Discusses court decisions affecting union shops in public institutions and their requirement of union fee payments by nonunion member employees. Discusses procedures that must be followed for dissenters challenging amount of fee charged. The most recent decision, "Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson," does not deal with an important…

This report describes the foreign-born population of the United States in 2002, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. Overall, more than one-third of the foreign-born population is from Mexico or another Central American country. The foreign-born are more likely to live in the west, while natives are more likely to…

There is hardly any estimate of returns to schooling in India based on national level representative data for the recent period. This paper provides estimates of the economic returns to education in India by gender, age cohort, and location (by rural-urban) for the most recent period 1993-94, and also evaluates the changes in returns over a period…

This study explored relationships between black-white differences in educational achievement and black-white differences in various educational and economic outcomes. Three data sets examined the extent to which black-white differences in labor market outcomes, in educational attainment, and in mathematics and reading achievement were present for…

Improvement in educational quality requires raising the standards in administrator and teacher preparation and certification; increased tax support for public schools; aggressive teacher training recruitment programs; strong personnel evaluation programs in all school districts and colleges of education; and employment practices based on…

Reports the results of a national survey concerning 1982-83 school salaries to show how increases in elementary school principals' salaries compare with those of other administrators or teachers or with increases in the cost of living. Briefly reports on a survey of fringe benefits. (JM)

School districts are advised to take the necessary steps to bring job classification and compensation schedules into line with comparable worth criteria. (Author/MLF)

Using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data, this study finds that education rates of return vary across racial/ethnic groups because of differing human capital investments made by families in each group. School quality also matters. Nearly the entire white/black earnings gap would disappear if black children had school and home…

Shrinking financial resources are affecting school districts across the country, but salaries and staffing patterns in large and medium-sized districts are being affected disproportionately. Whereas the average teacher salary increased 19.1 percent over the past 6 years, the average salary increased just 13.2 percent in large districts and 15.4…

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…

Applies comparative techniques originated by K. Wolpin and G. Psacharopulos to discriminate between the "weak" and "strong" screening hypotheses, employed to determine whether societal investment in upgrading or expanding education is justified. Controlling for sample selection, this study finds evidence for weak screening in…

This special issue was inspired by Greg Duncan and Saul Hoffman's 1981 article on the "incidence and wage effects of overeducation." These researchers used a Mincer earnings equation to determine that a substantial number of American workers were over- or under-educated for their chosen occupations. (MLH)

Investigates whether structural changes in the U.S. labor market affected the rewards and penalties associated with having too much or too little schooling for a job. Applies U.S. results to Germany's more structured ambience. In all cases, productivity and wages were affected by workers' education levels. (Contains 34 references.) (MLH)

Estimates separate earnings equations by employment sector and gender in Spain and identifies returns to human capital, based on 1990-91 household survey data. Public wages are higher, and civil servants more highly educated. However, the public sector pays lower returns to education and experience. Earnings advantage is largest for least skilled…

Presents evidence on returns to education for Spanish employees during the 1980s, a period of remarkable structural transformation. Results show a declining payoff to education between 1981 and 1991 for lower and intermediate educational levels. Higher education does not show a reduction in return. Earnings inequality by gender declined noticeably…