This report offers data from a depiction study that provides information on the context in which teachers in the Northwest U.S. must teach, current teacher supply and demand, teacher preparation in the Northwest, and current professional development activities and their funding sources. The study makes use of available local, state, regional, and…

Research confirms anecdotal impressions of the following causes of high turnover among both home health and nursing home aides: low wages; inadequate benefits; excessive workloads; poor training, supervision, and working conditions; and job-related stress. Public policy initiatives can dramatically alleviate or exacerbate the crisis among…

A shortage of home care paraprofessionals in Ohio is causing concern about the quality and continuity of care. Worker turnover is high, ranging from 30-70 percent. Most paraprofessionals share several traits: middle-aged women; single, with dependents; sole breadwinners in their households; wage earners of less than $11,000 per year; part-time…

The reasons that counselors in resident summer camps return to work are explored, taking into account the differences between private and agency camps, and differing attitudes of male and female camp counselors. A random sample of returning counselors at 15 private and 15 agency camps in the Northeast were selected for the study. Six attitudinal…

A study analyzed how trade has affected and was likely to affect the economy along three dimensions: (1) the employment shifts occurring during the years 1972-1984; (2) the outlook for employment projected to 1990 under four different scenarios; and (3) issues related to displaced workers. Increased international trade was found to have been…

Despite the fact that American society persistently separates home from workplace and extends adolescence, most American youth make the school-to-work transition with a minimum of pain and reasonable success. A substantial minority do not, however, and there is need to improve the transition process especially for those who have been economically…

A study examined the impacts of the Youth Apprenticeship Projects (YAPs) upon student apprentices and employers. Post-high school interviews were conducted with 845 student apprentices from 1978-80, 621 students in a control group, and 347 employers. Interview response rate for all students averaged 76%, for employers--92%. Students who…

The finding that turnover rates for school superintendents are highest in small districts has been reflected in a number of studies. To further examine the finding, a survey in Illinois used a stratified random sample of 100 school districts, 32 of which had 499 or less students. With 1974-75 as a base year, the average years served by…

Surveys show that 98% of school districts are reporting shortages of special education teachers, and that nearly a quarter of a million new special education teachers will be needed over the next few years. Special education teachers are leaving the field at twice the rate of general education teachers. Why? Special education teachers can quickly…

This issue hones in on professional development in four key sectors affecting children, youth, and families--K-12 education, early childhood education, child welfare, and youth development. Though these sectors face many of the same professional development challenges, each has its own unique issues, strengths, and goals. The staffing shortage in…

The high national attrition rate among vocational education teachers (50 percent within 6 years) prompted a study to determine trade and industrial teachers' reasons for leaving and to make recommendations to increase teacher retention. Following a literature review of teachers' motivation and reasons for attrition, interviews were conducted with…

In the classic employment contract, especially at large companies, wages were not strongly responsive to the labor market. Instead, individual companies had distinctive company wage levels and patterns. An exhaustive study of employers and employees in the United States and Japan examined whether the "old employment contract" has been…

As of February 2001, 285,400 people were employed in Australia's construction trades workforce and an additional 169,600 people were employed in the main nontrade on-site construction occupations. After a period of decline in the mid-1990s, employment in Australia's construction trades increased by 5% in the 2 years ending in February 2001.…

The quantitative relationship between factors previously identified as affecting the extent and intensity of training within organizations was explored through a survey of companies in Australia's entertainment and process manufacturing sectors. A self-completion questionnaire was mailed first to a sample of 446 companies across Australia (112 of…

This report presents a balanced picture of the debate on teacher quality in the U.S. and focuses on the aspects of teacher policy dealing with attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining effective teachers by synthesizing relevant research, identifying innovative and successful policy practices, facilitating exchanges of lessons among…