A recent report from Michigan's Mackinac Center asserts that there is little or no relationship between student achievement and marginal increases to what the report characterizes as the already "high" levels of spending in that state. Yet the report never substantiates its assertion that present spending levels are high, on average, or…

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…

Back in 1982, as New Jersey's commissioner of education, the author of this paper made several recommendations to then-Governor Thomas H. Kean concerning teachers. These ideas, all of which the governor embraced, stirred controversy but also put the state on cutting edge of school reform. The ideas were important because they recognized, in a…

An International Labour Organization report finds a strong correlation between reductions in overall public spending--often the result of structural adjustment policies--and reduced spending on education. (Author/JOW)

Outlines five areas--salaries, discipline, class size, student/teacher match, and professionalism--in which a "revolution" must take place if the educational reform movement is to be successful. (MD)

Reviews trends in different countries regarding educational reform at the primary and secondary levels in terms of educational quality, funding, teacher salaries, class size, and decentralization. Suggests that, even in Japan and other industrialized nations, there is movement away from the constraints of a uniform system. (SK)

How can a writing program administrator (WPA) implement the "Statement of Principles and Standards for the Postsecondary Teaching of Writing," known as the Wyoming Resolution? Most administrators know that something like the resolution needs to be implemented, but they also know that the Statement lacks the wholehearted support of…

Taking as examples the issues of improving students'"high order thinking skills" and arriving at more equitable teacher salaries and school budgets, the author discusses the need for compromise solutions to widespread problems. (JBM)

Changes that should be considered in the Indiana public school system involve: (1) longer school year; (2) commitment to student and parent freedom of choice; (3) teachers' salaries; (4) tougher graduation requirements; (5) teacher/administrator workload; (6) functional literacy test; (7) concern for non-public education students and teachers; (8)…

How can we fix America's floundering public schools? The conventional wisdom says that schools need a lot more money, that poor and immigrant children cannot do as well as most American kids, that high-stakes tests just produce teaching to the test, and that vouchers do little to help students while undermining our democracy. But what if the…

A school board member-turned-English teacher shares several insights: teaching is exhausting work; class size matters; teachers are isolated; teachers often misunderstand board actions; administrative filters distort what boards and teachers are really saying; adopting one-sided, radical change is foolhardy; and teachers are professionals…

This document suggests changes to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in four targeted areas. Regarding Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) supports: (1) Setting challenging but demonstrably attainable student progress goals; (2) Judging school effectiveness by measuring progress of the same students over…

Finds progress in the area of curriculum (increasing graduation requirements) since publication of "A Nation at Risk," but argues that some educational interest groups, especially teacher unions, have succeeded in blocking certain "Risk" recommendations requiring real changes, such as extending the school year, while supporting…

This working paper analyzes higher education faculty characteristics in Mexico and the United States. The first section describes and compares Mexican and U.S. faculty characteristics and conditions, including total number of faculty, student-teacher ratios, full- versus part-time status, rank, tenure, average salaries, gender and ethnicity, and…