A comparison of costs of two forms of educator professional development in Wyoming: Traditional conference vs. project ECHO.

Educator professional development (PD) is essential for improving student outcomes (Guskey, 1986, 2002). However, logistical challenges with traditional in-person conferences can detract from the reach of educator PD (Corcoran, 1995; Johnston, 1994; Shaffer & McNinch, 1997; Stephens, 1991). Project ECHO is a model of PD that utilizes videoconferencing technology to provide training to educators in rural or underserved areas through didactic presentations and case-based learning (Arora et al., 2007; Root-Elledge et al., 2018) while eliminating some of the challenges faced by traditional conferences. However, cost comparisons between ECHO and various forms of PD have not previously been considered. The current study utilizes an in-depth cost comparison to examine PD delivered by ECHO relative to traditional conferences. Findings suggest that ECHO is more affordable for funders and attendees overall. ECHO for Education may, therefore, be a useful tool in delivering PD to educators in rural and remote communities.

COVID-19 in the Courtroom: The Role of Mask Mandates and Source of Exposure on Negligence and Recklessness Decisions.

The current study examined whether business owners would be found liable for an employee's illness from COVID-19 contracted at work. We varied whether there was a mask mandate at the time of the employee's exposure (Yes or No), how the employee was exposed (an unmasked customer, an unmasked owner who forgot her mask, or an unmasked owner who did not require masks in her store) and measured participants' political orientation. Participants (N = 257) read and listened to a trial transcript about an employee that contracted COVID-19 at her workplace and was suing her employer for compensation to cover hospital bills. Participants were more likely to find the defendant negligent, reckless, and responsible when a mask mandate was present and when an unmasked owner led to the employee's COVID-19 exposure compared to an unmasked customer. Furthermore, the more conservative the participant, the less likely they were to find the defendant negligent, reckless, and responsible. In sum, presence of a mask mandate, owner exposure, and juror political orientation play an important role in civil litigation involving COVID-19.

Civil juror compensation and judgments of police use of force at the intersection of race and mental illness.

More than 53 million people come in contact with police each year, with people of color and those with mental illness (MI) being subjected to increased rates of contact. Sometimes police and civilian interactions have fatal outcomes, and these populations are disproportionately affected. As a result, families of these victims sometimes seek monetary compensation through civil litigation. The current study sought to understand how victim race and mental illness might impact civil juror decision-making in deadly police use of force cases. Participants (N = 177) were exposed to trial evidence and were assessed on a number of dimensions. Results display a strong influence of mock jurors' attitudes toward police legitimacy on compensatory damages, as well as interaction effects between attitudes toward police legitimacy and victim race on punitive damage awards and opinions on what professional consequences the involved police officer should face. Implications and future directions are discussed.