Educational expectations are rising across the field of early childhood care and education (ECE) as a growing body of research demonstrates the critical importance of early educator knowledge and skills in promoting children's development and learning. Many ECE professionals eager to advance in their careers do not pursue further education because…

Teaching quality is a crucial factor in student success, contributing to students' short- and long-term learning opportunities. High-quality teaching not only contributes to the improvement of student test scores and graduation rates but also gives students a "strong foundation from which to advance and achieve" in the future. Long term,…

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of 30 university-prepared math and science teachers from their pre-service program into their teaching positions to better understand the conditions that attract and retain them in high-need schools. The paper uses the framework of job preview and information-rich hiring to highlight the influence of the…

There is broad agreement that teacher quality is related to student achievement, but there is far less agreement about the degree to which school districts and administrators are constrained in making policies to improve teacher quality that might also affect teacher employment and working conditions. Conventional wisdom holds that state law and…

California's students, particularly its poorest students, need great teachers. Unfortunately, California's seniority-based teacher layoff system puts adult privileges over student needs. Newer teachers are laid off first, regardless of how well they do their jobs. This system is especially damaging to schools serving the highest numbers of…

In May 1985, a survey was conducted by Napa Valley College (NVC) to determine the salary and personnel practices of the 48 single-campus community college districts in California and compare them with personnel practices at NVC. The survey focused on salary and benefit allocations in school budgets, estimated reserves or ending balance in 1984-85,…

This progress report highlights findings from the first year of a 3-year evaluation of the Matching Funds for Retention program, a child-care retention incentive (CRI) program. It includes initial rates of professional development, training, and retention of 677 program participants in four California counties (Napa, San Luis Obispo, Siskiyou, and…

A TEACHER SHORTAGE, LARGE CLASSES, AND NEED FOR QUALITY INSTRUCTION FORCED EDUCATION INTO MASS INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY. INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IS GOVERNED BY SUCH SYSTEMS AS TELEVISION AND FILMS WHICH CAN REACH MORE STUDENTS WITH FEWER TEACHERS. THERE IS A TREND TOWARD INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION UTILIZING TEACHING MACHINES. IF A COMBINATION OF…

As a part of the annual Supply and Demand Survey conducted by the Research Committee of the California Educational Placement Association (C.E.P.A.), 104 public community colleges in California were asked to report on their hiring of full-time faculty and staff during the 1975-76 academic year. Survey responses came from 101 institutions. A total…

This seventh annual report on staffing patterns in California community colleges provides data on the characteristics of new full-time faculty in 99 of the 100 public and the entire 8 private community colleges in California as of the academic year 1973-1974. Results of the survey showed that during that year, 732 new full-time faculty were hired…

Employment prospects for teachers vary by level of education, teaching areas, and geography, according to the author's survey of several reports and articles. While most of the information is for California, some nationwide trends are noted. (MF)

Factors that influence the design of state teacher policies and the impact of these policies on issues of coordination, equity, and teacher supply are examined. The structure and operation of policies in effect in four states--California, Colorado, Georgia, and Oklahoma--are described, and the factors that influence the design of these state…

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…

In 1961, the California Legislature stiffened the legal requirements for the dismissal of probationary teachers at the end of a school year. Surveying the literature, and polling selected junior college administrators and probationary teachers, the author sought to assess the impact of this change on the quality of junior college instruction. On…

California districts have discovered that a Statewide enrollment dip has hindered efforts to hire minority personnel. (Author/DN)