This twelfth edition of "Measuring up to the Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws" evaluates each state's public charter school law against the 21 essential components of a strong charter school law. These 21 components are drawn from the National Alliance's "A New Model Law for Supporting the Growth of High-Quality Public…

Just 18 minutes before the midnight signing deadline on May 15, 2010, Minnesota state legislators breathed a sigh of relief. Their bipartisan pension reform legislation, which passed both chambers by large margins and aimed to help shore up a potentially failing pension system, had just escaped a veto threat. Under pressure from his Republican…

An academic discipline and a profession eventually converge through the relationship, division of labor and trust between universities and professional associations--and their mutual respect for the authority and the respective roles of one another. Sometimes, professional associations evaluate academic programs or even provide an examination at…

Teachers' unions find themselves on the defensive in states across the country, as governors and lawmakers press forward with proposals to target job protections and benefits that elected officials contend the public can no longer afford academically or financially. Many of those efforts are being driven by newly elected Republicans, who have…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from February 14 to 18, 2011. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1003, the University System budget bill, was amended by House Appropriations, Education and Environment Division, February 17 and approved as amended by the full House Appropriations…

It sounds like a simple solution to a growing problem: Address teacher shortages by adopting policies that encourage veterans to stay in the classroom while attracting retirees back to the job. While many states and districts are doing just that, they are also finding that their policies can have unintended consequences--such as raising questions…

Community college leadership programs may take a variety of forms, among them university-based programs, leadership institutes, community college-based "grow your own" programs, professional organization-based institutes, or a combination of these. University-based doctorate leadership programs are the principal providers of these…

Keith Hoeller is an adjunct professor. He teaches philosophy for a living at Green River Community College, just outside Seattle. He has also spent much of the last two decades ruminating about the bigger picture for those at his level of the professorial pecking order. Over the years, Hoeller has lobbied relentlessly for adjunct-friendly…

This report presents the results of a 50-state survey of the laws defining the reporting, disclosure and investment standards that govern public employee retirement systems. In addition to reviewing these laws, the report describes the legislative and executive oversight of public retirement systems mandated by state law. The data for the report…

This bulletin has been prepared by the National Education Association's Committee on Salaries, Tenure, and Pensions in cooperation with the Bureau of Education. Its purpose is to show the extent of the teachers' pension movement in a brief and summary way, and to collect in convenient form pension legislation for public school-teachers in the…

Ohio's legislative interest in regulating college faculty workloads is seen as unnecessary by many institutions. Impetus for new regulations requiring more faculty time in the classroom comes from research on increased use of teaching assistants for undergraduate instruction. Some argue that early retirement and reductions in the number of…

Faculty salary and fringe benefit data for 1985-1986 and 1986-1987 at California State University and the University of California are examined, along with data for comparison institutions. University of California medical faculty salary comparisons from 1984-1985 are also provided. Statistics on salary and fringe benefits are provided by faculty…

School business administrators are devoting a significant portion of their time to retirement-related issues. Describes the retirement systems in place in Illinois and provides some budgeting examples for retirements and early retirements of school district personnel. (MLF)

Describes three law suits filed by part-time community college faculty members in Washington State for retirement benefits, health care benefits, and unpaid wages and overtime. Notes that college officials insist they have violated no state laws. Reports on the development of a lobbying group among the state's thousands of part-time faculty…

The efficiency and moral of members of college faculties are dependent in a large measure on an assurance of economic security. In order, that they may render a high standard of service in teaching youth and in discovering knowledge for the benefit of society, protection for them and their families against the risks and anxieties of the future is…