Sumru Erkut, Ph.D.; How Women Directors Influence Corporate Governance: The Critical Mass Study
(November 16, 2006)
53:59 min.

Sumru Erkut, Ph.D., senior research scientist and associate director at the Wellesley Centers for Women, presented findings from the Critical Mass Study. This project was an examination of both the impact of the presence of women on Fortune 1000 boards of directors as well as the number of women directors that creates a critical mass for that impact. This was the first research study that tried to answer the question of whether it makes a difference how many women serve on a board.

Ellen Gannett, Ed.M.; The Promise of Professional Credentials in Enhancing the Out-of-School Time Workforce
(October 19, 2006)
57:25 min.

Ellen Gannett, Ed.M., director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time at the Wellesley Centers for Women, highlighted the findings of a national study of professional credentials in the field of afterschool education and youth work. The study describes evidence of the value of credentialing programs in enhancing the workforce and improving the quality of programs and positive outcomes for youth. The report also includes information from the field of early care and education, which has considerable experience with professional development through credentials that provides valuable lessons for the field of youth work.

Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D.; Gender Equitable Education: The Boy Crisis?
(October 5, 2006)
45:28 min.

The news is full of talk of the “boy crisis in education,” but what, exactly does this mean? Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D., executive director of the Wellesley Centers for Women, and author of the 1992 report, How Schools Shortchange Girls, has been following the debate surrounding the education of boys and girls for more than 30 years. In this presentation she addressed the current debate from an historical perspective and reviewed what the research data really tell us about boys and girls in schools.

Georgia Hall, Ph.D.; Youth Urban Debate Team: Democracy in Action
(March 16, 2006)
55:21 min.

During this presentation, Georgia Hall, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the National Institute on Out-of-School Time at the Wellesley Centers for Women, investigated how youth experience the democratic ideals and skills that form the foundation of a debate program, and in what ways those experiences influence the youth’s understanding of, participation in, and consideration of democracy. (Please note sound quality improves after first minute.)