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Resource #4

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Whether you're a classroom teacher, school counselor, paraeducator, bus driver, cafeteria worker or school secretary, everyone who works in a public school faces a new school year ready to do the job they love. But they are also prepared to confront undeniable challenges. These challenges may differ district to district, school to school, but one thing is clear: the voice of educators is needed now more than ever and their unions are providing the megaphone. It's not up to our teachers and school staff to shoulder this burden themselves. Administrators, parents, communities, lawmakers must do their part. But as the mobilization of educators that began earlier this year has demonstrated so powerfully - the "Educator Spring" as NEA President Lily Eskelsen García calls it - the nation is finally listening to what they have to say.
When educators from around the country walked out of their classrooms last spring, their message was clear: Our students deserve better. By taking this action, they said no more jam-packed classrooms with 40-plus desks, no more decades-old textbooks held together with rubber bands, and no more leaky ceilings, broken light fixtures, pest infestations, and cuts to basic curricula that are essential to a well-rounded education.

"We are truly in a state of crisis," says Noah Karvelis, an educator from Arizona, where cuts to public school funding have been deeper than anywhere else in the country.

Public school funding has been cut to the quick all over the country after excessive and reckless tax cuts.

It's been more than 10 years since the Great Recession, but many states are providing far less money to their schools today than they did before the crash. Our schools are crumbling and educators are leaving the profession in droves, unable to pay off student debt or make ends meet on stagnant salaries.

As of the 2017 - 2018 school year, at least 12 states had slashed "general" or "formula" funding-the primary form of state support for elementary and secondary schools-by 7 percent or more per student over the last decade, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Seven of the states-Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oklahoma-enacted tax cuts costing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars each year, instead of restoring education funding.

"To add to this heartache, new teachers in our state of North Carolina have never known anything different, and many even believe our current reality is normal," says Todd Warren, a Spanish teacher and president of North Carolina's Guilford County Association of Educators. "While the wealthy and corporate elite recovered from the recession of 2008, public school teachers and their students did not. North Carolina public school teachers make more than 11 percent less on average than we did 15 years ago when salaries are adjusted for inflation."

But it's the students who suffer the most from budget cuts, particularly poor students. Public education has been a pathway out of poverty for families for generations, but that pathway is blocked when schools are unable to offer a decent education.Too often, low-income students end up in schools with the lowest funding, fewest supplies, the least rigorous curriculum, and the oldest facilities and equipment, according to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

On average, school districts spend around $11,000 per student each year, but the highest-poverty districts receive an average of $1,200 less per child than the least-poor districts, while districts serving the largest numbers of students of color get about $2,000 less than those serving the fewest students of color, the study says.

No more, says Todd Warren.

"There are enough of us to say, 'Enough!'" says Warren. "It is time to leverage our power now."
Join millions of voices fighting for our nation's public school students and educators. Take the #RedforEd Pledge!
A 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center conducted two months after this year's February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., showed that 57 percent of U.S. teenagers are worried that a shooting could take place at their own school. One in four are "very worried" about the chance.

Those numbers are staggering but hardly surprising given the rash of school shootings that have captured headlines this year, and in previous years. Since the shooting at Colorado's Columbine High School in April 1999, more than 187,000 U.S. students have been exposed to gun violence in school.

Fed up with lawmakers' inaction, students across the nation in 2018 are leading a national movement to bring common sense to the discussion.

Educators understand if students don't feel safe at school, achievement suffers. It's the paramount duty of everyone in the community-and the politicians who represent them-to help create safe learning spaces.

Arming teachers and school staff is not the answer. According to an NEA survey, seven in 10 educators said arming school personnel would be ineffective at preventing gun violence in schools and two-thirds said they would feel less safe if school personnel were armed.

Educators across the U.S. stood up to reject the idea that more weapons would help save student lives. As of May 2017, only one state had passed a law that mandated arming teachers and staff.

"We don't want to be armed. We want better services for our students," says Corinne McComb, an elementary educator from Norwich, Conn. "More psychologists and counselors who can be present for the students more than one day a week or month. We need services for families. We have the money, we can do this."

Kathy Reamy, a school counselor at La Plata High School in La Plata, Md., says the trend is unmistakable.

"Honestly, I've had more students this year hospitalized for anxiety, depression, and other mental-health issues than ever," says Reamy, who also chairs the NEA School Counselor Caucus. "There's just so much going on in this day and age, the pressures to fit in, the pressure to achieve, the pressure of social media."

