ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Teaching Penalty: An Update through 2010. EPI Issue Brief #298
Author: Allegretto, Sylvia A.
Date: 2011-03-30
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Evidence,Public School Teachers,Elementary Secondary Education,Teacher Salaries,Compensation (Remuneration),Workers Compensation,Salary Wage Differentials,Comparable Worth,Personnel Policy,Data Analysis,Statistical Data,Educational Attainment,Education Work Relationship,Trend Analysis,Longitudinal Studies

Effective teachers are demonstrably the most important resource schools have for improving the academic success of their students. Yet for many school leaders, recruiting and retaining talented and effective classroom teachers remains an uphill battle. Whether teacher salaries are sufficient to attract the best graduates into teaching remains an open question, but there is little doubt that the recent fiscal crisis in the states has reenergized the debate over teacher compensation. As this debate proceeds, sound evidence on the comparability of teacher pay is critical for maintaining and improving the quality of the teaching force in the United States. In this issue brief, the authors summarize the main findings of their 2004 and 2008 reports, and update key estimates of the teacher pay penalty through 2010. Using data aggregated over the 2006-10 period (to ensure a sufficient sample size in all 50 states and the District of Columbia), they computed the weekly wages of public school teachers relative to comparably educated workers. Some of their findings are the following: (1) Trends in weekly earnings show that public school teachers in 2010 earned about 12% less than comparable workers, a gap equivalent to that found in their 2004 study; (2) Analyzing the weekly earnings of occupations comparable to K-12 teachers confirms the substantial erosion of teacher pay relative to their peers through 2006; and (3) If the policy goal is to improve the quality of the entire teaching workforce, then raising the &quot;level&quot; of teacher compensation is critical to recruiting and retaining higher quality teachers. (Contains 2 tables.)
Fact-Challenged Policy. Policy Memorandum #182
Author: Rothstein, Richard
Date: 2011-03-08
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: College Graduates,Costs,Educational Change,Elementary Secondary Education,School Restructuring,Public Schools,Teacher Effectiveness,Academic Achievement,Educational Policy,Public Policy,Racial Differences,Grade 4,Grade 8,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Misconceptions

This paper is a response on the topic of school reform efforts being promoted by Bill Gates and other prominent education policy advocates. Last week, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates published an op-ed in the Washington Post, &quot;How Teacher Development could Revolutionize our Schools,&quot; proposing that American public schools should do a better job of evaluating the effectiveness of teachers, a goal with which none can disagree. But his specific prescriptions, and the urgency he attaches to them, are based on the misrepresentation of one fact, the misinterpretation of another and the demagogic presentation of a third. It is remarkable that someone associated with technology and progress should have such a careless disregard for accuracy when it comes to the education policy in which he is now so deeply involved. Gates' most important factual claim is that &quot;over the past four decades, the per-student cost of running our K-12 schools has more than doubled, while our student achievement has remained virtually flat.&quot; And, he adds, &quot;spending has climbed, but our percentage of college graduates has dropped compared with other countries.&quot; In this paper, the author examines these factual claims. (Contains 1 table and 3 endnotes.)
What Teachers Want: Teacher Preferences regarding Nontraditional Pay Approaches. EPI Briefing Paper #266
Author: Trevor, Charlie O.
Date: 2010-05-28
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Evidence,Standardized Tests,Teacher Characteristics,Scores,Teacher Salaries,Preferences,Demography,Evaluation Criteria,Attitude Change,Cohort Analysis,Salary Wage Differentials,Comparable Worth,Finance Reform,Merit Pay,Personnel Policy,Teacher Attitudes,Delivery Systems,Data Analysis,Statistical Data,Hypothesis Testing,Educational Indicators,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Attainment,Tenure,Measures (Individuals),Predictor Variables,Teacher Evaluation

