For the last two decades, Ohio has given its new public school teachers choices among retirement plans. Early in their employment, they are handed a form that allows them to opt for a traditional pension plan, a 401(k)-style defined-contribution (DC) plan, or a plan that combines elements of each. If they make no affirmative decision at all--that…

Policymakers know that improving teaching in our schools requires a systemic look at many policies related to educator effectiveness. For example, teacher preparation programs need to be dramatically improved and strengthened, but without accompanying reform in compensation, even highly effective and innovative schools of education are unlikely to…

In the era of No Child Left Behind, principals are increasingly held accountable for student performance. But are teacher labor agreements giving them enough flexibility to manage effectively? This study answers this question and others. It examines how much flexibility school leaders enjoy on key dimensions of management in America's fifty…

Although states have maintained a focus on recruiting and retaining teachers, many schools and districts still face daunting challenges in ensuring a qualified and competent teaching corps. It is particularly difficult for schools considered hard to staff-those with high concentrations of low-performing, low-income students; high teacher turnover;…

The nature and characteristics of part-time faculty members in the state of Ohio were studied, based on a survey of 22 institutions, including four-year public and private and two-year or community colleges. Questionnaire responses were analyzed from 1,590 part-time faculty members and 335 administrators. Case studies also were conducted to obtain…

This cross-sectional, descriptive study explored seven aspects of classroom teachers' job satisfaction across six categories of years of teaching experience (ranging from 5 years or fewer to 26 years or more). The National Follow-up Survey of Teacher Education Graduates was mailed to 10,544 teachers in 307 restructured Ohio public schools and…

To identify the major reasons why high school vocational agriculture teachers in Ohio left their teaching positions between 1970 and 1975, 134 former teachers and 118 current teachers were surveyed. Former teachers were asked to rank forty-five factors on the extent of influence each factor had on their decision to leave teaching. The five factors…

A survey of 38 community college districts, including all community colleges in Ohio as well as a representative nationwide sample, was conducted by Cuyahoga Community College (CCC) in December 1979 to solicit information on faculty compensation during 1979 and to determine CCC's relative position among similar institutions with regard to…

Structural reform in higher education collective bargaining is examined in these conference proceedings, along with recent state bargaining legislation, and legal, union, and management views concerning sex discrimination in higher education. The 19 article topics and authors include: the problem of reshaping the fringe package (Claude Campbell);…