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1. A Statistical Analysis of the Impact of Gun Ownership on Mass Shootings in the USA Between 2013 and 2022

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-024-00881-9  

   Daraklis, Madison; Pol, Mehul; Johnson, Lindsey; Salvatora, Cianna; Kerns, Lucy (June 2024, Journal of Urban Health)

   Abstract Mass shootings (incidents with four or more people shot in a single event, not including the shooter) are becoming more frequent in the United States, posing a significant threat to public health and safety in the country. In the current study, we intended to analyze the impact of state-level prevalence of gun ownership on mass shootings—both the frequency and severity of these events. We applied the negative binomial generalized linear mixed model to investigate the association between gun ownership rate, as measured by a proxy (i.e., the proportion of suicides committed with firearms to total suicides), and population-adjusted rates of mass shooting incidents and fatalities at the state level from 2013 to 2022. Gun ownership was found to be significantly associated with the rate of mass shooting fatalities. Specifically, our model indicated that for every 1-SD increase—that is, for every 12.5% increase—in gun ownership, the rate of mass shooting fatalities increased by 34% (pvalue < 0.001). However, no significant association was found between gun ownership and rate of mass shooting incidents. These findings suggest that restricting gun ownership (and therefore reducing availability to guns) may not decrease the number of mass shooting events, but it may save lives when these events occur. 

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2. Graduation rates of women in the US and UK. [Invited panel: Assessing and improving equity in physics learning environments]

   Johnson, A.; Changstrom, J.; Miller-Friedmann, J. (January 2022, American Association of Physics Teachers Winter Meeting)

   Sneak peek at data we will release publicly in 2022: the physics graduation rates of women from historically excluded groups, at all US and UK institutions. US data includes institutions that are above average, average or below average for all women; all women of color; and Black, Indigenous and Latinx women. Users can also construct custom comparison groups. UK data classifies institutions by representation of Black and minority ethnic women among the student body and faculty, rate at which Black and minority ethnic women are hired upon graduating, and Athena Swan standing. This portal will allow physics departments to track their performance; will provide vital information to women who are considering joining particular institutions; and will allow researchers to identify trends among better-performing institutions. We anticipate intense interest in the portal as soon as it is made public; this is your chance to get a preview. 

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3. Centering women of color in STEM: Where women from historically excluded groups do (and don’t) complete physics degrees in the US and UK. [Invited panel: Confronting Challenges of Graduate Education for Marginalized Students]

   Johnson, A.; Miller-Friedmann, J.; Changstrom, J. (January 2022, American Physics Society April Meeting)

   Sneak peek at data we will release publicly in 2022: the physics graduation rates of women from historically excluded groups, at all US and UK institutions. US data includes institutions that are above average, average or below average for all women; all women of color; and Black, Indigenous and Latinx women. Users can also construct custom comparison groups. UK data classifies institutions by representation of Black and minority ethnic women among the student body and faculty, rate at which Black and minority ethnic women are hired upon graduating, and Athena Swan standing. This portal will allow physics departments to track their performance; will provide vital information to women who are considering joining particular institutions; and will allow researchers to identify trends among better-performing institutions. We anticipate intense interest in the portal as soon as it is made public; this is your chance to get a preview. 

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4. On the Impact of Federal Housing Policies on Racial Inequality

   https://doi.org/10.1257/pandp.20221105  

   Ali, Omer (May 2022, AEA Papers and Proceedings)

   Using data on the value of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance between 1935 and 1939, I estimate the effect of the agency's program on racial disparities in home ownership and home values. The distance between an FHA office and counties within its jurisdiction is used as an instrument. I find that insurance activity had a negligible effect on the racial gap in home ownership and a sizable effect on the gap in home values. Results suggest that while African American households continued to acquire homes, they may have chosen lower-priced properties, as they lacked the same access to credit as White buyers. 

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5. Seeking Racial and Ethnic Parity in Preschool Outcomes: An Exploratory Study of Public Montessori Schools vs. Business-as-Usual Schools

   https://doi.org/10.17161/jomr.v9i1.19540  

   Lillard, Angeline S.; Tong, Xin; Bray, Paige M. (May 2023, Journal of Montessori Research)

   Montessori pedagogy is a century-old, whole-school system increasingly used in the public sector. In the United States, public Montessori schools are typically Title I schools that mostly serve children of color. The present secondary, exploratory data analysis examined outcomes of 134 children who entered a lottery for admission to public Montessori schools in the northeastern United States at age 3; half were admitted and enrolled and the rest enrolled at other preschool programs. About half of the children were identified as White, and half were identified as African American, Hispanic, or multiracial. Children were tested in the fall when they enrolled and again in the subsequent three springs (i.e., through the kindergarten year) on a range of measures addressing academic outcomes, executive function, and social cognition. Although the Black, Hispanic, and multiracial group tended to score lower in the beginning of preschool in both conditions, by the end of preschool, the scores of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students enrolled in Montessori schools were not different from the White children; by contrast, such students in the business-as-usual schools continued to perform less well than White children in academic achievement and social cognition. The study has important limitations that lead us to view these findings as exploratory, but taken together with other findings, the results suggest that Montessori education may create an environment that is more conducive to racial and ethnic parity than other school environments. 

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