Although teacher unions promote private means of resolving labor conflicts instead of using public courts, they are engaged in a war on privatization, especially contracting out. It is surprising that the media and higher education take seriously the contention that unions do not negatively affect educational achievement. Advocates of "the…

The purpose of this report is to summarize what is known about performance-based pay for teachers in a form useful to state educational policymakers. Section 1 reviews the experience of local education agencies with various forms of merit pay, contending that experience with and evaluations of these merit plans serve as "natural experiments" that…

The National Commission on Excellence in Education found mathematics and science programs to be deteriorating and saw an existing shortage of qualified teachers of these subjects. Many of the Commission's solutions are expected to meet with resistance from the Reagan administration and from teachers' unions. (MLF)

Since education is lifelong, linking teachers' salary and benefits to students' learning levels marks a novel approach to quantifying instructor ability. Adult Americans need to be asked how they feel about the education they received, and the teachers under whom they studied. (MLW)

This paper analyzes the current and historical criticism of performance-based compensation in K-12 education. It claims that new compensation methods are feasible and are necessary in order to attract and retain the best and the brightest into the teaching profession. The document outlines the objections to performance-based compensation, which in…

Distinctive characteristics of higher education institutions in Texas are described. Its lack of recognition as a leading state higher education system is emphasized. Academe in Texas is viewed as being in the developing stages but showing great potential. (BH)

A brief pamphlet highlights the findings of the "Pennsylvania Profile of Education Project" and gives broad recommendations for the improvement of public education in the state. The report emphasizes and elevates the important role of the teacher in the pursuit of quality education. Among the recommendations are the following: (1)…

High schools throughout the United States are turning out graduates who are deficient in mathematics and science education. The field of education has come to be staffed by less competent teachers, as more qualified and more able individuals have been lured away to higher paying professions. The result of this has been the impairment of American…

There is a need for educational research even during financial difficulties. Wisdom and efficiency in spending, careful data collection, and collaboration among agencies should be important goals while resources are scarce. Considering the situation, this paper describes critical issues in elementary and secondary education and the manner in which…

This report examines the state of higher education in the United Kingdom and calls for increased funding of higher education to meet the demands of the 21st century. It focuses on the demand for graduates in the labor market, the changing student profile (in regard to age, gender, social class), the demand for student places, funding, salaries,…

This document examines approaches to educational reform currently under consideration in the Pacific Northwest and discusses policy issues involved with these reform efforts. The introduction discusses broad-scale policy issues, including the setting of priorities amid the diversity of reforms, the clarifying of beliefs and selection of changes…

A summary of recommendations for improving the fiscal data portion of the Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of Data includes a discussion of the issues surrounding each recommendation. The following actions are recommended: (1) revenues and expenditures should include a breakdown of function by funds, and further detail should be…

This paper analyzes prevalent methods of comparing schools' performance and recommends alternative measures more helpful toward understanding how schools might be improved. The influence of two factors--resource availability and financial need--on the level of school programming is explained in light of Michigan's system of educational finance.…

Proceedings of a 1981 joint conference sponsored by the Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR) and the North Carolina Association for Institutional Research are presented. The conference theme was the practice of institutional research. Contents include preconference workshop reports, speeches, abstracts of papers, and reports of…

Although objectively measurable achievement of outcomes is an important guide to the quality of education, the process of defining and assuring the quality of technical education and training must include consideration for the context in which technical education and training occurs. It is also critical to remember that education has two sets of…