It doesn't help, adds Denise Pope of Stanford University, that schools have become "a pressure cooker for students and staff...and student and teacher stress feed off each other."

According to a 2018 study by the University of Missouri, 93 percent of elementary school teachers report they are "highly stressed."

Stressful schools aren't healthy for anyone. There's nothing wrong with a little pressure, a little nervousness over an exam, or a teacher who wants students to succeed. We all feel pressure, but something else is going on.

The causes and convergence of teacher and student stress has been a growing concern over the past decade. Research has consistently shown that stress levels in newer educators especially is leading many of them to exit the profession within five years.

Teachers need adequate resources and support in their jobs in order to battle burnout and alleviate stress in the classroom. If we do not support teachers, we risk the collateral damage of students.

One solution for students could be more one-on-one time with psychologists and counselors. But that's a challenge since so many of those positions have been cut and are not coming back. That said, more and more schools take the issue of stress seriously, and have begun to look at ways to change policies over homework, class schedules, and later school start times to help alleviate the pressure many students feel.

"People are finally seeing what negative stress does to the body, what that does to the psyche, and what it does to school engagement," says Pope. "Schools and communities know stress is a problem and they want solutions."

Think back on the days when you were in middle school and high school. Remember the awkwardness, anxiety, and angst that hung over you like a cloud? Your students, no matter their behavior, are probably grappling with the same troubling emotions, says Robin McNair, the Restorative Practices Program coordinator for Prince George's County in Maryland.

"When you look beyond behavior, when you truly look at the person behind the behavior, you'll often find a cry for help," says McNair, whose work in Restorative Justice Practices (RJP) aims to drastically reduce suspensions and expulsions, increase graduation rates, and transform student behaviors.

RJP has proven to be the most effective way for educators to break the school-to-prison pipeline, a national trend where children-mostly low-income and children of color-are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems through harsh "zero tolerance" discipline policies for even minor infractions.

In the 2013 - 2014 school year, the most recent nationwide data available, black students were three times more likely to receive both in-school and out-of-school suspensions than white students.

Rather than casting out students after wrongdoing, RJP seeks to reintegrate them into the classroom or school community to make amends and learn how to handle problems more positively.

Simply put, students are better off in school than they are when they're kicked out and left to their own devices in an empty home or apartment, where court involvement becomes more likely. But all students who participate in RJP-even those not directly involved in a conflict-report feeling safer and happier.

McNair suggests that educators strive to create a tight-knit community, even a family, in their classrooms from day one so that students not only know each other, but genuinely care about each other.

" Restorative practices aren't only for use after a conflict or incident. These practices allow us to proactively build community within a classroom and within a school by nurturing relationships between teachers and students," McNair says. "When students know that you care about them they are more likely to follow the rules and more likely to stay in the classroom and do the work," adds McNair.
Learn more about restorative practices in schools.
According to the U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), about 8 million students missed more than three weeks of school during the 2015 - 2016 school yea r, up from 6.8 million the previous year.

Chronic absenteeism is typically defined as missing 10 percent or more of a school year. This translatesto roughly 18 days a year, or two days every month. Chronic absenteeism is usually a precursor to dropping out. And dropouts often wind up before the court.

Educators like Lois Yukna have created innovative ideas designed to keep kids in school. Others can learn from what Yukna is doing.

For more decades, Yukna was a school bus driver in Middlesex County, N.J. Today, Yukna is a school attendance officer in New Jersey's Woodbridge Township School District. Her job now is to make sure that once students get to school, they stay.

When students don't attend school regularly, Yukna works closely with students, parents, and the courts to turn the situation around.

"Something needed to be done because the main goal is to educate students, and they can't be educated if they're not in school," says Yukna.

She noticed that students who were frequent no-shows at school were the same ones whose behavior when they attended resulted in detentions, suspensions, and sometimes, trouble with police.

Yukna and a guidance counselor in the Woodbridge district put their heads together to come up with something that would emphasize restorative practices instead of suspension and encourage students to return to and stay in school.

Supported by NEA grants, the program exposes about 100 students "to a world of possibilities through internships, mentorships, and achievement incentives." Parents have classes on nutrition, health, and the impact of social media and family dynamics on learning. "They learn how to motivate their children to come to school and do their best," Yukna says.

