Reengaging High School Dropouts: Early Results of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program Evaluation

Very early results from a random assignment evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, an intensive, "quasi-military" residential program for high school dropouts, show that the program has large impacts on high school diploma and GED attainment and positive effects on working, college-going, health, self-efficacy, and avoiding arrest

A Tale of Two Fathers: Leadership Between the Estate and the Study House in the Origin Story of Eliezer ben Hyrcanus

The coming-of-age tale of R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanus, found in a number of late midrash collections, contains competing ideals of masculine mastery and leadership. Through analysis of the three main characters of the story, R. Eliezer, and his two fathers, Hyrcanus, and his master R. Yoḥanan b. Zakkai across the variants of the story, this article demonstrates that the spaces of the agricultural estate and the study house are idealized in competing ways in rabbinic midrash as spaces for mastery of ideals of masculine identity (success in estate management and excellence in Torah study). In addition, Hyrcanus and R. Yoḥanan are depicted with contrasting leadership styles in these spaces, alternatively caring and demanding. As R. Eliezer moves from his father’s estate to his teacher’s study house and banquet table, he eventually shows his dominance of both spaces, replacing both his father Hyrcanus and his master R. Yoḥanan

The predictive relationship of religiosity to readiness to change in addiction recovery

The prevalence of addiction in society has called researchers, educators, policy makers, and clinicians to examine and research causes and treatment approaches to address the manifold problems addictions present individuals and society alike. There are many theoretical approaches to understanding addiction and the behavior change processes that lead from addiction to recovery. Religiosity and spirituality have been identified as important factors in addiction, though the exact nature of the relationship is yet to be determined. This dissertation explores the relationship between religiosity and the known treatment outcome mediator. The purpose of this dissertation is to inform theory, training, and practice in the area of addictions counseling. This exploratory study investigated the relationship of religiosity to readiness to change in addictive behaviors. The database from Project MATCH was used which included participant scores from the aftercare arm of the clinical trial. A total of 772 scores were used from responses to the RBB and URICA. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that there were no significant differences detected across variables regarding the relationship of religiosity to readiness to change

Tai Chi for Chronic Illness Management: Synthesizing Current Evidence from Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials

An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the existing evidence of Tai Chi as a mind-body exercise for chronic illness management. MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases were searched from inception until 31st March 2019 for meta-analyses of at least two RCTs that investigated health outcomes associated with Tai Chi intervention. Evidence of significant outcomes (P-value <0.05) was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. This review identified 45 meta-analyses of RCTs and calculated 142 summary estimates among adults living with 16 types of chronic illnesses. Statistically significant results (P-value <0.05) were identified for 81 of the 142 outcomes (57.0%), of which 45 estimates presenting 30 unique outcomes across 14 chronic illnesses were supported by high (n=1) or moderate (n=44) evidence. Moderate evidence suggests that Tai Chi intervention improved physical functions and disease-specific outcomes compared with non-active controls and cardiorespiratory fitness compared with active controls among adults with diverse chronic illnesses. Between-study heterogeneity and publication bias were observed in some meta-analyses

Travel, the Inn, and Identity in Rabbinic Storytelling

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Michal Bar-Asher Siegal. Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud

No abstract is available