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…

Gender equity in education has certainly improved since the 1960s, when women faced barriers such as quotas limiting their numbers. Indeed, in recent years, women have surpassed men in their persistence and success as college students: They now receive about 60 percent of bachelor's degrees. But even though women now have full access to education,…

Charter schools have been the subject of much education policy research, particularly related to student achievement, governance, funding, and student composition. Although high-quality teachers are essential for the educational success of any school, much less research exists on charter schools' ability to recruit talented teachers. This study…

While Michigan students learn a variety of skills in their time at school, perhaps the most important charge of public schools, beyond providing a safe and healthy environment, is to ensure that students are learning their three fundamental skills: reading, writing and arithmetic. Unfortunately, the achievement levels of Michigan public school…

The author examines the results of public sector bargaining by comparing the wage history of police officers with that of senior clerk-typists in 63 cities in southeastern Michigan between 1965 and 1978. Ability to pay variables were analyzed. (Author/IRT)

The results of a Michigan survey show that a wide range of salary, staffing, and support conditions exist in various school financial aid offices within the state. The data can be used as a backdrop against which individual campus aid administrators can assess the strengths and weaknesses of their own operations. (Author/LBH)

When teacher salaries are discussed, two very different pictures often emerge. The first of these portrays teachers as underpaid, overworked servants of the public good. The second paints a picture of an overpaid group of civil servants who spend very little time actually working. This report looks at Michigan teacher salaries. Teacher salaries…

The use of labor market differentials to determine college faculty salary structures in different disciplines is examined in the context of Michigan and California faculty's efforts to rectify salary inequity. (MSE)

This Michigan edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on…

Evaluation of professional staff is one aspect of the comprehensive accountability model operating in the Kalamazoo schools. This model also includes minimum objectives for all students at all grade levels in all courses, as well as objectives relating to academic excellence and career preparation. The specific personnel accountability systems…

Background: The quality of a school's teaching force has a significant effect on student learning. One potential lever for increasing teacher quality is through selecting and rewarding teachers with desired characteristics. Purpose: To analyze differences and similarities in the salary determinants of Michigan's charter and traditional public…

The Radio-Television Journalism section of the Proceedings contains the following 7 papers: "Winner by a Sound Bite: Fairness and Balance in the 1998 Michigan Governor's Race" (Sue Carter, Frederick Fico, and Jocelyn A. McCabe); "The Effects of Competition on Television Coverage of City Hall" (Stephen Lacy, Charles St. Cyr, and…

A study examined Work Incentive (WIN) Demonstration programs in four states. The following programs were reviewed: Employment and Training Choices (in Massachusetts), Michigan Opportunity and Skills Training, the Employment Services Program (in Texas), and JOBS (in Oregon). A strict, across-the-board analysis of the programs was difficult because…

A sample of Michigan cities is the basis for an evaluation of the economic benefits of collective bargaining to teachers and the economic impact of bargaining upon the school districts that employ and negotiate with them. The study's conclusions include: (1) Bargaining produced pay increases averaging 10 to 20 percent higher than teachers would…

THIS STUDY DEALT WITH ONE OF THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN THE POSSIBLE UNIFICATION OF GENERAL AND COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICES--CAN AND SHOULD THE PRESENT COUNTY EXTENSION DIRECTORS OF THE EXTENSION SERVICE SERVE AS COORDINATORS OF THE TOTAL OFF-CAMPUS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OF THE UNIVERSITY. THE PROBLEM WAS ONE OF IDENTIFYING THE PERSONAL AND…