Richard Murnane and Jennifer Steele argue that if the United States is to equip its young people with the skills essential in the new economy, high-quality teachers are more important than ever. In recent years, the demand for effective teachers has increased as enrollments have risen, class sizes have fallen, and a large share of the teacher…

Discusses problems in research methodology inherent in studying teachers' career paths. Demonstrates the use of proportional hazards modeling to identify overlooked factors in research on teachers' career persistence other problems in educational research. (FMW)

This paper reports the results of two separate, but related analyses. The first describes trends in the number of college graduates who obtained teacher certification, and changes over the decade in the distribution of new certificants' demographic characteristics, subject specialities, and score on the National Teachers Examination (NTE). The…

The primary purpose of this paper is to present evidence of significant differences in the effectiveness of schools serving low-income children; a secondary purpose is to show that one reason why more learning takes place in some classrooms and schools than in others has to do with differences in the effectiveness of teachers due to teaching…

This nationwide study evaluates the impact of minority student enrollment trends on the composition and distribution of the teaching staffs of inner city school systems. The report summarizes past research on teacher mobility. It outlines recent changes in labor market conditions for teachers and describes the changing characteristics of the…

Demographic changes in college graduates who received teaching certificates between 1975 and 1985 are assessed. The effects of demographic characteristics, subject specialties, and scores on National Teacher Examinations on certificants becoming teachers in North Carolina are examined. Results highlight the need for more Black college students to…

This research report is comprised of a series of 14 papers, each accompanied by a bibliography. Murnane's nine self-contained articles are grouped into four projects. The first consists of three papers that interpret the results of quantitative research on school effectiveness in a manner that highlights the active behaviors of participants and…