In the first year, approximately 85 percent of the students improved in at least one area: academics, attendance, or attitude. In the second year, all of the students improved in each area. Best of all, of the participants who were seniors, 100 percent graduated in 2017.
-Contributed by Joye Barksdale
In the last few years, schools and states nationwide have spent a lot of time designing new plans to coincide with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed by Congress in 2016.

Now that ESSA state implementation plans are done, what should educators expect in the new school year?

Expect to see more schools identified for improvement under the law's expanded accountability system. Some states, like Washington, have already released their list of schools, which were identified through multiple measures of academic and school quality indicators, not just test scores.

The challenge here is that while the accountability system was expanded, the money to help support the additional schools identified for improvement was not. These schools will be put on tiers of support. The greatest amount of money will go to the highest priority and trickle down.

As the school year continues, district leaders will need to create ESSA implementation plans, leaving schools identified for improvement with the task of building their own site-based plans. Since the plans must include educator input-not only teachers, but also paraeducators, nurses, librarians, counselors, and other education support professionals-this is the period during which the voices of NEA members will be critical.

"Get in front of it," recommends Donna Harris-Aikens, director of NEA's Education Policy and Practice department. "It is possible that the principal or superintendent in a particular place may not be focused on this yet."

To learn what's available at their schools, educators can use NEA's Opportunity Checklist, a short, criteria-based tool to quickly assess what's available at their school, and the Opportunity Audit, a tool that is rooted in the seven NEA Great Public Schools (GPS) criteria, which addresses the research and evidence-based resources, policies, and practices that are proven to narrow opportunity and skills gaps.

While some may be discouraged by the thought of placing more schools on an improvement plan, the truth is that despite some funding challenges, ESSA remains a promising opportunity.

If the last several months are any indication of the challenges educators will face around the immigration status of students, they should expect uncertainty and fear.

It's been an emotional roller coaster for Dreamers-young people brought to the U.S. as children, who have received the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, protections over the five years of the program. In September 2017, President Donald Trump rescinded DACA. Five months later, he vowed to work with Congress to protect undocumented immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. In April, he tweeted "DACA is dead" and "NO MORE DACA DEAL."

"We have a lot of students on hold," says Hugo Arreola, a campus lab technician for the Phoenix Union High School District in Arizona. A DACA recipient himself, he sees his students and community in turmoil. "Many are afraid to renew their DACA applications, student anxiety is up, and people are still scared. The environment is very tense."

"It's hard being in this limbo," says Karen Reyes, a 29-year-old teacher of deaf pre-kindergartners in Austin, Texas. A former Girl Scout who has lived in the U.S. since the age of 2, Reyes attended U.S. public schools from kindergarten through graduate school, eventually earning a master's degree in Deaf Education and Hearing Science from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

"One moment you have your hopes up, thinking a deal might happen, and then there's a tweet and people think you're back to square one," she says. That's not the case, she explains. "But they don't realize all the work we've done, the allies we've made, and the foundation we've built. We're not back to the beginning. We're just on a detour."

Arreola and Reyes are active union members helping to inform, engage, and empower the immigration community in their respective hometowns.

Through Arreola's unions, the Arizona Education Association and Phoenix Union Classified Employees Association, and local allies, he's involved in various workshops, information forums, and trainings that help inform people of their rights. "It starts in the local area and making sure you have representatives who understand the realities of the situation and how this impacts their area," Arreola explains.

Reyes has been involved with citizen drives, sponsored by her local union, Education Austin, and United We Dream.
Educators can take steps in their own communities to fight the uncertainty and fear undocumented students face. Go to NEA Ed Justice to learn more about Safe Zone school board policies and NEA's toolkit for "Know Your Rights."
Every few months it seems educators get inundated with stories about the next big thing in classroom technology-a "game changer" set to "revolutionize" teaching and learning. Sound familiar? It should. Education technology, for all its benefits (and there are many), tends to be subject to egregious hype. A lot of money, after all, is to be made and many school districts- eager to demonstrate that their schools are on the "cutting edge"-can make some rather questionable purchasing decisions.

Just recall the 2013 decision by Los Angeles Unified School District to proceed with a $1.3 billion plan to put an iPad loaded with a Pearson curriculum in the hands of every student. Technical glitches and lack of teacher training were just a couple of problems that eventually crippled the initiative.

