How expensive is a college degree? Usually, the answer is based on what students pay in tuition and fees compared to what they earn after graduation. Very little is known about the economic cost of running an electrical engineering program compared to, say, a history department, or the resource consequences of steering more students into these…

As the economic outlook continues to darken, school districts will be looking for ways to cut costs, and they will no doubt wrestle with some difficult issues. When does it make sense to keep classes small? When does it make sense to increase class sizes to cut costs? Such debates are often carried out in the absence of information about what…

Argues that declines in the relative quality of teachers, reductions in class size, and growth in per-pupil spending can all be traced to one source-growing demand for skilled workers outside education. (Author/PKP)

Uses student scores on Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 18 countries to examine the relationship between class size and student achievement. Finds that with the exception of two countries--Greece and Iceland--reduction in smaller class had no effect on test scores. Suggests that class-size effect is related to teacher…

This article discusses what a Tennessee experiment tells about merit pay. Though the dramatic effects that teachers have on student achievement are indisputable, the exact ingredients of effective teaching are anything but settled. Questions about how to value experience, education, certification, and pedagogical skills---the big four of teacher…

In developed countries like the United States and Britain, the continuing challenge for educators is to sort through the choices of an all-you-can-eat school system and teach the basic skills. Despite so-called universal education, an alarming number of people still fail to reach even basic levels of literacy. The "literacy hour" was…

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…