In this article, we explain how overly prescriptive, rigid state statutory and regulatory policy frameworks regarding teacher evaluation, tenure and employment decisions outstrip the statistical reliability and validity of proposed measures of teaching effectiveness. We begin with a discussion of the emergence of highly prescriptive state…

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…

This booklet contains clauses taken from actual agreements negotiated by school districts with their employee organizations. The clauses, grouped by subject and chosen for their importance in collective bargaining, illustrate contractual language which should be avoided by school board negotiators. Topics include cash payments upon retirement,…

This paper examines a large number of recent court cases, state commissioner of education decisions, and public employee relations board rulings dealing with the employment and dismissal of school employees in New York. Since the discussion focuses almost entirely on New York cases, it will be of limited value to readers in other states. In his…

This paper discusses a variety of incentives that can make a difference in attracting and retaining high quality teachers. These incentives include salaries, retirement benefits, working conditions, quality of life, tenure and seniority rights, and sick leave. The states in the Northeast vary considerably in their ability to attract quality…

School districts are increasingly squeezed between increasing operating costs and the growing difficulty of raising new revenue. Most causes of this situation are beyond the control of school officials; they can only control staffing and educational programs. Because 80 percent of most school budgets go for salaries and related expenses, any major…

This publication is a compilation of five papers presented at the 1975 Personnel Management Institutes held by the New York State School Boards Association. Although the meeting was intended to provide useful information about personnel matters specifically for school board members and school administrators from New York, much of the content of…

Discusses substantive and procedural restraints, including legal pitfalls, due process, and no-layoff clauses, within which public employers must decide questions of reduction in workforce (RIF). Describes elements of a sound RIF policy and considers ways of using the collective bargaining process to facilitate the RIF process. (JBM)

This report is a compilation of presentations made at the Personnel Management Institutes held by the New York State School Boards Association in the fall of 1974. Included are the following six presentations: "New Laws Affecting School Boards and School Administration," by Bernard T. McGivern; "How to Prepare for Tenure Hearings,…