Valuing the benefits of the education provided by public universities: A case study of Minnesota

This study estimates the value of the private and public benefits that accrue to Minnesota residents from state government subsidies to higher education. In 2005, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system received $832 million from Minnesota's state government to support educational programs. These subsidies allow these institutions to offer lower tuition rates, increasing the number of Minnesotans with bachelor and graduate degrees. We calculate that removing these subsidies would eventually lead to 14,000 fewer graduate degree holders in Minnesota, and reduce those with bachelor's degrees or “some college” by 42,000. The annual economic cost of these subsidies is about $326 million; this is less than annual state appropriations because most of those appropriations are income transfers from taxpayers to students, not an economic cost. We estimate that the annual value of the benefits of these subsidies is between $531 and $786 million ($381 and $570 million) when a 3% (5%) discount rate is used. We also discuss some of the income distribution consequences.     

The impact of child labor on schooling outcomes in Nicaragua

Child labor is considered a key obstacle to reaching the international commitments of Education For All. However, the empirical evidence on the effects of child labor on educational attainments is mostly limited to static measurements. This paper assesses the consequences of child labor on schooling outcomes over time by employing a three-year longitudinal household data set from Nicaragua. The potential endogeneity of past child labor and school outcomes is addressed through instrumental variables. The time a child dedicates to work is found to have harmful consequences on subsequent educational achievements, even after controlling for previous human capital accumulation and other factors. In particular, working over three hours a day is associated with school failure in the medium term. A distinction by type of work shows that time spent in market production has larger negative effects on school outcomes than time spent performing household chores.     

Teachers’ unions and compensation: The impact of collective bargaining on salary schedules and performance pay schemes

This study examines the impact that collective bargaining has on multiple dimensions of teacher compensation, including average and starting salaries, early and late returns to experience, returns to graduate degrees, and the incidence of different pay for performance schemes. Using data from the School and Staffing Survey (SASS) and a more recent data set, the Teacher Rules, Roles and Rights (TR3), we find that collective bargaining has a significant impact on all aspects of current, qualification-specific salary schedules. Further, we find some evidence that bargaining impacts the design of performance pay plans. Specifically, unions tend to encourage teacher bonuses that are based on additional qualifications or duties, but discourage bonuses that directly reward improved student test scores.     

Subject choice and earnings of UK graduates

Using a survey of a cohort of UK graduates, linked to administrative data on higher education participation, this paper investigates the labour market attainment of recent graduates by subject of study. We document a large heterogeneity in the mean wages of graduates from different subjects and a considerably larger one within subject with individuals with the most favourable unobserved characteristics obtaining wages almost twice as large as those with the worst. Moreover, gender differences in wages within subjects are also large. We then simulate a graduate tax to calculate a willingness to pay – in form of tuition fees – to capture these subject wage premia.     

基于5C目标下大学英语课堂教学的思考

在经济全球化的今天,综合性外语能力对于日益频繁的国际交流与竞争的重要性是显而易见的.我国应把握大学英语课堂教学这一关键环节,适应国际环境,切实提高英语教学的实效性.美国在20世纪末提出的关于学习外语的基本理论<21世纪外语学习标准>被评价为体现了当代最新的语言习得理论,其主要内涵--"5C"标准,对我国的大学英语课堂教...     

水族小学五年级学生提出数学问题能力的调查与分析

本研究运用调查法,从问题的数量、表达、种类、水平等方面,揭示了水族五年级学生提出数学问题的思维特点;分析了制约水族学生提出问题能力发展的主要因素,并提出了相应的对策.     

“探秘电磁”教育活动教案

“探秘电磁”项目针对初中三年级《物理》中电和磁部分的教学内容,以“探究电和磁的关系,了解电磁学发展史”为主题,利用重庆科技馆磁电展区的展品和辅助实验器材、科技制作等教学资源,以“基于实物的体验式学习、基于实践的探究式学习”为教学理念,采用“5E教学模式”,综合运用体验式学习、做中学、情境教学等教学方法,以展品体验与实验、制作相结合的活动形式,以达到《初中物理课程标准》“了解电与磁的关系”和“了解物理学及相关技术发展的大致历程,学习科学家在科学探索中的研究方法,并能在解决问题中尝试应用科学研究方法”的教学目标。     

爆发力训练与有氧耐力评价指标的相关性研究

为研究同时进行爆发力训练与有氧耐力训练所产生的效果,本研究以14名耐力运动员为实验组(E)、14名耐力运动员为控制组(C)进12周的训练,实验组除15%爆发力训练代替传统耐力训练外,其余训练内容相同。结果发现:5 km跑成绩与RE在实验组明显提高(P<0.05),控制组无差异;5 J在实验组有非常显著性提高(P<0.01),控制组下降显著(P<0.05);VO2max在控制组显著性提高(P<0.01),对实验组变化不明显。混合控制组与实验组数据发现:5km跑时间与RE存在中度负相关(r=-0.54)。结论:同时进行爆发力与耐力训练在不改变VO2max的情况下可以提高5 km跑的成绩。