Policymakers know that improving teaching in our schools requires a systemic look at many policies related to educator effectiveness. For example, teacher preparation programs need to be dramatically improved and strengthened, but without accompanying reform in compensation, even highly effective and innovative schools of education are unlikely to…

Over the past decade, educators and policymakers have used a variety of approaches to designing and implementing teacher compensation programs. These approaches include federal incentive funds, state-level programs, and district initiatives. This article reviews 6 such programs in order to identify themes and draw conclusions relevant to…

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) National Standards Gain Steam: Governors'…

Increasing student achievement and narrowing the achievement gap are challenges that states and districts continue to confront as they strive to develop talent that will contribute to our nation's economy. Some strategies to produce authentic improvement in learning are not entirely a mystery. A preponderance of research in recent years provides…

What is the "best" way to pay teachers? Should teachers be paid based only on their experience and education, or does this merely reward mediocrity? Would it be better to base teachers' pay on their performance in the classroom or their students' learning, or would this undermine cooperation among colleagues and encourage an unhealthy…

In the face of declining enrollments and widespread reductions-in-force in school systems, job sharing can provide part-time positions for persons unable to work full-time and can allow some individuals to maintain their positions on a part-time basis as an alternative to being laid off. Job sharing can also benefit school systems by increasing…

Comparing Minnesota principals who have collectively bargained with their school boards and those principals who have not, this study covers the years 1973-83 in the areas of agreement rights (responsibilities, dues deductions, leave, grievance, and seniority) and indicators of satisfaction (salary, authority, communication with superintendents…

Reports a survey to determine practices among metalworking firms in Minnesota covering such topics as whether or not the company had a formal or informal job posting system, the actual mechanics of the system, union influence on its design, feedback to unsuccessful job bidders, and current employee acceptance of the system. Recommendations are…

This document concludes that the basic difficulty with comparable worth is that it is an ill-conceived solution to a serious problem and that alternative policies, such as equal employment opportunity legislation or application of antitrust laws, provide means of addressing employment discrimination that are both more effective and less likely to…

AS PART OF THE WORK OF THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR DELINQUENCY PREVENTION, THIS STUDY COMPARED LOW-INCOME AREA (TARGET) AND MIDDLE-INCOME AREA (COMPARISON) SCHOOLS TO EXAMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE TEACHING STAFFS AND THE TEACHER RETENTION TURNOVER RATES IN THESE SCHOOLS, AND TO ANALYZE THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF THESE RATES. ALL OF THE…

This information brief explains the State of Minnesota statutory provisions that affect the employment rights of K-12 public school teachers in Minnesota. It describes the required probationary period, the conditions of continuing employment for those teachers who successfully complete the probationary period, and the procedures that must be…

An article and three responses on sexual harassment in higher education are presented: "Sexual Harassment in Higher Education: What We've Learned" (Anne Truax); "Who Is Responsible for Sexual Harassment?" (Barbara G. Taylor); "The Feminist-Unionist Dilemma" (Sherna Berger Gluck); and "Sexual Harassment and…

This paper presents the views of a Minnesota State educational administrator policy. Issues discussed include: (1) Federal and State regulations; (2) enrollment projections; (3) collective bargaining procedures; (4) local school district autonomy; (5) the influx of Asian and Spanish speaking minorities into the State; (6) the distribution of…

As faculty and other public sector unions become more sophisticated in collective bargaining, they tend to lay a greater variety of demands on the table. This, in turn, forces the employer to ask, Do I really have to bargain about these subjects? As more employers refuse to bargain, more unions charge them with failing to bargain in good faith,…

Reports on a survey of Minnesota's African-American community college faculty concerning their own employment situations and the reasons why the recruitment and retention of African-American faculty have not been successful overall despite two decades of affirmative action. Looks at social and psychological barriers to increasing diversity, and…