One of the lightning rods in the discourse over teacher pay has been the question of "how much" teachers should be paid. What the "how much" debate does not directly address, however, is the question of "how" teachers should be paid. This paper attempts to help lay groundwork for a better understanding of what exactly teachers want in terms of how they should be paid. Nontraditional teacher pay (NTTP), which is considered here to be pay systems that diverge from exclusive reliance on the traditional salary schedule, continues to be a high-profile and controversial issue. Often lost in the debate over NTTP is a thorough assessment of what teachers "actually prefer" in a pay system, which has important implications for teacher recruitment, retention, and motivation. While teachers are sometimes broadly described as resisting NTTP, the truth is much more nuanced. Using data collected in 2005 from over 2,500 unionized teachers in a single state, this paper explores: (1) whether teachers favor or oppose four different bonus-based NTTP systems, and the demographic and attitudinal characteristics associated with these preferences; (2) levels of teacher support for traditional (i.e., education, service) and nontraditional (e.g., standardized test score) criteria for salary increases, as well as teacher characteristics related to this support; and (3) changes over time in NTTP preferences, as additional survey data from six years earlier allow for a unique opportunity to examine possible cohort versus service effects. Some of the main findings are the following: (1) Teachers supported an emphasis on education and service as the basis for salary increases, preferring these criteria to student test scores and performance evaluation; (2) Merit-based bonus plans were the least favored of the four bonus plans presented, as only 28% of teachers favored their adoption; and (3) Evidence indicated that the average teacher becomes less NTTP-friendly over time, growing less likely to favor the adoption of the bonus-based NTTP plans or to support the use of NTTP criteria in salary increases. (Contains 5 figures, 6 tables, and 11 endnotes.)
It's Not a Matter of Time: Highlights from the 2011 Competency-Based Summit
Author: Sturgis, Chris
Date: 2011-07-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Competence,Expertise,Elementary Secondary Education,Competency Based Education,Educational Innovation,Conferences (Gatherings),Communities of Practice,Alignment (Education),Change Strategies,Skill Analysis,Accountability,Equal Education,Management Information Systems,State Policy,Theory Practice Relationship,Partnerships in Education,Government Role,Educational Opportunities,Learning Strategies

From Anchorage, Alaska, to Orlando, Florida, and from Gray, Maine, to Yuma, Arizona, one hundred competency-based innovators gathered at the Competency-Based Learning Summit in March 2011. Sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), the Summit was developed in response to the findings in the report "When Success Is the Only Option: Designing Competency-Based Pathways for Next Generation Learning." The 2010 scan of the field of competency-based innovation found that the pockets of innovation across the country were too often operating in general isolation. By bringing together the leaders in the field, CCSSO and iNACOL set out to expedite building the capacity to meet the growing demand for competency-based approaches. The Summit, the first step toward building the infrastructure to expedite competency-based approaches, was designed around three goals: (1) Sharing expertise across and among innovators and policy leaders; (2) Building a common working definition of competency-based learning; and (3) Enhancing the strategies and skills for advancing the establishment of competency-based options. Although it would be impossible to capture the Summit's cascade of ideas, this paper highlights the key issues raised to support the advancement of competency-based learning. Participant List is appended. (Contains 4 footnotes, 10 resources and 23 online resources.) [For related report, "Cracking the Code: Synchronizing Policy and Practice for Performance-Based Learning," see ED537322.]
Keeping Teachers on the Job Costs Less than Advertised. Policy Memorandum #168
Author: Bivens, Josh
Date: 2010-05-27
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Federal Aid,Labor Market,Job Development,Federal Legislation,Input Output Analysis,Investment,Cost Effectiveness,Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Employment,Public Policy

A misplaced obsession with the size of federal budget deficits remains the single biggest obstacle to enacting new measures to create jobs on a scale commensurate with the crisis in the American labor market. Even assuming that budget scoring rules can't be changed, at the very least policy makers should be aware of the true impact a given piece of legislation will have on deficits when debating new measures aimed at job creation. The degree to which any piece of legislation can partially self-finance by spurring job-growth depends largely on how efficient it is in creating jobs--legislation with higher "bang for buck" (i.e., jobs created per given amount spent) will spur more tax collections and reduce safety net spending more and hence will provide larger offsets to its gross headline costs. Legislation recently proposed by Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) would provide $23 billion in aid to states to keep teachers and other education professionals employed even as state budgets are in crisis. Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com estimates that each dollar of federal aid to states provided during times of high unemployment will lead to a $1.40 increase in overall economic activity (gross domestic product, or GDP). The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that each 1% increase in actual GDP relative to potential GDP (for example, the level of economic activity that would have been reached had unemployment been at 5% instead of 10%) leads to a $0.38 reduction in the federal budget deficit. Using these two numbers, one can roughly calculate the self-financing of the education staffing proposal: the $23 billion multiplied by the 1.4 multiplier yields a $32 billion increase in GDP as a result of the legislation. This extra $32 billion will then generate extra taxes and reduced safety net spending that will lower the federal budget deficit by $12.2 billion. With this offset, the net cost of Harkin's proposal will be only $10.8 billion, or less than "half" the headline price. Given that obsession with the simple size of the federal budget deficit now (wrongly) dominates the discourse on job-creation strategies, there is a need to at least get the numbers right. The greater offset to deficits provided by measures with a high "bang for buck" is one more reason to make sure that resources are directed as efficiently as possible in the name of job creation.
The Class of 2010: Economic Prospects for Young Adults in the Recession. EPI Briefing Paper #265
Author: Bivens, Josh
Date: 2010-05-11
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Employment Patterns,Young Adults,Public Policy,Labor Market,Unemployment,Job Applicants,Education Work Relationship,Employment Opportunities,Employment Potential,Employment Problems,Employment Projections,Graduate Surveys,College Graduates,High School Graduates,Economic Impact,Economic Climate,Economic Development,Economic Factors,Economic Opportunities,Economic Progress,Investment,Enrollment Trends

