This article addresses the design and application of cost adjustments in state school finance policies intended to compensate local public school districts for differences in the costs of recruiting and retaining teachers. Broadly speaking, the state policy objective for including cost adjustments to state aid for such things as teacher cost…

Each year thousands of Native students enroll at tribal colleges. Many say the close proximity to home is a draw for them. Others check out the facilities, and some might look over the staff roster and ask how many Native instructors work at the college. Several factors go into their decisions to enroll in a particular tribal college. For their…

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) leads a Mission Growth Working Group, which consists of states that are significantly impacted by the growth of military bases. The group includes state representatives appointed by the governors of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,…

Applied research and development activities at regional state colleges and universities bolster their primary mission of undergraduate education as well as contribute to local and statewide economic growth. As states boost efforts to fund and stimulate research as part of an integrated economic development strategy, they should seek to fully…

The quality of the teacher in the classroom is the most important factor in raising student achievement, as Linda Darling-Hammond noted, and educators should offer their students nothing less than well-trained and well-supported teachers. Providing high-quality teachers is of particular importance in low-income communities of color, where the most…

Too often, conversations and policy debates about higher education ignore a key group of students, the forgotten majority: adult, "nontraditional" learners. In particular, the author argues, community colleges have lost some of their initial edge in the adult market, and are not growing to meet the needs of nontraditional students. She explores…

Federal policy directed to teaching and teachers is the subject of this review, which is organized around: (1) recruitment; (2) training; (3) accountability; (4) incentives; (5) qualifications; (6) class size reduction; (teacher working conditions; and (8) human resource management and the overall coordination of teacher policy. For each theme,…

An expert on the sociology of video games highlights the power of this medium to popularize violence among children. But few are aware that some of the most technologically potent products are violent war games now being produced at taxpayer expense. These are provided free as a recruiting tool by the United States military. The author contends…

Current statistics show that roughly one quarter of all classroom teachers are male: this proportion sinks to approximately ten percent in the elementary grades. A scarcity of men in teaching is not a new phenomenon and has remained relatively constant through more than a century of various educational reforms. This brief discusses the historical…

Since the 1940s, public officials at the local, state and federal levels have used student loan forgiveness programs to attract individuals to critically needed occupations and underserved communities. In exchange for a work commitment, the loan program forgives (or repays) an amount of the employee's student loan. Traditionally, these programs…

California's budget crisis jeopardizes the progress made in strengthening the teaching workforce. The threat of impending teacher layoffs will weaken the teacher preparation pipeline and affect the state's ability to attract and retain thousands of teachers it can't afford to lose. If California is to remain committed to strengthening student…

A college-bound senior at a Chicago high school delivered this article at the Assembly Meeting of the Midwestern Regional College Board in Chicago. The article suggests ways in which admissions officers can make recruitment techniques more personal and geared to the needs of the students. (Author)

This article presents a text of a speech delivered by the author at the Foundation for Technology Education (FTE) Spirit of Excellence breakfast in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this speech, the author talked about the meaning of excellence. In order to pursue excellence, the author suggested that people in the field of technology education should…

Discusses the difficulty parish catechetical coordinators face in recruiting volunteer religion teachers. Presents recommendations for successful recruiting: stable programs that are spoken of confidently; in-service formation of catechists; recruitment that is done by the entire parish; casting a wide net; and creating an environment welcoming…

Discusses the Peace Corps as offering temporary experience with lasting benefits for volunteers. Explains volunteer recruitment, the move from generalists to specialists, extrinsic skills being sought, the Peace Corps as preparation for careers, government employment, and benefits of service. Also discusses career counseling of returned volunteers…