This article, written in December 2016 following the election in May 2016 of a majority Conservative government, and the election to the leadership of the Labour Party of Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing social democrat, "Old Labour style socialist", revises and updates substantially a previous article of June 2015 published in this journal…

In February 2014, the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE) requested that the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) provide assistance to the SBE's Basic Education Program (BEP) Review Committee. The SBE requested additional information on the use and effectiveness of market-based teacher compensation and market-based incentives by…

The strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies in conducting salary equity studies are examined. Particular attention is paid to the problems of identifying appropriate matches in the paired-comparison approach and to the sample, predictor and decision-rule problems associated with the regression analysis approach. In addition, highlights…

The administration of public schools has been affected by Federal legislation that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex. Two recent Supreme Court decisions that have expanded the rights of female employees under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have led to renewed efforts…

Provides overview of laws, policies, and regulations available to women to secure their job rights when faced with sex discrimination. Equal pay, sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and affirmative action are discussed, noting procedures involved in filing a complaint. (EJS)

Integrates the major conclusions of the papers on comparable worth in this special issue, and identifies additional relevant issues. Covers the following major topics: (1) history and conceptual issues; (2) social psychological aspects to pay equity; (3) job evaluation issues and applications; and (4) policy implementation and implications. (JS)

In this paper we review the research evidence on the effects of affirmative action in employment, university admissions, and government procurement. We consider effects on both "equity" (or distribution) as well as "efficiency." Overall, we find that affirmative action does redistribute jobs, university admissions, and…

To inform policymakers as they deliberate over the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization, this guide reviews what states have done with the flexibility afforded them by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The first section examines how states have shaped their welfare reform strategies…

This paper summarizes the research on the importance of teacher education and salary levels, provides a snapshot of Head Start and Early Head Start staff credentials and related issues, describes recent legislative history and changes on teacher qualifications, and assesses whether states and higher education systems are ready to address a major…

Issues of concern to women that were identified by various campus groups are presented and discussed in this volume. Included are reports that were made by female graduate students, undergraduate students, a professional constituency committee, a faculty committee, and a staff constituency committee. Specific topic areas addressed include the…

Mandatory retirement of college faculty, as affected by the amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), is considered in relation to the changing faculty age profile, retirement strategies to cope with ADEA, and other issues under ADEA. ADEA raised the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70, and tenured faculty were exempted…

The principal justification for the federal government's long-term and substantial support of vocational education programs is the need to provide opportunities for American workers, particularly those without marketable skills from lower income and minority families, to develop job-related skills. In recent decades, Congress has enacted several…

The advances women have made in the past decade have created the myth that women have achieved equal opportunity in the job market. In reality, the opposite is true. The current economic status of women demonstrates the need for strict enforcement of equal opportunity laws. Department of Labor data indicate that the wage gap between men and women…

The federal policy shift from skills training and toward work first strategies has come about, in part, from a misconception that "training does not work." A more comprehensive look at existing research reveals the documented effectiveness of skills training. A growing number of studies have shown skills training can increase earnings;…

A representative survey of over 30,000 people aged 16-64 years across the 15 member states of the European Union and Norway sought Europeans' preferences for increasing or reducing the number of hours worked per week. Key finding included the following: (1) 51% preferred to work fewer hours in exchange for lower earnings while 12% preferred to…