The teaching/research trade-off in law: data from the right tail

BACKGROUND

There is a long scholarly debate on the trade-off between research and teaching in various fields, but relatively little study of the phenomenon in law. This analysis examines the relationship between the two core academic activities at one particular school, the University of Chicago Law School, which is considered one of the most productive in legal academia.

METHOD

We measure of scholarly productivity with the total number of publications by each professor for each year, and we approximate performance in teaching with course loads and average scores in student evaluations for each course. In OLS regressions, we estimate scholarly output as a function of teaching loads, faculty characteristics, and other controls. We also estimate teaching evaluation scores as a function of scholarly productivity, fixed effects for years and course subject, and faculty characteristics.

RESULT

Net of other factors, we find that, under some specifications, research and teaching are positively correlated. In particular, we find that students' perceptions of teaching quality rises, but at a decreasing rate, with the total amount of scholarship. We also find that certain personal characteristics correlate with productivity.

CONCLUSION

The recent debate on the mission of American law schools has hinged on the assumption that a trade-off exists between teaching and research, and this article's analysis, although limited in various ways, casts some doubt on that assumption.

Comparative morality judgments about lesbians and gay men teaching and adopting children

The purpose of this study was to compare morality judgments of American Catholics and the general public about lesbians and gay men adopting and teaching children. The general sample endorsed higher agreement that lesbians and gay men should be allowed to adopt and to teach children compared to the Catholic only sample. Older participants were less accepting than all other age groups, and there was an interaction effect between education and political ideology such that those with less education and with more politically conservative beliefs were generally less accepting of lesbians and gay men adopting and teaching children.

Evolution in the schools. Tennessee House bill opens door to challenges to evolution, climate change

U.S. science educators are wringing their hands over what they characterize as a significant legislative victory for those who oppose the teaching of evolution.

Darning, doylies and dancing: the work of the Leeds Association of Girls' Clubs (1904-1913)

The Leeds Association of Girls' Clubs (LAGC) was set up by a group of women, including Hilda Hargrove, Dr Lucy Buckley and Mary and Margaret Harvey, to promote collaboration between the city's girls' clubs. The organisation epitomised women working in partnership whilst reflecting their differing philanthropic and political interests. However LAGC's collaborative approach resulted in liberal consensus which downplayed the significance of girls' working conditions. Throughout the decade LAGC's focus was its annual competitions. These featured utilitarian and decorative handicrafts (darning and doylies) enshrining both frugality and aspiration, alongside dance and drill which channelled girls' vigour. Nevertheless, LAGC's resilience resulted in an organisation which is still in existence.

Sexual abuse by men who work with children

There is a dearth of knowledge about those who sexually abuse children while working in organizations. Here, we adopt a case study approach to examine this problem. We focus on eight adult males who had been imprisoned for abusing a total of 35 children while working in educational and voluntary settings. We provide a detailed account of abusers' characteristics, their strategies, how victims were selected, how trust was secured, and how victims' silence was ensured. Finally, we reflect on the extent to which our work might contribute toward the prevention of this form of abuse.

“One man one job”: the marriage ban and the employment of women teachers in Irish primary schools

In 1932, the Irish government, facing an economic downturn, introduced a marriage ban which required that female primary school teachers were required to resign on marriage. This followed a series of restrictive legislative measures adopted by Irish governments throughout the 1920s which sought to limit women's participation in public life and the public sector. Such a requirement emerged in several countries in response to high unemployment and applied principally to women's white-collar occupations, leading some commentators to argue that it stemmed from a social consensus rather than an economic rationale. Despite opposition to the ban from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) on the basis that it was unconstitutional, would lead to fewer marriages and that married women were in fact more suited to teaching children, it remained in place until 1958. Although the ban is much referred to as part of the gender ideology that informed legislation in the early years of independent Ireland, the particular history of married women teachers has been little researched in the academic context. Over 50 years since the rescinding of the ban, this article examines its impact through an analysis of primary sources, including government cabinet minutes and the public commentary of the INTO and positions this history within the international context.

Recovering childhood: play, pedagogy, and the rise of psychological knowledge in contemporary urban China

In the past few decades, China has witnessed the emergence of a psychological discourse of childhood.This new discourse portrays children as persons with unique emotional needs and seeks to redefine childhood as a time of play and relaxation rather than study or toil. Drawing on the results of ethnographic fieldwork in Shanghai's schools and homes in 2004-2005, the present article describes the complex ways Shanghai's teachers and parents engage with this normalizing, developmental discourse. It argues that the rise of a psychological discourse of childhood signals a shift in Chinese modes of governing school and family life, and in current conceptualizations of the child-as-citizen and the child-as-subject in postsocialist, urban China.

