Everyone should have the opportunity to develop skills for a high-paying job. But most jobs are in the low-paying service sector. Recent work by Paul Barton and Michael Handel point to problems with initiatives designed to address skills deficits and calls into question reforms based on high-stakes assessments.

Discusses four bases of comparison related to teacher salaries both within Europe and between Europe and North America: methods of determining teachers' salaries, salary relationships within the teaching profession, comparability of teacher salaries with other groups, and long-term trends in teachers' salaries as compared with other salaries and…

Compares the variation in average annual K-12 public school teacher salaries between states that are "collective bargaining intensive" and those that are "bargaining unintensive." Concludes that bargaining has not had a positive effect on teacher salaries during the past two decades. (Author/WD)

Michael Kirst's article "Strengths and Weaknesses of American Education" in the April 1993 "Kappan" applauds U.S. efforts to become globally competitive. However, assembling cars in Mexico or exporting jobs to Korea blurs the distinction between national/corporate "teams." The issue is not talent but cheap talent.…

Suggests some monetary and nonmonetary incentives to keep good teachers in hard-to-staff, inner-city schools. (Author/WD)

Summarizes the case of "Winkes vs. Brown University" and interprets its significance in the controversy over whether granting salary increases to women faculty under affirmative action constitutes reverse discrimination against male faculty. (JW)

A former English teacher who lectures part-time at several colleges (with miserable pay and no benefits, seniority, or security) was determined to free herself from teaching. In recovery, she has plunged into lucrative business writing and editing, has weaned herself from faculty meetings and "excessive" caring, and is now a high-paid corporate…

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…

Human capital investment, in the form of education and training, is the key to improving labor market outcomes for high school leavers. GED certification provides an opportunity for education and training, but is no substitute for it. The GED credential is only a starting point. GED holders are not equivalent to high school graduates. (MLH)

Describes United States literacy characteristics, based on April 2000 reports from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Discusses Angoff methods for evaluating validity of high-stakes testing programs in Massachusetts and Virginia. (MLH)

Leading-edge states, districts, and unions are beginning to implement knowledge- and skills-based pay systems for teachers. PRAXIS and other performance assessment tools are described, along with sample assessment and salary schedule combinations. Effective principal leadership and yearly bonuses between $1,500 and $3,000 ensure sufficient…

A professional economist criticizes Gerald Bracey's view that the condition of public education has little to do with the state of the nation's economy. Most studies indicate that education contributes to growing productivity, higher wages, and a sound economy. Education can serve the nation's economic needs without sacrificing education's other…

America's corporate executives consider a huge world-class workforce superfluous. Corporate restructuring's bottom line was the massive shedding of workers, a reduction in future job opportunities, and a concomitant plunge in income, benefits, and living standards for millions. Experts predict that only 20% of well-trained college graduates will…

The U.S. is facing a serious shortage of math and science teachers. Worse news is that we are not now training enough new teachers to remedy the problem. Solutions may include differential pay, inservice staff development, school-industry cooperation, improved work environments, and computer-assisted instruction. (Author/JM)

Provides numerous statistics on the unequal distribution of power and wealth among men, women, and minorities of the same educational levels. Argues for (1) the teaching of skills and content that will help students control their own destinies and (2) a cooperative social environment within each classroom. Appended are 13 references. (IW)