Educators know better than anyone that healthy skepticism or at least caution about the latest classroom technology will end up serving their students best. It's a stand that gets teachers branded as resistant to change, a convenient and unhelpful label. It has more to do with what's best for student learning.

The good news is that the impulse to buy into the latest hype has been curtailed somewhat over the past few years as educators have taken a seat at the table. If you want to try the latest and greatest virtual learning, gamification, personalization, the first question always has to be "What is best for my students?" As Tracey Matt, a language arts teacher in Albia, Iowa, says. "It takes a great teacher to foster independent learners. This must be done with the use of technology on the forefront, but it should not supersede the importance of an instructor."

Technology will continue to advance and more "game-changers" are invariably lurking around the corner. Maybe they can revolutionize the classroom, but it's the educator who is best suited to determine how and why new tech should be used to best serve students.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos may be privatization's most visible and stalwart proponent, but school privatization has been a threat to public education for more than 20 years and is financed and championed by a network of corporate interests. Their goal: to use their financial muscle and propaganda to undermine the mission of public schools and position the nation's students as commodities upon which to draw a sizeable profit.

Still, DeVos' appointment to lead the nation's education agenda in 2017 was a huge boost just as charter schools and voucher programs were losing a little steam. (Vouchers have been voted down at the ballot box every time they've been attempted through referendum.)

DeVos is a vocal advocate of cutting education spending and freeing up federal dollars to expand charter and voucher programs nationwide. Charter schools have expanded dramatically since their introduction in 1992, and currently serve about 5 percent of the nation's students.

Educators, however, are determined to stop vouchers from taking hold in the way charters have done. Voucher schemes drain hundreds of millions of dollars away from public school students to pay the private school tuition of a select few.

They "are destructive and misguided schemes that use taxpayer dollars to "experiment with our children's education without any evidence of real, lasting positive results," says NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.

Educators and activists are making a huge difference in their states by lobbying lawmakers to reject vouchers (often rebranded by their advocates as "education savings accounts" or "tuition tax credits").
NEA: Vouchers Cost Kids
In 2018, New Hampshire educators led the way in defeating a plan to establish so-called "education savings accounts," which would have diverted a massive chunk of taxpayer money from public schools to fund the private school education of some students. Private schools would have to accept public funds but provide "no access to financial records, student achievement data, and no say in how the school is run," says Megan Tuttle, president of NEA-New Hampshire. "The absence of public accountability for voucher funds has contributed to rampant fraud, waste, and abuse in current voucher programs across the country."

Voucher proposals have been defeated in other states but their proponents are nothing if not relentless. Which is why, according to David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, activists must stay alert to the ongoing effort to push school voucher initiatives and to hold them up to public scrutiny.
Join the fight against school vouchers at vouchers.nea.org
"There's a need to be vigilant in every state where governors and key legislators support these bills," Sciarra says.

Did you yell at the TV when you heard Betsy DeVos confuse proficiency and growth during her confirmation hearing? Are you disturbed by out-of-touch lawmakers like Arizona's John Allen, who said teachers work second jobs so they can afford boats and big homes? Do you cringe at the fact that some Kansas lawmakers have tried to skirt the state supreme court's ruling that they must remedy the woeful underfunding of schools?

The reality is that too few elected officials at the local, state, and federal level have the in-depth knowledge of public education that only comes from working as an educator. And it shows in their policies and their budgets.

As if educating students every school day weren't enough, it's also on you to make sure officeholders understand the issues you face in the classroom and how to make progress solving them.

The key is to show up and speak up.

"We have to make our voices heard by the people who are making decisions that affect our classrooms," says Maryland music teacher Jessica Fitzwater.

"Elected officials need to understand that it's not just dollars and cents, students' entire lives will be impacted by these decisions," she adds.

That means showing up and sharing your story at school board meetings, lobby days with state lawmakers, and town halls when your members of Congress are back home. Check your state association website and attend your next local association meeting to find out how to get involved.

And if your elected leaders still aren't listening, throw your support behind people who will.

This November brings a critical opportunity to elect (or re-elect) pro-public education candidates who are not beholden to those who want to privatize education, and who are willing listen to educators and parents.

Educators are reliable voters. But you can inspire others to head to the polls for pro-public ed candidates as well.

