Offers editorial opinion and excerpts from letters discussing pension requirements for teachers in the Soviet Union. Criticizes the policy of requiring teachers to put in a strictly enforced number of years of service to become eligible to receive a pension. (DK)

This report presents data obtained from a survey of District of Columbia public school teachers who would become eligible for retirement in school years 1986 through 1991. Findings indicate that well over one-third of the respondents plan to retire when first eligible at the age of 55, while 30 percent plan to delay retirement. If the remaining 29…

Discusses a perceived lack of concern for retired teachers among former students and the community at large. Provides examples and excerpts from letters describing loneliness and financial difficulties among retired teachers in the Soviet Union. Urges respect and concern for those who have given everything for their profession, often at the…

Investigates the possibility that the organizational characteristics and conditions of schools are driving teacher turnover. Analysis of data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) indicates that the amount of turnover accounted for by retirement is relatively minor when compared with that associated with other factors such as…

The challenge facing school finance is how to harness the school-finance system to the fundamental purpose of education: to improve learning for all students. The challenge is posed by political demands for better school performance and accountability, and by court rulings that tie school funding to standards of adequacy. This paper examines four…

Nearly a million teachers will reach retirement age in the next 9 to 11 years. This report presents a complete state-by-state overview of the retirement programs available to America's teachers. Chapter 1 presents the issues of teacher aging, retirement, and early retirement and asks how school districts might effectively manage the retirement and…

This is a summary of the main findings and conclusions resulting from a study conducted to estimate the number of new teachers the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) will require to staff its classrooms over the next seven years. The methodology of this study, including the construction of model-to-project requirements, involved analysis…

This seven-section report examines the pension-related behavior of older public employees, particularly California teachers. Section I introduces the benefit option situation. Section II surveys previous studies focusing on the relationship between Social Security wealth and the probability of retirement. Section III describes the California State…

This analysis examines the effects of school and organizational characteristics on teacher turnover and, in turn, school staffing problems. The analyses are based on data from the Schools and Staffing Survey and its supplement, the Teacher Followup Survey, a large, comprehensive, nationally representative survey of teachers and schools conducted…

This study describes the Michigan special education work force (as of 1988-89) with regard to six issues, one primary and five supplemental, having to do with the need for and supply of special educators and attempts to predict future personnel needs. The primary issue concerns the factors that will affect the teacher supply and demand in the near…

How schools weather budget reductions shows the difference between effective and less effective school systems. Policymakers' response to reductions depends on an array of factors: general economic conditions, access to data about future trends, community expectations and "myths," past records of school effectiveness, local education…

This paper synthesizes issues and informational needs regarding the supply and demand for doctoral level personnel in special education and stresses the importance of obtaining accurate data on teacher supply and demand for planning training activities and analyzing manpower needs. Existing findings on teacher employment, teacher shortages,…

This book describes the operation of state and local government pension systems for teachers, explores the rationale behind current administrative and financial practices, and describes the interaction of special interest groups, pension professionals, and investment personnel with the administration of these systems. The pension systems in 23…

This publication addresses 10 "front-burner" public policy issues in higher education for 1994 which were identified and discussed by higher education policy experts in two meetings during the fall of 1993. A single page at the beginning of the document presents all 10 issues in a format designed for easy photocopying or overhead projector…