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Johnstown, Pennsylvaniawhich has been battered by floods and economic declineis one of the poorest cities in the state, and its schools rely heavily on federal funding to serve its students. Nearly a third of the Greater Johnstown School Districts budget came from federal dollars in 2023, funding everything from safer classrooms to career and technical programs in auto body work, welding, and cosmetology. But the federal funding benefiting Johnstowns public schools may be in jeopardy if the Trump administrations plans to eliminate the Department of Education come to pass. Last week, the department laid off nearly half of its staff, signaling that the president is serious about his campaign promise to eliminate the agency. Nancy Weaver Behe, who teaches cosmetology at Greater Johnstown High School, said the loss of federal support would come as a blow to kids that already must contend with poverty and a lot of hardships. The career education the school provides helps them stay motivated, she said. At a campaign rally last fall not far from Johnstown in Indiana, Pennsylvania, then-candidate Donald Trump said eliminating the Department of Education would allow him to move education back to the states. But education is already largely the domain of states, which set curricula, establish academic standards, and determine teacher certification requirements as well as graduation and testing benchmarks for students. States and local governments also provide public schools with a lions share of their funding. Just a fraction of public school funds13.6% nationwide as of fiscal year 2022come from the federal government. Still, the Department of Education plays a critically important role in the education of underserved students, said Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center in Pennsylvania. The main vehicle for helping struggling students is Title I, a federal program that provides extra funding to schools with high numbers of low-income students. Those schools are typically in communities with lower property values, which limits the revenue they can generate through local property taxesthe primary source of school funding. Title I helps so many students that are in dire circumstances and that need extra help in reading and math, said Weaver Behe, who is the president for the central-western region of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Title I funds supportive services, like teacher aides, learning specialists and reading and math intervention. Weaver Behe worries that the Education Department now lacks the staff to ensure those programs are funded. And if the worst happens and funding from the department is eliminated, she wondered aloud, How do we adjust to make up for nearly a third of our budget? Trump can’t unilaterally eliminate programs like Title I, as they’re enshrined in federal law and require congressional action to be dismantled. But Project 2025, which opens its education chapter with a call to eliminate the Department of Education, may offer an indication of Trumps legislative agenda. Project 2025 proposed transforming Title I and federal special education funding into no-strings-attached block grants, allowing states to continue the programsor redirect education dollars elsewhere. Its unlikely the state could make up for any gaps if federal dollars are lost. As of 2022, Pennsylvania ranked 42nd in the country in share of state spending on education. In fact, Pennsylvanias Commonwealth Court recently ruled that the state did not meet a constitutional requirement to fund a quality education system, and ordered the state to overhaul it through adequate investment. Pennsylvania schools very much depend on the federal government, said Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center. K-12 schools in the state receive about $1.6 billion in federal education dollars out of a total $36 billion budget. At a little more than 4% of total revenue, thats not a lot of money, Stier said, but its critical money. That funding, said Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and a middle school teacher in Stroudsburg, is targeted toward our most vulnerable students. While the bulk of federal funding in Johnstown is intended for students from low-income families, other federal funding streams support students learning English or those in special education classrooms. In Philadelphia, Marsena Toney is an autistic support specialist at John Story Jenks Academy for Arts and Sciences. In her special education classroom, there may be three or four professional aides supporting as many as eight students, who all have different needs and behavioral concerns, Toney said. For example, some aides may offer hands-on assistance with writing activities because a child cant hold a pencil independently. Others provide speech and occupational therapy and even assist students with using the restroom. And adequate support for students in need can be costly. Teachers already have to [buy supplies] out of pocket to aid in their day-to-day teaching, Toney said. She purchases science materials, fidget toys to aid with focus, and calming supports for when her students get frustrated or overwhelmed. If funding for special education classes were reduced and her students expected to learn in a general education classroom, the complex needs Toney must address in a single day would be very difficult to manage. With the prospect of reduced federal funding on the horizon, Chapin said teachers are nervous about a possible future of overcrowded classrooms and students not getting the services they need. Its going to affect our kids, he said, but its going to affect all of our communities. By Kalena Thomave, Capital & Main This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.
