For Your Consideration
A new study was published this week showing that elementary and middle school students in Houston who had art programming had fewer disciplinary infractions, higher writing test scores, and more compassion for others when compared to students in similar schools who did not have access to the art programs. The researchers worked with the Houston school district to study the impacts of additional arts programming after the district realized they had more schools interested than funding. Chalkbeat has a good write-up of the study here, and the authors wrote up their results for Brookings as well.
A New Slant
Steven Sexton, an associate professor at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, is a co-author of a new NBER working paper on the benefits of rooftop solar panels. The study looks at the benefits of rooftop solar compared to the costs of subsidies in different states and conclude that the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states would benefit most from more solar capacity. California, one of the states with the most rooftop solar panels, would benefit the least.
One of the main reasons why there are variable benefits across states has to do with the power source the solar is displacing. In areas where the solar is displacing coal-fired energy, the environmental benefit is much larger than when the solar is replacing energy produced by natural gas. The graphic below is from NBER’s February Digest and shows the states where the avoided damages outweight the subsidy and vice versa.
Need to Know: Announcing the People’s Session
Lots of folks come to Raleigh when the legislature is in session with an agenda. Legislators. Lobbyists. Advocacy groups. We want to understand your agenda for education in North Carolina. The issues that keep you up at night. Issues that leave you everything from angry to hopeful. We believe the future doesn’t just happen to us. We believe your voice can shape the direction of our state. Join us.
What we're reading
EdExplainer: Education data systems in North Carolina
EdNC's Analisa Sorrells took a look at the many ways North Carolina data is collected, used, and shared. Spend some time with this comprehensive piece. ... Read the rest-
What Community College Students Say Impedes Their Progress
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Teaching self-driving cars to predict pedestrian movement
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Striking teachers in Denver shut down performance bonuses – here’s how that will impact Denver schools
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Living Near Your Grandmother Has Evolutionary Benefits
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Why the Rural Opioid Crisis Is Different From the Urban One
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The 2018 Farm Bill—Implications and Opportunities for Public Health
