We estimate the trend in the transitory variance of male earnings in the United States using the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 1970 to 2004. Using an error components model and simpler but only approximate methods, we find that the transitory variance started to increase in the early 1970s, continued to increase through the…

An exploratory analysis of four large educational data sets found evidence of schools and districts that consistently produced outstanding students, even after socioeconomic factors were controlled for. Outstanding Michigan schools had smaller classes, better-paid teachers, and more teachers with greater than five years experience. (Author)