a program for at-risk high school students informed by evolutionary science为高危高中生通知程序进化科学.pdfVIP

A Program for At-Risk High School Students Informed by Evolutionary Science 1,2 1 3 David Sloan Wilson , Richard A. Kauffman Jr. *, Miriam S. Purdy 1 Department of Biology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America, 2 Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America, 3 Regents Academy, Binghamton City School District, Binghamton, New York, United States of America Abstract Improving the academic performance of at-risk high school students has proven difficult, often calling for an extended day, extended school year, and other expensive measures. Here we report the results of a program for at-risk 9th and 10th graders in Binghamton, New York, called the Regents Academy that takes place during the normal school day and year. The design of the program is informed by the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation and learning, in general and for our species as a unique product of biocultural evolution. Not only did the Regents Academy students outperform their comparison group in a randomized control design, but they performed on a par with the average high school student in Binghamton on state-mandated exams. All students can benefit from the social environment provided for at-risk students at the Regents Academy, which is within the reach of most public school districts. Citation: Wilson DS, Kauffman RA Jr, Purdy MS (2011) A Program for At-Risk High School Students Informed by Evolutionary Science. PLoS ONE 6(11): e27826. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027826 Editor: Robert DeSalle, American Museum of Natural History, United States of America Received August 19, 2011; Accepted October 26, 2011; Published November 16, 2011 Copyright: 2011 Wilson et al. This is an open-access article