Aaron Gillette , Eugenics and the Nature Nurture Debate in the Twentieth Century

Aaron Gillette, Eugenics and the Nature–Nurture Debate in the Twentieth Century, Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology [2007], digital reprint (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), pp. ix, 239, index, £18.99, paperback, ISBN: 9780230108455. This book treats an important subject – the history of the nature–nurture debate (focused on the US but with references to European players and movements) – and its implications for current theories of evolutionary psychology

An Empirical Study to Determine the Effect of a Physical Fitness Program on Academic Achievement and Reading Ability

The purpose of this study was to determine the measured effect of a physical fitness program on reading ability and academic achievement among sixth grade boys and girls

Genetic Explanations: Sense and Nonsense

Book review of Sheldon Krimsky; Jeremy Gruber (Editors). Genetic Explanations: Sense and Nonsense. xi + 368 pp., index. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2013. $45 (cloth)

Erika Dyck. Facing Eugenics: Reproduction, Sterilization, and the Politics of Choice

[Book review of Erika Dyck. Facing Eugenics: Reproduction, Sterilization, and the Politics of Choice. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013.

Origins of the Classical Gene Concept, 1900–1950: Genetics, Mechanistic, Philosophy, and the Capitalization of Agriculture

In the period of “classical genetics” (roughly 1915–1950), the common view of the gene was mechanistic—that is, genes were seen as individual, atomistic units, as material components of the chromosomes. Although it was recognized early on that genes could interact and influence each other’s expression, they were still regarded as individually functioning units, much like the chemists’ atoms or molecules. Although geneticists in particular knew the story was more complex, the atomistic gene remained the central view for a variety of reasons. It fit the growing philosophy of mechanistic materialism in the life sciences, as biologists tried to make their field more quantitative, rigorous, and predictive, like physics and chemistry. Conceptually and pedagogically, it provided a simple way to depict genes (as beads on a string) that fit with the exciting new work on chromosomal mapping. The atomistic gene also fit well with the increasing drive to move capital into agriculture, both for potential patenting purposes and for ease of experimental manipulation and prediction. It is the latter point that the present essay explores most thoroughly. The rise of agriculture as an industrialized process provided a context and material support that fueled much of the rapid growth of genetics in the first half of the 20th century

The Relationship Between Principal Leadership Behavior and Student Achievement in Low Performing Schools

This study examined the relationship between principal instructional leadership behaviors and student achievement in the context of low-performing Title I-eligible schools. The intent was to identify specific leadership behaviors that evidenced a relationship to improved student academic achievement in Virginia’s identified priority schools. Results of teacher surveys regarding principal tenure and experience and school size and level were analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics and simple regression models. While results revealed no significant correlation between principal leadership behaviors and student achievement in English/Reading, a significant positive relationship was found between principal leadership behaviors and mathematics. The strongest relationship between leadership and mathematics achievement appeared to be associated with the principal’s high visibility, which supports the building of relationships among teachers and students. For example, principals would frequently be seen visiting classrooms and attending extra- and co-curricular activities. Additionally, this set of measured leadership behavior included complimenting teachers privately on their efforts or performance. With regard to predictor variables, schools with smaller numbers of students tended to have greater student achievement in English/Reading and mathematics; schools in which principals had more experience as a principal tended to have greater student achievement in mathematics; schools in which principals were tenured longer tended to have lower student achievement in English/Reading and mathematics; and schools with higher grade levels tended to have greater student performance