A statistical analysis was performed to test the hypothesis that, if profit-maximizing firms have limited information about the general productivity of new workers, they may choose to use easily observable characteristics such as years of education to discriminate statistically among workers. Information about employer learning was obtained by…

The relationship between employer learning and statistical discrimination was explored through a statistical analysis that included a test for statistical discrimination or "rational" stereotyping in environments where agents learn over time. The test is used to study the working hypothesis that, because firms have only limited…

This document, which is intended for employers, explains the benefits of and strategies for using school records in making hiring decisions. The document begins with a discussion of the benefits reaped by employers, students, and parents when employers use school records. Discussed next are the objectives and potential benefits of the Making…

Research on variables that may bias student ratings of faculty have found them generally insignificant, but students do rate differently by academic field. The real problem arises from not knowing why this occurs. Institutions and individuals should decide how they will take these differences into consideration when interpreting student ratings.…

The purpose of this study was to discover whether job seekers can be expected to act on the basis of new knowledge about the local labor market, and if they do act, whether their probability of success in finding a job is increased. This supplementary labor market information experiment was conducted in a single employment service office and…

Multidimensional rating forms used for college student evaluation of faculty elicit information that can be used to evaluate the dimensions of instruction either separately or globally. Portions of the information may be useful for formative evaluation, but global items are best for making personnel decisions. (MSE)

This document contains 5 invited lectures, 34 refereed papers, 19 refereed poster abstracts, 10 special topics/invited papers, 15 workshops/ panel discussions, 6 graduate student papers, and 5 roundtables. Selected titles are as follows: "Biotechnology and the Consumer" (Flamm et al.); "Impact of Information on Consumers' Concerns…

This document is intended to help communities plan and implement initiatives modeled after Making Academics Count, a campaign that was launched in 1997 by the Business Coalition for Education Reform (BCER) to encourage employers to ask job applicants for their school records and thereby help motivate students to achieve at higher levels. The guide…