Mt. Hood Community College (Oregon) funds faculty for all leaves of absence which will be of demonstrable benefit to the instructor's teaching or curriculum. The program currently costs $20,000 per year (one-quarter percent of the total operating budget). In 1973-74, nearly one-third of the faculty used the funds. (DC)

Improvement in the quality of education is a concern shared by all the Member States of the European Community. The in-service training of teachers is a critical factor in the pursuit of this objective. Increasingly rapid changes in society (economic, technological, social, and cultural) mean that teachers are constantly faced with new syllabuses…

The public has recognized the importance of high quality science education as it relates to the development of personal life skills and the pursuit of technologically oriented professions. This report provides staffing and enrollment data for science education in schools in the state of Kentucky. The report identifies areas for needed staff…

The importance of appropriate compensation and employment security for college faculty is discussed, in light of the declining purchasing power and wages for teachers and the erosion of benefits and pension prospects. From 1970 to 1985, the national average faculty salary, adjusted for inflation, fell 15.1%. Regardless of personal commitments and…

An overview of policy level initiatives for teacher incentive plans in seven north central states--Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin--is provided in this report. Contents include a discussion of types of incentive plans and factors for planning, implementation, and governance; a summary of state initiatives; and…

Rural schools are having difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers. The national teacher turnover rate is 6% annually, but in rural areas reaches 30% to 50%. Rural teachers often leave due to social, cultural, geographic, and professional isolation. They are often unprepared for rural realities that demand knowledge in multiple subjects and…

This collection of documents contains four papers: (1) "An Orientation Seminar for Prospective Wine Science and Viticulture Students" (A. V. Hood), which describes an innovation organized by staff involved in the external teaching of wine science and viticulture who sought to break down the barriers and concerns of prospective students…

The attraction and recruitment of qualified teachers as a responsibility of school leaders is discussed in this paper. Included are an examination of factors contributing to teacher shortage, identification of school-based reform targets that address the work and working conditions of teachers, and a discussion of the implications of such…

This study was undertaken to determine the perceptions of a wide range of citizens and to inform the Mississippi Legislature on the issue of merit pay in education. From each of 50 randomly selected Mississippi school districts, a representation of grades K through 12 was chosen, with all professional and administrative staff members asked to…

The factors which discourage prospective teachers from pursuing teaching careers are examined in this study. College freshmen from a medium-sized engineering university in the Midwest were selected to participate in the investigation. Based on responses to a questionnaire, these students were grouped as "teaching oriented" and…

The impact of market forces on negotiated salary guides for the hiring and retention of faculty was investigated through a survey of the collective bargaining agreements of four-year institutions. While the vast majority of the 117 contracts surveyed were silent on this issue, 16 agreements contained provisions. Fifteen provided for specific…

Results of a study on changes in campus policies and practices are presented, with the major focus on the issue of assessing student learning. Also considered are changes in faculty hiring and areas of curricular review, enrollment, and financial circumstances of colleges and universities. Results indicate that most administrators support the use…

In 1983, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill providing incentive loans for students to become mathematics and science teachers. This report describes the employment status of loan recipients who completed teacher preparation programs as of November, 1987. Responses to the survey questionnaire from 199 teachers provided answers to the…

In order to evaluate the M.Ed. in Reading Program at William Paterson College (New Jersey), a study surveyed 56 recent graduates of the program for their responses to three questions: (1) How do graduates evaluate the total program and its components? (2) How "professional" are the graduates? and (3) How well do graduates do in the…

A guide to obtaining English as a second language teaching jobs in international and American schools overseas contains information on the kinds of jobs available, provides a timeline calendar for job-seeking, and lists sources of further information. The nature of the international school, its characteristics and personnel practices,…