Facing the persistent challenge of educator turnover in U.S. public school systems, the Kansas Teacher Retention Initiative (KTRI) has been relaunched to delve into the current state of the Kansas educator experience. Building on insights from the inaugural 2021 KTRI study launched in the summer of 2021 in response to a growing teacher shortage,…

Theories of market-based school reform suggest that teacher labor markets may be inefficient, and perhaps inequitable, because union contracts, tenure protections, and government regulation limit school autonomy over hiring, evaluation, compensation, and working conditions. In a less restrictive setting, schools could incentivize performance by…

Given the time and money invested in higher education by students, parents and governments, there is considerable interest in the economic outcomes of postsecondary graduates. Most assessments of recent graduates have focused on their short-term, early labour market results. As new entrants to the labour force, recent postsecondary graduates may…

A growing educator shortage is having significant impacts in schools and communities throughout the United States. In response to this growing concern, the Kansas Teacher Retention Initiative was launched in the summer of 2021, with a focus on measuring, understanding, interpreting, and disseminating data-driven insights regarding the driving…

In light of the Pennsylvania's most recent pension cuts and the challenges the state faces in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, this report asks two primary questions in this study: (1) How does teacher pay compare with the pay of other comparable workers in Pennsylvania--that is, are Pennsylvania public school teachers underpaid (which…

Research confirms what common sense dictates: Students learn less when their teachers aren't there. According to multiple studies, a ten-day increase in teacher absence results in at least ten fewer days of learning for students. Clearly, some absences are unavoidable--teachers are only human. But compared to their counterparts in other industries…

The "Minnesota K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Minnesota registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response…

K-12 educators comprise a large and influential presence in American politics. Not only do they vote in significant numbers, but they also, at least in theory, possess the power to shape a new generation of young voters, not least by encouraging informed civic participation. When it comes to myriad issues related directly to education, their views…

Develops an organizational explanation of declining union membership, termed the "replenishment thesis." Reviews established theories of unionization and analyzes causes of the decline of union membership in the United States since World War II. Presents case study data on the United Furniture Workers's Union. (JDH)

Presents detailed tables depicting union membership and contract coverage based on Current Population Survey tapes for 1983-1988, classified by demographic characteristics, industry, occupation, and state and metropolitan area. Finds that membership and coverage decreased in the private sector but remained stable in the public sector over the five…

Plainly, part-time/adjunct faculty members now play a vital role in educating the nation's college students. Even so, the data and research on part-time/adjunct faculty members have tended to be pretty spotty. This survey, conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers, is one of the first nationwide…

This paper provides evidence that confirms the results of previous studies that teacher unionism produced relatively small wage gains during the early 1970s, but it also shows that union gains increased substantially in the late 1970s. (Author/CT)

This report describes recent hiring and retirement patterns as well as tenure-related changes and actions taken by public and private not-for-profit postsecondary institutions that offered an associate's or higher degree in fall 2003 and participated in federal Title IV student aid programs. The 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty…

The statistics that are presented are based on a one percent systematic sample of the OCLC online union catalog as of January 1980. Detailed data were collected on the use of fields, subfields, indicators in bibliographic records, and on the co-occurrence of fields within bibliographic records. The sample used for the study was obtained by…

This report presents the results of a survey of 1,010 K-12 public school teachers about their views on the teaching profession, teachers unions, and various reforms aimed at improving teacher quality. It reveals the challenges teachers see in their profession, including weak evaluation processes and a rigid tenure pay system; how teachers feel…