Latwala Dixon, a math teacher at Columbia High School in Lake City, Fla., says talking to people about the importance of voting in past election cycles has made her even more passionate about the issues that affect her as an educator and a citizen.

"I tell a lot of people, if you don't use your right to vote, you will lose it," Dixon says. Some of the people she speaks with-friends, acquaintances, colleagues-have responded enthusiastically, but others indicate they do not believe their vote makes a difference.
Here's another "tide turning" way to make sure elected leaders invest in schools-become one yourself! If you're considering a run or supporting a colleague who is running for office, check out NEA's candidate training program for members at
"So what you're only one vote? Your vote counts," Dixon says emphatically. "What if all of you 'only one vote' people got out there and voted? It could really turn the tide."

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10 Challenges Facing Public Education Today - NEA Today

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Whether you're a classroom teacher, school counselor, paraeducator, bus driver, cafeteria worker or school secretary, everyone who works in a public school faces a new school year ready to do the job they love. But they are also prepared to confront undeniable challenges.

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ERIC Identifier: ED321342
Publication Date: 1990-00-00
Author: Crampton, Faith E.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management Eugene OR.

At the dawn of a new decade we look back on the 1980's as a period of major education reform in areas ranging from restructuring curriculum to parental choice. These ambitious initiatives advocate changes not solely for the sake of improving education but to assist the nation in recapturing its competitive edge (Bernstein 1988). Yet policymakers have rarely analyzed the fiscal dimensions of reform on schools.

This digest is intended to help school district leaders understand the most important fiscal policy issues generated by education reform and to help them respond to those issues with sound fiscal management and an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and accountability.

WHAT IMPORTANT FISCAL POLICY ISSUES FACE SCHOOLS?

Contemporary fiscal policy issues are tied to the educational policy issues that emerged over the past several years of education reform. Beginning with A Nation at Risk in 1983, reform initiatives spread state by state leaving few untouched. Although reform efforts varied greatly across and within states, they centered on five major areas: restructuring curriculum, the teaching profession, student outcomes, school management, and parental choice.

Many schools have returned to a traditional curriculum emphasizing core subjects, increased graduation requirements, and longer school days and years. Teacher reforms have centered on upgrading compensation through direct across-the-board increases, incentive pay plans, and career ladders. For student outcomes, reforms have placed greater emphasis on testing, from kindergarten through college.

Reform in school management has focused on school sites where principals have responsibility for planning, instruction, and budgeting often in collaboration with school councils. Choice programs allow parents to select schools either within a district or across district lines but are generally limited to public schools.

All these reforms may be synthesized into two critical fiscal policy issues: How is education reform to be financed, and do the dollars spent on education reform make a difference?

The first question speaks to the appropriate balance in the local/state/federal partnership, an unresolved policy issue. The second focuses on student outcomes, more specifically, increased student achievement. (For a sobering discussion of the results of twenty years of research on the relationship between expenditures and student performance, see Eric Hanushek's 1989 article.)

WHY SHOULD SCHOOLS BE CONCERNED WITH THESE ISSUES?

Reforms cost money; they require either an infusion of new dollars or a redistribution of current revenues. Reforms mandated at the state and federal levels, if not fully funded, increase the fiscal burden on school districts or cause a shift in funding from other programs. Locally based reforms have the same fiscal impact since they necessitate either an increase in local taxes or a reduction in spending on existing programs. Here are examples of potential costs from each of the reform areas:

Restructuring curriculum. Increasing graduation requirements starts a "domino-effect" on costs, the largest expenditure being additional staff salaries. More rigorous graduation requirements may also translate into a longer school day and increased costs for utilities and maintenance.

The teaching profession. Compensation reform to retain current teachers and attract talented newcomers, incentive pay plans, and career ladders are the costliest of education reforms, because salaries and benefits consume over half of the district operating budget (Fox 1987).

Student outcomes. Implementation of districtwide competency-based testing may appear to entail minimal cost, but small costs snowball. They include startup costs, purchase or development of tests, scoring, inservice education, and staff release time.

School management. Moving the level of decision-making to the school may appear to be cost-free, but substantial hidden costs exist. Increased clerical demands come with site-level planning, budgeting, and school councils. Inservice education for administrators, teachers, and school council members is essential to prepare them for the transition from centralization to decentralization (White 1989).

Parental choice. Choice programs vary widely in cost. Even small-scale indistrict plans involve administrative coordination costs. Also school districts generally spend resources in educating parents as to the choices available, for example, through mailings.