It will take years for the labor market to recover from the damage induced by the recent recession. While monthly job losses almost surely peaked in 2009, the unemployment rate will likely peak in 2010 (CBO 2010a). In April, the unemployment rate reached 9.9% and the overall economic cause is simple: firms are not hiring quickly enough, as indicated by the 5.6 job seekers per current job opening. The 290,000 jobs gained in April, the largest monthly job gain in three years, represent a baby step in climbing out of the jobs hole of 10.7 million that remains in the recession's wake. For the class of 2010, it will be one of the worst years to graduate high school or college since at least 1983 and possibly the worst since the end of World War II. This paper documents several aspects of the grim labor market situation facing young graduates. It also discusses ways that government policy both helps and ways that it fails to help young workers damaged by the recession. The class of 2010 is graduating at a particularly bad time, and their poor job prospects are manifestly not their fault. They need a response from policy makers that appreciates these facts. (Contains 9 figures, 1 table, and 6 endnotes.)
The Challenge of Innovation: The Case of the Minneapolis Professional Pay Plan? EPI Briefing Paper #267
Author: Harris, Debbi
Date: 2010-06-22
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Incentives,Rewards,Teacher Behavior,Teacher Salaries,Middle School Teachers,Compensation (Remuneration),Workers Compensation,Personnel Policy,Policy Analysis,Teacher Evaluation,Evaluation Criteria,Interviews,Educational Policy,Case Studies,Salary Wage Differentials,Finance Reform,Educational History,Merit Pay,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Participation,Performance Factors

What is the &quot;best&quot; way to pay teachers? Should teachers be paid based only on their experience and education, or does this merely reward mediocrity? Would it be better to base teachers' pay on their performance in the classroom or their students' learning, or would this undermine cooperation among colleagues and encourage an unhealthy level of teaching to the test? There are no easy answers to these questions. This report reviews the history of teacher compensation plans and begins to shed light on the effects of compensation systems on teacher behavior through a study of middle-school teachers' responses to an alternative compensation policy, the Minneapolis Professional Pay Plan (Professional Pay). This study was conducted in Minneapolis from 2003 to 2005 using both qualitative and quantitative methods, and inductive and deductive inferential processes. Interviews with middle-school teachers, school administrators, and district personnel and a survey of middle-school teachers are the main data sources. Several obstacles to the policy's success emerged from the data including teachers' limited understanding of the policy, their unwillingness to surrender their professional autonomy in order to earn financial rewards, and their limited interest in financial incentives. Perhaps the most important and least recognized obstacle was the district's inability to credibly commit to Professional Pay. The inability of school districts to credibly commit has been largely ignored in the research literature but may be a significant factor in the failure of many policies to positively affect practice. While this study only looks at the Minneapolis case, it has implications for education policy more generally. The broader question is this: Can a public school district credibly commit to policies that, in order to be effective, require a long-term financial and political commitment? The answer to this question may very well be a resounding, &quot;No.&quot; (Contains 9 tables and 4 endnotes.) [This paper was written with Sarah Butler Jessen.]
Do We Really Want A Fearless Society? Technical Paper No. 40
Author: Fisher, R. Michael
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Fear,Sustainability,Social Attitudes,Critical Literacy,Coping,Psychological Patterns,Role of Education,Social Change

This paper summarizes the literature across disciplines and cultures that examines the possibility of a "fearless society." The author presents various theories and critical methodologies that critique this literature and yet support its inherent impulse of the Fearlessness Principle. The author suggests, despite the problems of interpretation of a "fearless society," the concept is essential to a future unifying vision for humanity, sanity and sustainability in the 21st century. This paper serves to develop a critical literacy of fear and fearlessness knowledge (i.e., fear management/education), as part of a 25 yr. long project, initiated by the author. (Contains 1 figure and 26 footnotes.) [This paper was published by the In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.]
Student Debt and the Class of 2011
Author: Reed, Matthew
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,Graduates,Grants,Paying for College,College Seniors,Graduation,Public Colleges,Costs,Debt (Financial),Tuition,Loan Repayment,Geographic Regions,Economic Climate

