As part of standards-based educational reform efforts, more than 40 states will soon require students to achieve passing scores on standardized exams in order to obtain a high school diploma. Currently, many states are struggling with the design of their examination systems, debating such questions as which subjects should be tested, what should…

Examines labor-market value of the General Educational Development (GED) credential for females. Finds that among females who dropped out of high school with weak basic math skills, those with a GED have accumulated more work experience and have higher labor-market earning in their mid-20s than have observationally similar dropouts lacking the GED…

Uses National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data to examine whether measures of male teenagers' skills (academic, reasoning, and self-esteem) predict their wages at ages 27 and 28. All three skill types help predict subsequent wages, but have differing importance in explaining white/minority wage gaps. (Contains 37 references.) (MLH)

Analyzes changes in the teacher salary schedules of Michigan school districts between 1970 and 1980. Starting salaries decreased by an average of 20 percent over the decade; maximum salaries decreased by 15 percent. Student enrollment changes were a predictor of the changes in maximum salaries. (MLF)

In a sample of low-income Black families in Gary, Indiana, the number of years of schooling completed by mothers is found to be positively related to the cognitive skills of their children. This relationship partly reflects environmental influences, such as the quality of maternal care. (Author/RW)

Data on student achievement and background and teacher training, experience, and hiring date, gathered from 400 urban midwestern elementary students and teachers, confirmed that differences in the quality of teachers hired during different time periods (the "vintage" effect) strongly affect the relationship between teaching experience and quality…