Maternity and modernity: Soviet women teachers and the contradictions of Stalinism

This article explores how Soviet political identities were shaped by maternal concerns and how mothers' practices were shaped by the professional obligations of teaching in the Stalinist 1930s. Exploring an occupation that became more female as it became more modern, a professional identity that denied or constrained female sexuality, a calling devoted to children that left little time for motherhood, and a social role that assigned the task of socialization to women who did not enjoy full civic rights, this study examines the ways that Stalinist mother teachers assumed a distinct identity through their practices at school and in the family. Identifying specific moments where these questions became public focuses attention on maternity and modernity in ways that illustrate how fully Stalinist repression penetrated into society and how the Soviet people perceived, accepted, challenged, or otherwise mediated the contradictory nature of these political forces.

Cultural encounters in the social sciences and humanities: Western émigré scholars in Turkey

Turkish modernization relied on the western social sciences and humanities not only as an abstract and distant model, but also in the form of close encounters and interactions with western refugee scholars. This article examines the activities of western intellectuals and experts who visited Turkey in the early republican era (1923-50), especially focusing on a group of èmigrè scholars who were employed in Turkey after the university reform of 1933. While European and North American social scientists were drawn to meticulous comparisons of "east" and "west" in this period, elites in the former component of this comparative dichotomy were seeking creative ways to turn this taxonomy to their advantage. In the Turkish case, the project of adopting modernity contained universalistic aspects intended to function for particular local needs. A body of racial, historical and linguistic theories attempted to create and sustain a nationally homogeneous society while, at the same time, emphasizing the contributions of Turkishness to western and modern history. Republican scholars tried to establish the Turkish origins of western civilization with the help of western social sciences in general and of western èmigrè scholars in particular. In the process of facilitating the local efforts to import western modernity into the specificity of Turkishness, refugee scholars encountered contradictory demands and employed different strategies to respond to these demands.

La relación docente-asistencial en el nuevo contexto que establece la reforma de salud

The new laws of the health reform in Chile, modified the pre-existent relationship between teaching and health care activities. This relationship allows the training of health care professionals by Universities, in the clinical services of the National System of Health Services that is dependent of the Ministry of Health. The new law established new requirements for specialization and quality of care accreditation. Up to the moment, the relationship between Health Care Services and the Universities was based on harmonic and consensual agreements between both counterparts. With the new law, such relationship becomes more relative and is based on new norms. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to establish a regulated and equilibrated relationship between both institutions, to assure the best possible training of health care professionals, in terms of skills and competences, to adequately satisfy the health needs of the population.

Participation of children with dyslexia in compulsory education: current public policy issues

The assessment and placement of children with dyslexia at appropriate schools has been regulated in the UK by a series of laws since 1944. Recent public policy developments such as the introduction of new duties and rights, and the development of law regarding educational negligence have sharpened the public policy debate on the effectiveness of these policies. This paper explores policy-related issues from an interdisciplinary perspective by outlining and discussing a sample of appellate legal cases regarding children with dyslexia. The provisions of these laws have shaped the actions of key stakeholders such as parents and councils. Similarly, the law on educational negligence has had a similar impact. Procedural rules of courts and tribunals have been equally important in restricting access to the courts by parents. Learning difficulty tests have further restricted their access. It is essential that provisions of the relevant Acts should be designed to enable these children to develop their academic and social skills in the same way as their non-dyslexic peers and to make the transition into employment and/or higher education successfully.

[Educational and training issues in occupational first aid: the requisites for the teachers of the workers responsible for first aid]

BACKGROUND

The inter-ministerial decree (D.I.) 388/03 (the Italian law on first aid in the workplace) attaches particular importance to the organization of first aid and to the content of the teaching and training of designated workers, specifying teaching objectives, programme and duration of courses. However it provides less details on the requirements and qualifications of the teachers and trainers.

OBJECTIVES

To discuss this topic in the light of the guidelines contained in the literature and the existing legislation.

METHODS

We used the specific references of literature and legislation concerning first aid training of designated workers.

RESULTS

The objectives and the content of the training courses call for a high level of professional competence and approach. Therefore, training of designated workers should be planned and carried out in accordance with the training standards used for the teaching and training of the so-called "lay rescuers".

CONCLUSIONS

The need to achieve high training standards for workers responsible for first aid at the workplace is to a large extent justified by the difficulty of the role of employees. This need follows the current tendency in regulations to guarantee adequate and up-dated training also for other agents operating within the system of workplace prevention. In this context the occupational physician plays a significant role in the training programmes for designated workers.

Is the new White Paper for higher education feasible?

In 2003, the government published a White Paper, ‘The Future of Higher Education’ (Deparment for Education and Skills, 2003), which set out a number of major reforms for the higher education sector. The recommendations are due to be implemented by 2006. This editorial addresses issues raised by recommendations relating to the improvement of teaching quality which specifically state: ‘New national professional standards for teaching in higher education will be established as the basis of accredited training for all staff, and all new teaching staff will receive accredited training by 2006’ and that ‘from 2006 all new teaching staff should obtain a teaching qualification that incorporates agreed professional standards’(Deparment for Education and Skills, 2003).