With regard to the second fiscal policy issue, schools need to ask whether education reform dollars are making a difference, because a watchword for the 1990's will be accountability. After a significant infusion of state funds in the 1980's, policymakers and taxpayers want results. Cost-effectiveness is also emerging as an important concept; that is, are schools making the best possible use of all resources? Schools must demonstrate in tangible terms efficient use of resources and a larger bottom line in terms of test scores.

HOW CAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS PRACTICE SOUND FISCAL MANAGEMENT?

Schools can successfully meet these challenges with two major strategies. First is practicing sound fiscal management, and second is an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and accountability, which are addressed in the next section.

Gilbert Hentschke (1988) noted that a shift in authority must occur with site-based fiscal management. A prerequisite for assuming this new authority is mastery of these skills: Budget literacy, budget construction, costing out alternatives, monitoring revenues and expenditures, and computer literacy. School-based management becomes a meaningless exercise unless all participants are fluent in fiscal management.

Budget literacy involves reading, understanding, interpreting, and analyzing a budget. Participants tie educational objectives to expenditures at the program (grade/subject), school, and district levels.

Also necessary are budget construction skills. The principal and school council synthesize program budgets into a school budget, and so they must be able to construct program and school budgets. Classroom teachers need skills in developing program budgets.

Costing out alternatives means calculating the costs of different means to reach educational goals. "Packages" containing different mixes of personnel, materials, supplies, equipment, and facilities are developed for comparison and evaluation.

A budget represents a blueprint for revenues and expenditures, often requiring modifications during the school year. In a school-based management environment, the principal has responsibility for monitoring school revenues and expenditures regularly--monthly, quarterly, annually.

Computer literacy on an electronic spreadsheet enables all participants to easily construct a budget, cost out alternatives, and monitor revenues and expenditures.

HOW CAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACHIEVE COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY?

Sound fiscal management provides the foundation for cost-effectiveness. In layperson's terms, it means selecting the best alternative at the least cost, not necessarily the cheapest one. For example, in purchasing student desks, durability is an important consideration. The cheapest product may cost more in the long run because it is of poor quality. Requiring those making expenditure requests to cost out alternatives is one method to ensure cost-effectiveness.

Accountability, defined as responsibility for results, builds on the base of sound fiscal management and cost-effectiveness. If a district practices sound fiscal management and consistently selects the most cost-effective options, school officials will be comfortable justifying their fiscal decisions before any audience.

Where can school districts find those with expertise to assist them in honing these skills? District personnel, such as the central office administrator in charge of budgeting, welcome the opportunity to share their knowledge. State education departments frequently offer inservice education. Also, professional organizations at the local, regional, state, and national levels provide expertise or maintain a "bank" of qualified individuals. Finally, textbooks such as Hartman's (1988) constitute a useful resource for practitioners.

WHAT CRITICAL FISCAL POLICY ISSUES LIE BEYOND THE 1990'S?

As wave after wave of reform crashes over schools, it may be difficult to find time to reflect on and plan for critical educational and fiscal policy issues only glimpsed on the horizon. If the U.S. wishes to regain its competitive edge in the world economic market, a rethinking of the federal role will be necessary particularly in the funding of student equity issues and technological innovations in learning.

Student equity issues address the health and welfare of at-risk children so that they will be successful learners and earners. In spite of valiant efforts by schools to meet the needs of at-risk students, the rates of high school dropouts and teen pregnancy remain high. Coordination of services provided by federal, state, and local agencies is essential, and the federal government is in the best position to implement and fund such a system.

While student equity issues often center on urban areas, equal access to a quality education is an issue for students in rural areas. Distance learning offers these students the possibility of a broader curriculum. This technology is in the early stages, however, and requires large investments that are beyond the capabilities of individual states. The federal government is in a strategic place to invest in development and assist states in implementation of this technology (Piele 1989).

RESOURCES

Bernstein, Aaron. "Needed: Human Capital." BUSINESS WEEK (September 19, 1988):100-5.

Candoli, I. Carl; Walter G. Hack; John R. Ray; and Dewey H. Stollar. SCHOOL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: A PLANNING APPROACH. Third edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1984. 421 pages. ED 281 322.

Corona, Peter. "How Strong Medicine Saved Our Schools from Financial Ruin." THE EXECUTIVE EDUCATOR 11,9 (September 1989): 20-21,37. EJ 395 048.