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When people talk about work-life balance, they often mean that they have some engagement with activities outside of worknot just filling the hours of the day when they’re not working. That engagement might involve taking care of family members, engaging as a volunteer, or participating in a hobby. If youre fortunate enough to have the time to spend on a hobby, does it matter what you do? Perhaps any activity you engage in outside of work is likely to lift your spirits. But research suggests that different activities affect your overall happiness in different ways. The power of movement In particular, hobbies that enable you to be active make you happier than those that involve less movement. So, participating in sports or physical activity (even relatively mild activity) makes you happier, as does engaging in activities that involve some travel (like visiting significant buildings) or engaging in active creative pursuits like dancing or singing. In contrast, more sedate activities like going to the movies or theater or reading a book have no strong influence on happiness overall. What is going on here? For one thing, physical activity helps to keep you healthy. The more you move and stay fit, the more you are likely to continue to stay healthy and fit later in life. So, the activities themselves are enjoyable, and they have a positive impact on factors like health that have a positive effect on well-being. Moreover, many of these activities are actively social. A lot of sports require engaging with other people. In addition, a lot of active creative pursuits and travel are done in social groups. Humans are a social species, and so our motivational system and our emotional state thrive when we are around at least a small number of other people. Finding the right hobby for you The hobbies that dont have much impact on well-being are those that are primarily done while seated and are not particularly social. Reading is typically done alone, though you might ultimately talk about a book with friends. You might go to a theater with friends to see a play or watch a movie, but you actually participate in that activity sitting quietly in the dark. Of course, there are lots of reasons to engage in hobbies. You might want a diversion from your work. You might want to do something relaxing. However, the data suggest that if your goal for taking up a hobby is to be happier and feel more satisfied with life, then staying physically and socially active is likely to be your best bet.
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E-Commerce
When companies advertise job openings, they often use buzzwords like ambitious and self-reliant to describe their ideal candidate. These traits sound appealingwhat hiring manager wouldnt want a driven employee? But theres a catch. In my latest study, published in the journal Management Science with coauthors Scott Jackson and Nick Seybert, I found that these terms may attract job applicants with more narcissistic tendencies. As behavioral researchers in accounting, we are interested in executives who bend the rules. We decided to study job postings after noticing that the language used to describe an ideal candidate often included traits linked to narcissism. For example, narcissists tend to see themselves as highly creative and persuasive. Prior research also shows that narcissistic employees are more innovative and willing to take risks to get the success and admiration they crave, even if it means bending the rules. Based on these observations, we compiled two sets of terms commonly used in job postings. We call the two sets rule-follower and rule-bender language. Some examples of rule-bender language include develops creative and innovative solutions to problems, communicates in a tactical and persuasive manner and thinks outside the box. In contrast, the rule-follower language includes terms like relies on time-tested solutions to problems, communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner and thinks methodically. Through a series of experiments, we found that rule-bender language attracts individuals with higher levels of narcissism for accounting-specific jobs, as well as other industries. To measure narcissism, we used a personality assessment that asks people to choose whether they identify more with more narcissistic statements like, I always know what I am doing, or less narcissistic statements like Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing. We also found that recruiters are more likely to use rule-bender terms when hiring for highly innovative, high-growth companies. For accounting positions, recruiters are more likely to use such terms when aggressive financial reporting could benefit the firm. Why it matters Companies write job postings carefully in hopes of attracting the ideal candidate. However, they may unknowingly attract and select narcissistic candidates whose goals and ethics might not align with a companys values or long-term success. Research shows that narcissistic employees are more likely to behave unethically, potentially leading to legal consequences. While narcissistic traits can lead to negative outcomes, we arent saying that companies should avoid attracting narcissistic applicants altogether. Consider a company hiring a salesperson. A firm can benefit from a salesperson who is persuasive, who thinks outside the box and who is results-oriented. In contrast, a company hiring an accountant or compliance officer would likely benefit from someone who thinks methodically and communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner. Bending the rules is of particular concern in accounting. A significant amount of research examines how accounting managers sometimes bend rules or massage the numbers to achieve earnings targets. This earnings management can misrepresent the companys true financial position. In fact, my coauthor Nick Seybert is currently working on a paper whose data suggests rule-bender language in accounting job postings predicts rule-bending in financial reporting. Our current findings shed light on the importance of carefully crafting job posting language. Recruiting professionals may instinctively use rule-bender language to try to attract someone who seems like a good fit. If companies are concerned about hiring narcissists, they may want to clearly communicate their ethical values and needs while crafting a job posting, or avoid rule-bender language entirely. What still isnt known While we find that professional recruiters are using language that attracts narcissists, it is unclear whether this is intentional. Additionally, we are unsure what really drives rule-bending in a company. Rule-bending could happen due to attracting and hiring more narcissistic candidates, or it could be because of a companys cultureor a combination of both. The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. Jonathan Gay is an assistant professor of accountancy at the University of Mississippi. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
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