthew Kraft provided commentary for this article.
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Idaho Press article references the work of PSTC Anthropologist and Epidemiologist Stephen McGarvey, who studies obesity in the South Pacific.
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A study led by Associate Professor Matthew Kraft, which found text messages sent to parents of elementary school children helped encourage children to take part in literacy activities during the summer months, was featured.
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Current research led by PSTC Sociologist Michael White is referenced for its work advancing the understanding of how migration and urbanization impact population health in South Africa.
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Economist Emily Oster addresses the practicalities and logistics of parenting and working.
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An analysis led by PSTC Associate Jayanti Owens found that different treatment of black and white students accounted for half of the racial gap in school suspensions and expulsions among 5- to 9-year-old children.
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Pacific Standard
Research Debunks the Myth that Mexican Immigrants Can’t Assimilate
A study by PSTC Associate and Professor of Sociology David Lindstrom finds that Mexican immigrants are learning English and regularly interacting with non-Mexicans at higher rates, the Pacific Standard reports.
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The New Yorker
The Messy Reality of Personalized Learning
The practice of personalized learning is the latest ed-tech trend out of Silicon Valley. Associate Professor Matthew Kraft believes the new education model's claims to transform schools are exaggerated, he tells The New Yorker.
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