Student Debt and the Class of 2011 is the seventh annual report on the cumulative student loan debt of recent graduates from four-year public and private nonprofit colleges. The authors' analysis found that the debt levels of students who graduate with loans continued to rise, with considerable variation among states as well as among colleges. The authors estimate that two-thirds (66%) of college seniors who graduated in 2011 had student loan debt, with an average of $26,600 for those with loans. The five percent increase in average debt at the national level is similar to the average annual increase over the past few years. Also similar to previous years, about one-fifth of graduates' debt is comprised of private loans. State averages for debt at graduation from four-year colleges ranged widely in 2011, from $17,250 to $32,450. High-debt states remain concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, with low-debt states mainly in the West and South. Many factors influence student debt levels for each graduating class and the rate of increase over time, such as changes in college costs, family resources, and need-based grant aid. Most students in the Class of 2011 started college before the recent economic downturn, but the economy soured while they were in school, widening the gap between rising college costs and what students and their parents could afford. State budget cuts led to sharp tuition increases at some public colleges, increasing the need to borrow. On the other hand, federal need-based grant aid increased while the Class of 2011 was in college, with an especially large Pell Grant increase in 2009-10. Recommendations to address rising student debt are offered. Appended are: (1) Methodology: Where the Numbers Come From and How We Use Them; and (2) The Institute for College Access & Success' National Policy Agenda to Reduce the Burden of Student Debt. (Contains 6 tables and 44 footnotes.)
National Standards for Quality Online Courses: Version 2
Author: International Association for K-12 Online Learning
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: National Standards,Academic Standards,Educational Technology,Instructional Design,Expertise,Elementary Secondary Education,Course Content,Professional Associations,Student Evaluation,Scoring Rubrics,Evaluation Criteria,Course Evaluation,Instructional Development,Educational Quality,Standard Setting,Definitions,Web Based Instruction,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Blended Learning,Technology Planning,Educational Policy,Guidelines

The mission of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is to ensure all students have access to world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success. &quot;National Standards for Quality Online Courses&quot; is designed to provide states, districts, online programs, and other organizations with a set of quality guidelines for online course content, instructional design, technology, student assessment, and course management. The original initiative in version one of the standards began with a thorough literature review of existing online course quality standards, followed by a survey offered to representatives of the iNACOL network to ensure the efficacy of the standards adopted. As a result of the research review, iNACOL had chosen to fully endorse the work of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) &quot;Quality Online Course Standards&quot; as a comprehensive set of criteria. The standards as identified by SREB, already in use by 16 SREB states, proved to be the most comprehensive and included guidelines set forth in the other criteria from the literature review. Since the original standards were released, other organizations have released quality standards for online courses. iNACOL organized a team of experts in the area of course development, instructional design, professional development, research, education, and administration to review these new standards and new literature around the topic and determined there was a need to refresh version one of the iNACOL standards. In this new version of the standards, reviewer considerations have been added for each indicator. Additionally, a rubric has been included to assist in the review of online courses based on this new version. (Contains 2 footnotes.)
Integrating Digital Learning Technologies the Content Area
Author: Keino, Leah C.
Date: 2008-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Technology,Learning Activities,Consumer Science,Constructivism (Learning),Student Projects,Secondary Education,Preservice Teacher Education,National Standards,Vocational Education,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Course Content,Teacher Education Curriculum,Instructional Design,Consumer Education,Home Economics Education,Home Economics Teachers,Vocational Education Teachers,Technology Integration,Web Sites,Internet

As the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning becomes more institutionalized in pre-service teacher preparation, it becomes increasingly necessary to incorporate content specific technology experiences to enable career and technical teachers to seamlessly integrate the diversity of digital tools available to today's learners. Using the universally recognized International Standards for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for learners and teachers, a course specifically developed to incorporate these standards in planning learning activities in a content area in one of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs demonstrates that technological applications can enhance pre-service teacher's abilities to conceptualize and create learning activities and assessments that strengthen the constructivist learning perspective. This paper provides a rationale for teaching of content specific technology courses in addition to the general technology courses in pre-service preparation of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) teachers. (Contains 1 footnote.)
[2010-2011 Federal Student Aid Handbook with Active Index]
Author: Federal Student Aid (ED)
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,Federal Aid,Student Loan Programs,Grants,Scholarships,Financial Aid Applicants,Records (Forms),Audits (Verification),Worksheets,Error Correction,Eligibility,Student Characteristics,Citizenship,Institutional Characteristics,College Programs,College Administration,Loan Default,Loan Repayment,Work Study Programs,Federal Programs,Recordkeeping,Withdrawal (Education),Expenditures,Sanctions,Program Evaluation,Program Termination,School Safety,Privacy,Distance Education,Student Costs,Money Management

This publication is intended for financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook consists of the Application and Verification Guide and six numbered Volumes.