Pay for performance is a popular public education reform, and millions of dollars are currently being targeted for pay for performance programs. These reforms are popular because economic and management theories suggest that well-designed incentive pay programs could improve teacher effectiveness. There is little evidence about the characteristics…

Attaining a post-secondary credential has become increasingly important for securing opportunities to get high-return jobs in the United States in the 21st century. Students from low-income families are underrepresented at every milestone in the educational pipeline, limiting their ability to attain post-secondary credentials and break the…

America's schools are facing a critical shortage of teachers just as student enrollments are rising and more rigorous assessments of student achievement are being implemented. The shortage is especially acute in hard-to-staff schools in urban and rural areas, as well as in high-demand subjects such as math, science, and bilingual and special…

While employment growth has accelerated, allowing unemployment to fall significantly since 2005, many low-skilled workers are still unemployed and the duration of unemployment spells is still long. The introduction of an in-work benefit for workers in low-income households, subject to a minimum of hours worked, could lower barriers to higher…

This article examines the various claims made about sojourn children known as kaigaishijo and kikokushijo, or third culture kids (TCKs) in a Japanese context. Their image has shifted from educationally disadvantaged to internationally minded children with bilingual and bicultural abilities who can thrive in the era of globalization. The article…

The authors discuss the establishment of a program at a state university that prepared teachers of the visually impaired (TVI) and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists using distance education and intensive, face-to-face instruction. The authors evaluated the self-assessed competencies of 8 participants who completed prescribed TVI and…

Under the curricular and pedagogical impositions of scripted lessons and mandated curriculum, patterns associated nationwide with high-stakes testing, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the phenomenon known as the "narrowing of curriculum," new teachers in New York City (NYC) find their personal and professional identity thwarted,…

The price of teacher attrition is high, not only financially, but also in terms of human and institutional costs. The inability to retain beginning teachers contributes significantly to teacher shortages. This study investigates the effect of the preparation program on teacher attrition. Attrition rates of elementary teacher graduates from two…

This paper addresses orientation and mobility (O&M) training for people with multiple severe disabilities including visual impairments. The historical origins of O&M training are reviewed, noting difficulties with applying the traditional curriculum with such groups as very young children, the elderly, and those with multiple disabilities. A…

This study investigated possible relationships between selected teacher candidate characteristics and changes in concerns about teaching reported prior to and following teacher preparation for those candidates successfully entering or failing to enter the teaching profession. A longitudinal sample of 242 teacher candidates reported concerns about…

Student mobility is a topic that frequently surfaces in discussion about the problems of urban schooling, but it is one that tends to fade from the agenda as discussion continues. Using data from the Chicago (Illinois) public elementary schools, this paper first describes the extent of urban school instability. Many schools, in fact, do not have…

This paper explores the question of why some beginning teachers terminate employment in the first 2 years and others do not. The investigation will be conceptually organized around the concepts presented in Becker and Carper's theoretical framework (1956). They identify four elements that beckon and retain individuals in an occupation: (1)…

This report provides detailed statistical profiles of students from several major countries who were doctoral recipients in science and engineering at U.S. universities and the initial intent of these foreign doctoral recipients to locate in the United States after graduation. The statistical profiles included in this report contain two tables for…

The banking industry has undergone marked changes over the past 20 years, driven by deregulation and new technologies. Two strategies have emerged: the low-cost transaction approach and the high-road relationship banking approach. The number of employees in commercial banking has fallen significantly, and average hourly earnings for nonmanagerial…

A study of 16 Dominican American professors who teach in the humanities and social sciences examined the manner in which cultural legacies affected their attainment to "high literacy." Does the acquisition of a prestigious degree transform a person's life? Does it lead to social mobility, liberalism, activism, liberation? Results fall…