Despite investments, community goodwill and some good ideas, a vexing question remains in the age of school reform: Why has so much hope and effort led to disappointment?

Beginning in the late 1980s, the Chicago Public Schools, like many urban schools systems, launched a series of initiatives to reorganize schools, improve teaching and encourage parental participation. The changes in Chicago not always have met the expectations of proponents, wrote Charles Payne in his new book, "So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools".

The results of national school reform efforts also have led to some disappointment. A lack of trust among teachers and principals and parents frequently creates dysfunction in schools, noted Payne.

Misinterpreted fragments of leg bones, teeth and brow ridges found in Palau appear to be an archaeologist's undoing, according to researchers at three institutions. They say that the so-called dwarfs of these Micronesian islands actually were modern, normal-sized hunters and gatherers.

Scientists from the University of Oregon, North Carolina State University and the Australian National University refute the conclusion of Lee R. Berger and colleagues that Hobbit-like little people once lived there.(1)

"One of his biggest mistakes was rushing to publish," said University of Oregon anthropologist Greg C. Nelson of Berger. "He did not take the time to understand the area in which he was working -- its entire history, not just the skeletal stuff," he said. "Any time you work anywhere, you have to understand this history. You just can't walk in and cowboy it, pull some stuff out and draw conclusions in the absence of understanding the bigger picture."

SAN DIEGO and INDIANAPOLIS, August 27 /PRNewswire/ --

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMLN) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) in a conference call today provided context and additional information regarding the August 18, 2008 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) update to a prior alert for BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection referencing pancreatitis. The companies were aware of the pancreatitis cases referenced in the alert, as well as others, and previously reported these cases to the FDA. The complete conference call replay will be available through Amylin's and Lilly's corporate websites after the call.

FRIMLEY, England, August 27 /PRNewswire/ --

- Guidance Secures Access to Ranibizumab for all Suitable Patients on the NHS

- NICE Confirms Final Details of Innovative Ranibizumab Reimbursement Scheme

- Novartis Prepares for Nationwide Roll-out of Scheme Across England and Wales

Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd (Novartis) today welcomed the Final National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Guidance for age-related macular degeneration.

Scientific happenings, big and small, on this day in history…

But first, today’s quiz:
What event, which took place on this day in 1883, produced the most violent explosion known in human history? You probably know the answer; it’s just a matter of thinking about it for a moment. But just to be sure, you can check the answer at the end of the article.

And on to other historic happenings…

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Elekta recently announced that it has received CE Mark clearance to distribute Elekta Compact(TM), the latest addition to its line of treatment systems, offering clinicians an easy to implement, more affordable solution for radiation therapy. CE Mark clearance from the European Union certifies Elekta Compact has met health, safety and environmental requirements for consumer safety.

Elekta Compact was developed to address the demanding clinical requirements in emerging markets, which require a low energy system that can be dedicated to specialized cases. Its ultra-compact design also makes it more accessible to clinicians who want to provide their patients with optimal radiation therapy care.

I usually limit my book reviews to Goodreads or Shelfari but this one deserves much more attention. In Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs; When Scientists Find What They're NOT Looking for, Morton Meyers reviews examples of the unpredictability of scientific progress. This could just be a collection of interesting anecdotes - and some of the stories are truly fascinating. My favorite is probably the discovery of platinum compounds for the treatment of cancer.

ELMSHORN, Germany, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Home Automation, Video Surveillance and Energy Efficiency in Focus

Shuttle Inc., market leader in the Mini PC segment and maker of multi form factor solutions grants a first-look at the innovations to be showcased at IFA in Berlin, Germany. Complete Mini PC solutions ranging from Home-Computing, Home-Media and Home-Terminal will be on display awaiting the visitors.

SAN RAMON, California, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Data centers, projected to be one of the world's biggest energy users, face rapidly rising costs and tough carbon regulations

TrendPoint Systems, a leader in data center energy management solutions, today announced a four-point plan aimed at dramatically reducing energy costs and carbon emissions at data centers. A recent study by McKinsey & Co. predicted that data centers will surpass the airline industry as the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and called for data centers to double their energy efficiency by 2012. TrendPoint projects that by implementing only a part of its plan -- focused on managing cooling costs -- data centers can reduce energy cooling costs by a third or more.