Aims: Community outreach services play an important role in infectious disease prevention and engaging drug users not currently in treatment. However, fewer than half of US substance abuse treatment units provide these services and many have little financial incentive to do so. Unit directors generally have latitude about scope of services,…

In this study the authors test whether matching using intact local groups improves causal estimates over those produced using propensity score matching at the student level. Like the recent analysis of Wilde and Hollister (2007), they draw on data from Project STAR to estimate the effect of small class sizes on student achievement. They propose a…

Organizational commitment has been a topic of extensive interest in the organizational behavior literature since the 1950's. It has been associated with workforce stability, decreased absenteeism, organizational citizenship behaviors, and decreased turnover. This study focuses on the relationships between organizational commitment and…

A conversation has emerged in education circles over how much latitude or autonomy principals should have. So how much autonomy should superintendents give principals, and how much is too much? The authors report on some relevant findings in research by McREL, a federal research lab, that may answer this question. McREL's meta-analysis of research…

Working with data from the PISA study (OECD, 2007), Lynn (2010) has argued that individuals from South Italy average an IQ approximately 10 points lower than individuals from North Italy, and has gone on to put forward a series of conclusions on the relationship between average IQ, latitude, average stature, income, etc. The present paper…

This article provides key findings from a study of 30 principals working in charter and conventional schools in two northeastern states. It aims to inform policy makers regarding how principals could more positively influence teacher quality. It focuses on the following questions: (1) What influenced how principals hired, assigned, evaluated, and…

How did human intelligence evolve to be so high? Lynn [Lynn, R. (1991). The evolution of race differences in intelligence. Mankind Quarterly, 32, 99-173] and Rushton [Rushton, J.P. (1995). Race, evolution, and behavior: A life history perspective. New Brunswick: Transaction] suggest that the main forces behind the evolution of human intelligence…

Scientific journals have been retracting unreliable articles at rapidly escalating rates in the past few years, raising concern about whether research faces a burgeoning ethical crisis. Various causes have been suspected, with the common theme being that journals are seeing more cases of plagiarism and fudging of data as researchers and editors…

Findings from an evaluation of a workplace literacy program funded by the State of Indiana are presented. Working with employers, providers were given considerable latitude to design their own training regimens. The state awarded certificates to workers who achieved certain levels of proficiency in reading, math, critical thinking, problem solving…

High school students learn about the sun's effects on the earth by examining the concepts of latitude and longitude, seasons, and time. Each of these topics is treated in a separate, but similarly organized, unit. Relevant vocabulary is introduced, and complex terms are clarified with diagrams and illustrations. In the unit on time, potentially…

Attitudinal content cannot be adequately measured by a single score expressing a most acceptable position but must also include latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and noncommitment.'' (Author)

The deepening financial crisis that is now affecting markets and people around the globe gives new context to what the nation is facing. Americans cannot think of business as usual in any sector of public or private life, including higher education. President-elect Barack Obama will have very little financial latitude and enormous immediate…

Reviews the way in which collective bargaining has eroded the prerogative of school boards in curriculum management and innovation. A persistent problem is that school boards need input from teachers on curriculum concerns, yet they must retain decision-making latitude by keeping curriculum issues out of bargaining contracts. (TE)

Background: Teachers' work overload has been the subject of intense research, and the results of these studies show that a substantial proportion of teachers perceive their job as very stressful. Aims: To investigate how different formulations of high demands and low decision latitude was related to teachers' burnout, and to estimate the possible…

A wide latitude of student course selection in high school magnifies the social stratification of educational outcomes. Following a demanding academic curriculum is associated with higher academic achievement. Less advantaged students generally choose a less demanding study program than their more advantaged counterparts. Less advantaged families…