In this brief, we examine an important but obscure form of state spending on K-12 education-state subsidies of school district pension costs. In 2018, this exceeded $19 billion across 23 states. To put that amount into perspective, 2018 federal spending on Title I programs was $15.8 billion. This revenue stream is often ignored in analyses of…

In this article, the author interviewed five former colleagues who were retired special education administrators about their careers and perspectives during the spring of 2012. They all worked for a regional education agency in Pennsylvania. The interviews revealed many challenges, from physical exhaustion to a changing organizational culture.…

In light of the Pennsylvania's most recent pension cuts and the challenges the state faces in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, this report asks two primary questions in this study: (1) How does teacher pay compare with the pay of other comparable workers in Pennsylvania--that is, are Pennsylvania public school teachers underpaid (which…

In Pennsylvania as in many other states, employee pension costs are a significant source of financial pressure for school districts (Zeehandelaar and Northern 2013, Pennsylvania Public Employees' Retirement Commission 2013). In order to gain greater insight into the nature of Pennsylvania school districts' financial burden related to pension…

This paper is part of a series of studies designed to ascertain what policies and practices, if any, are currently in effect regarding rights and privileges connected with retirement in higher education. This study sought information about the perquisites furnished to retired higher education faculty in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a…

A questionnaire survey of 331 Pennsylvania public school teachers gathered data on their attitudes toward Early Retirement Incentive Plans (ERIPs) and on their demographic and job characteristics. The results show teachers strongly support the ERIP concept, chiefly because of their desires to pursue second careers or leisure pursuits. (RW)

One hundred-seventy elementary school children in Western Pennsylvania were involved in a pilot study to examine young children's views on aging and the elderly. Approximately half of these children were involved in the Senior Citizen School Volunteer Program which provided consistent classroom contact with a senior citizen resource person. The…

The imminent problem of a potential national shortage of special education faculty, as current faculty reach retirement age, was investigated through determining the retirement plans of 24 faculty, aged 55 or older, in special education departments at Pennsylvania institutions of higher education. A national registry of doctoral level special…

The survey committee of the United States Bureau of Education brings to Columbia, South Carolina's attention those practices which are generally held by other communities, for the present, at least, to be the best. In its effort to get at the facts it has received the unhesitating cooperation of the school commissioners, the superintendent, and…