Municipal employees (n=269) ranked 15 motivational factors. Supervisors were significantly dissatisfied with about half; nonsupervisory workers were satisfied with only one. The latter expressed less interest in learning new things, benefitting society, and having autonomy and more interest in advancement, security, exercising leadership, and…

Surveyed 59 Wisconsin officials to determine the fiscal crises in U.S. small towns. Results did not reveal a fiscal crisis, but fiscal stress was evident. Wisconsin small governments responded to fiscal stress though increasing local taxes, borrowing money, obtaining increased state aid and shared revenue, reducing expenditures, and promoting…

In the UK, the law places a lot of emphasis on parental rights and choice--the right to choose the school that suits the needs of your child. Parents can list in order of preference and this ranked order is lodged with the education authority (through one common application form), and hope that within the complexities of the admissions process,…

An analysis of survey data is used to examine the practices used to hire teachers, the level of principal autonomy within the process, the attributes sought in teachers, and to compare each based upon the characteristics of schools and of principals. Findings indicate that urban and low-performing schools (and the principals of these schools) are…

Context: Small towns across the United States struggle to maintain an adequate primary care workforce. Purpose: To examine factors contributing to physician satisfaction and retention in largely rural areas in Massachusetts, a state with rural pockets and small towns. Methods: A survey mailed in 2004-2005 to primary care physicians, practicing in…

The Washington, D.C. suburb of McLean, Virginia is one of the most affluent areas in the United States. It is also a community of rare and remarkable power, where politics, military might, and corporate interests converge to create the perfect environment for successful non-profit efforts. On any given day of the week, there is a charity ball or…

Sostanj Primary School offers a learning process which can enrich traditional forms of schooling. It demonstrates how a school, including its infrastructure, can influence family life and the environment, creating new social patterns and a local identity. Pupils and teachers are involved in different thematic projects and programmes, together with…

Learning about local government seems boring and irrelevant to most young people, particularly to students from high-poverty backgrounds. The authors explore a promising approach for solving this problem, Storypath, which engages students in authentic learning and active citizenship. The Storypath approach is based on a narrative in which students…

Rules governing practice and procedure before the Office of Cable Television (OCT) within the Department of Public Utilities of the State of New Jersey are set forth. First provided are a set of definitions. Following this, specifications are set forth concerning: 1) fees and charges; 2) appearance and practice before the OCT; 3) classification of…

Pennsylvania's rural areas are often characterized as having lower incomes and lower housing values than urban areas. This characterization is not universally accurate, however, since there are some impressive pockets of wealth within rural Pennsylvania. To highlight the diversity of wealth among Pennsylvania's rural municipalities, the Center for…

Examines the finding of the Southern Regional Education Board study in which state-local tax potential (ability) is estimated and compared with actual collections (effort). Also discusses the current and future adequacy and equity of the state-local tax revenue structure. (Author/IRT)

Describes the Affordable Housing Opportunities Program (AHOP) created by the Eau Claire County Housing Authority in Wisconsin. The AHOP buys, renovates, and sells homes for prices below fair market value. This provides safe, sanitary housing for families who could not otherwise afford it. Describes the purchase, renovation, and sale of four…

This paper explores the connection between grade inflation and school competition by studying graduates from the Swedish upper secondary schools in 1997. The final grades are compared to the SweSAT national test scores. Single school municipalities are compared with multiple school municipalities in order to study if potential intra-municipal…

In the last four years teacher performance evaluation in Chile became a major policy issue involving teachers, politicians, the media, school management, and education authorities. The discussion highlighted the unresolved question of how to insure teaching quality and reduce incompetence in classrooms and schools to the benefit of pupil learning…

In this article, the author discusses how economics of education is closely related to educational policy. He also takes a look at some of the problems faced by the general education system in Russia. There has been a drastic reduction in amounts of funding for education on two occasions, in 1992 and in 1998. The author also takes a look at the…