Pardons, commutations and bankruptcy laws are all tools of forgiveness within the US legal system. Are we using them frequently enough, and with fairness? Law professor Martha Minow outlines how these merciful measures can reinforce racial and economic inequality -- and makes the case for creating a system of restorative justice that focuses on accountability and reconciliation rather than punishment.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks offers thoughts on how we can navigate the coronavirus pandemic with courage, hope and empathy. With wisdom and clarity, he speaks on leadership, fear, death, hope and how we could use this moment to build a more just world. Watch for a special, impromptu prayer about halfway through the conversation. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and head of curation Helen Walters. Recorded March 30, 2020)

What can past pandemics teach us how to tackle the current one? Tracing the history of contagions from cholera to Ebola and beyond, science journalist Sonia Shah explains why we're more vulnerable to outbreaks now than ever before, what we can do to minimize the spread of coronavirus and how to prevent future pandemics. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by science curator David Biello and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers. Recorded March 31, 2020)

As COVID-19 continues to spread, the world is facing two existential threats at once: a public health emergency and an economic crisis. Political theorist Danielle Allen describes how we can ethically and democratically address both problems by scaling up "smart testing," which would track positive cases with peer-to-peer software on people's cell phones -- so we can end the pandemic and get back to work. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and business curator Corey Hajim. Recorded April 6, 2020)

The coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything we've ever seen in health care, says emergency physician Esther Choo. Sharing insights into how health workers are responding to the outbreak, she explains what makes this public health emergency different from others -- and provides a few simple things you can do to help. Watch to the end to hear about Choo's work deploying mobile ICUs across the United States as hospitals start to reach capacity. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers and head of curation Helen Walters. Recorded April 7, 2020)

Looking to put your skills to use to fight the pandemic? Consider joining The Global Hack, a virtual hackathon designed to rapidly develop solutions to the coronavirus crisis. Designer and technologist Marko Russiver shares the motivation behind a movement looking to help people build post-pandemic resilience. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of curation Helen Walters. Recorded April 8, 2020)

The coronavirus pandemic is more global, dramatic and unusual than any crisis we've seen in a long time, says journalist Fareed Zakaria. Listen as he shares his perspective on how we can recover from the economic fallout, why certain countries were able to avoid major outbreaks and what this might mean for the balance of global power. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers. Recorded April 9, 2020)

Recounting her story of finding opportunity and stability in the US, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez examines the flaws in narratives that simplify and idealize the immigrant experience -- and shares hard-earned wisdom on the best way to help those around us. "Our world is one that flourishes when different voices come together," she says.

When it comes to big life problems, we often stand at a crossroads: either believe we're powerless against great change, or we rise to meet the challenge. In an urgent call to action, political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac makes the case for adopting a mindset of "stubborn optimism" to confront climate change -- or whatever crisis may come our way -- and sustain the action needed to build a regenerative future. As he puts it: "Stubborn optimism can fill our lives with meaning and purpose."

Examining the facts and figures of the coronavirus outbreak, epidemiologist Larry Brilliant evaluates the global response in a candid interview with head of TED Chris Anderson. Brilliant lays out a clear plan to end the pandemic -- and shows why, to achieve it, we'll have to work together across political and geographical divides. "This is not the zombie apocalypse; this is not a mass extinction event," he says. "We need to be the best version of ourselves." (Recorded April 22, 2020)

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FEBRUARY 16, 2020 Call For Papers IC2S2 brings together researchers in computational science, complexity, and social science, and provides a platform for new work in the field of computational social science. Contributed abstracts are presented orally in parallel thematic sessions or as posters at the three day conference, which takes place at MIT […]

The post IC2S2: 6th International Conference on Computational Social Science, MIT, July 17-20, 2020 appeared first on Decision Science News.

STANDARD ERRORS VS STANDARD DEVIATIONS Click to enlarge There’s an ancient haiku that goes: People confuse a well-estimated mean with a certain outcome Ok, that’s not true. But Jake Hofman, Dan Goldstein, and Jessica Hullman have a new paper (recently accepted at CHI 2020) about this. They bet you’ll think the results of their paper […]

The post How visualizing inferential uncertainty can mislead readers about treatment effects in scientific results appeared first on Decision Science News.

By Emily Reynolds. Findings have implications for judges, police officers, and others involved with gathering evidence and interviewing eyewitnesses.

By Jesse Singal. Study fails to replicate 2011 result, suggesting that word choice matters less as issue has become more politicised.

By Emma Young. Fans of fictional villains share both positive and negative personality traits with them.

A collection of short news stories from this week.

A $12.2 million dollar grant from the state Department of Public Instruction will go to a program based at North Carolina State University to provide additional training literacy training to teachers in 16 high-needs districts across the state.

There are more than 1 million children in the U.S. whose parents are active duty military. This video explores some of the ways school leaders can work to meet these students' needs.

The Ohio board of education last week voted to order the state's largest full-time online charter school to repay $60 million in state aid.

Ohio is seeking to recoup millions of dollars in funds from now-defunct online charter school, the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow.

Ohio's attorney general last week filed suit against the founder of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, aiming to recover millions of dollars in public funding that the state claims wrongfully went to the cyber charter school.

An unusual program in Cincinnati provides academic coaches to help high school players meet eligibility requirements to stay in the game.

It's worth remembering how far we've come on educating students with disabilities, writes Nebraska's education commissioner Matthew L. Blomstedt.

If budget cuts force pink slips, many districts leaders may be able to protect their most effective teachers, especially in schools where turnaround is high.

Students and adults in the school community will all need more support when schools reopen, writes the head of the National Association of School Psychologists.

The Trump administration has shelved a document created by the nation’s top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging coronavirus outbreak.

As in several other states dependent on tax revenue from natural resources, Wyoming legislators are looking for ways to make millions of dollars in education budget cuts.

All districts in Wyoming will be required to provide K-12 computer science instruction, and Idaho high schools will offer at least one high school CS course.

State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.

Half of the 48 school districts in Wyoming have fewer than 300 students. But they’re linked together, thanks to the state’s investment in a video and high-speed Internet connection that ties schools to the state university and community colleges, where students have access to classes that might not

Wyoming's new science benchmarks are similar to the Next Generation Science Standards.

AdvancED, the national accreditation company, has for the last two years operated Wyoming's entire accreditation process but the state will now do the work on its own.

Unlike many other states, Wyoming finds itself in a healthy financial position, thanks to its mineral and energy wealth.

This Quality Counts 2019 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.