Rumo à regulamentação da utilização de animais no ensino e na pesquisa científica no Brasil

A comunidade científica brasileira clama por uma sistematização definitiva e por uma norma federal abrangente e realista, mais orientadora e reguladora, e menos sancionadora, onde a questão da pesquisa científica com animais possa ser mais bem contemplada. OBJETIVO: Descrever a situação em que se encontra a regulamentação para o uso de animais em treinamento e pesquisa científica, no Brasil. MÉTODOS: Foi identificada e discutida a legislação existente no Brasil e no Estado do Rio de Janeiro acerca da utilização de animais no treinamento e na pesquisa científica. RESULTADOS: Não existe norma geral sistematizadora atualizada referente à vivissecção e experimentação com animais, nem para fins didáticos, nem científicos. A única lei referente a esse tópico data de 1979 e não chegou a ser regulamentada. Leis mais recentes equiparam a prática de experimentos científicos aos atos de abuso e maus tratos de animais, na presença de tecnologia alternativa. No município do Rio de Janeiro, a prática de vivissecção e de experiências com animais em instituições veterinárias públicas municipais está proibida, desde 2001. Atualmente, existe um substitutivo em discussão, na Câmara Federal, resultado da avaliação de projetos de leis mais recentes, que representa um avanço inestimável, sem, contudo, corresponder a um corpo de princípios e diretrizes que possam nortear eficazmente a questão. CONCLUSÃO: Ainda não existe uma regulamentação para a utilização de animais no ensino e na pesquisa científica em nosso país. Torna-se imperativo adotar dispositivos lúcidos e realistas que garantam a continuação dessa utilização. A comunidade científica dispõe-se a contribuir explicitamente para esse objetivo.

OSHA--what is its role in dentistry and how do we provide training?

The mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to ensure the safety and health of America's workers. Although OSHA's focus is on safety, there is a natural overlap into the infection control arena. The work practice control, engineering control, and personal protective equipment regulations are examples of OSHA safety topics that have a direct impact on dental infection control. In a similar fashion, the regulations designed to protect the dental health care worker often translate into increased safety for the dental patient. To ensure their safety, OSHA requires workers to be appropriately trained. This article reviews the regulatory significance of OSHA, compares OSHA with other regulatory and advisory agencies, and discusses OSHA's training requirements. Principles for conducting training in the dental health care setting along with suggestions for assessing training also are presented.

OSHA safety requirements and the general duty clause

Dental offices and clinics are subject to the same general safety requirements as other workplaces. Current guidelines, inspections, education, and training focus on infectious disease as the major workplace hazard for dental health care personnel (DHCP). However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an increasing variety and number of general safety hazards during inspections of dental offices. A review of the general safety requirements for personal protective equipment and fire safety as they relate to DHCP follows. The authors discuss the responsibility of both employers and employees to perform workplace hazard evaluation and to implement education, engineering controls, and work practice controls to minimize their exposure to recognized and emerging workplace hazards.

Psychology or semiotics: persons or subjects?

Cultural studies and especially semiological theory has recently sought to re-conceptualise classical problems considered in academic psychology such as perception, identity, and "subjectivity". It is argued that these theorizations are reductionist and/or theoretically incoherent without an adequate epistemology. Yet they have become for many students of the human sciences the conventional modes of analyzing such questions as personal identity.

Self-reported job responsibilities of public school adapted physical educators

The purpose was to survey adapted physical educators, teaching in the public schools, concerning the nature of their work and the percentage of time spent weekly in 14 specific job roles or responsibilities. Of 102 respondents solicited from national conferences, 66 teachers representing 20 states provided usable data. Most respondents worked in urban settings (77%), served an average of 8 schools per week, had an average caseload of 76 students, and saw each student an average of two times a week. Percentages of time spent each week were greatest in direct instruction (43%), traveling (9%), planning instruction (9%), and assessing students (7%). Findings were similar to those reported previously and discussed in relation to job competencies taught in university classes designed to prepare specialists in adapted physical education.

The best approach to safety is to fix schools and support children and staff

It is possible to create schools that are humane, caring places where discipline issues are minimized.

[Pathology in so-called Problem Oriented Learning (POL)]

Within the evolutionary progress in biomedical research and clinical medicine the medical education plays a derminting role. Problem based learning (PBL) or problem oriented learning (POL), respectively, are main though not quite new topics in the international discussion about modern teaching in medicine. After shortly reviewing the principles of PBL the problems of this concept in general and in the special situation of the Medical Schools of German Universities bound to legal rules and with high numbers of students are discussed with special regard to Pathology representing a substantially central teaching discipline. At the Medical School of the University of Munich since 1997 the so-called Münchner Modell (Munich Model) has been successfully established representing a hybrid curriculum with integration of PBL courses and traditional forms of teaching. The experience with special regard to the participation of Pathology is discussed.

IN CONCLUSION

Modern scientific medicine requires an adequate teaching and learning culture. PBL is one main concept possibly to be integrated. In the future Pathology will continuously play a central role in medical teaching because of its imminent potential. Permanent reflecting the usefulness of modern teaching proposals and critical engagement are prerequisites.