Fox, James N. "An Analysis of Classroom Spending: Or, Where Do All the Dollars Go?" PLANNING & CHANGING 18,3 (Fall 1987): 154-61. EJ 371 987.

Hanushek, Eric A. "The Impact of Differential Expenditures on School Performance." EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER 18,4 (May 1989): 45-51,62. EJ 390 070.

Hartman, William T. SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETING. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988. 262 pages.

Hentschke, Guilbert C. "Budgetary Theory and Reality: A Microview." In MICROLEVEL SCHOOL FINANCE, edited by David H. Monk and Julie Underwood. 311-36. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company, 1988.

Piele, Philip K. THE POLITICS OF TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION: FROM THE MICROCOMPUTER TO DISTANCE LEARNING. Trends and Issues Series. Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, University of Oregon, 1989. 14 pages. ED number not yet assigned.

White, Paula A. "An Overview of School-Based Management: What Does the Research Say?" NASSP BULLETIN 73,518 (September 1989): 1-8. EJ 396 494.

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Fiscal Policy Issues and School Reform. ERIC Digest.

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ERIC Identifier: ED321342 Publication Date: 1990-00-00 Author: Crampton, Faith E. Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management Eugene OR. At the dawn of a new decade we look back on the 1980's as a period of major education reform in areas ranging from restructuring curriculum to parental choice.

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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Unauthorized use is prohibited; Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; No expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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Resource #3

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Experts weigh in on the top trends shaping the workplace and HR.

By Jen Schramm March 1, 2016

Tighter labor markets, economic uncertainty and globalization are key issues that will shape the workplace and the HR profession in coming years, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Special Expertise Panels. These groups are made up of SHRM professional members charged with reporting emerging trends in areas such as ethics, global practices, HR disciplines, labor relations and technology. Throughout the past year, they have identified a wide range of challenges and notable trends, including the following:

Stepped-up competition for talent. As labor market conditions improve and the need for skilled and educated workers rises around the world, organizations are finding it more difficult to attract the best employees. This makes it increasingly necessary for HR to help build a strong employer brand. Smart HR professionals are highlighting cultures that incorporate the fundamentals of a great place to work, including corporate social responsibility initiatives, strong worker safety and security measures, and an overarching atmosphere of civility and respect in the workplace. The tight competition for talent is also influencing compensation and benefits strategies, immigration policies, and global relocations.

New developments in technology. New tools, such as talent networks, crowdsourcing and internal social networks, hold the promise of increased flexibility and productivity. But their use in supporting a virtual workforce will continue to make employee management and team building challenging.

A rising sense of insecurity. With new technology, data security concerns arise for both employer and employee. Companies face the threat of data breaches or risks to global supply chains. At the same time, the fear that workers may find themselves in a physically dangerous situation is also very real, as we see more incidents of workplace violence and political or social instability in places where organizations do business and have staff.

The impact of the economy. While economic indicators have improved in countries around the world, many organizations continue to feel a strain on their budgets. This will influence hiring strategies and other HR decisions. In addition, increased globalization and political unrest in some regions will continue to make economic uncertainty the "new normal."

Demographic changes. Population changes will have a mounting impact on many aspects of employment and HR practices. These changes include the aging workforce, different generations working together, the nature of family and parental roles, and increased cultural diversity.

Data-driven HR practices. The growing importance of "big data" presents human resource practitioners with an opportunity-and puts them under pressure. Business leaders are increasingly demanding that HR professionals, like their colleagues in other functional areas, use metrics and in-depth analysis to both make good decisions and demonstrate the return on investment of key expenditures.

An ever-changing, complex environment can create the anxious feeling that you, as an HR professional, need to be an expert in everything. This is clearly impossible. Still, these insights from the experts help give us a broader sense of which trends are likely to have the biggest impact on the profession-and leveraging them can help you design strategic responses that make the most sense for your business.

Jen Schramm is manager of the Workforce Trends program at SHRM.

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economic uncertainty and globalization are driving fundamental changes to the workplace.

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Experts weigh in on the top trends shaping the workplace and HR. By Jen Schramm March 1, 2016 Tighter labor markets, economic uncertainty and globalization are key issues that will shape the workplace and the HR profession in coming years, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Special Expertise Panels.

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Humans have always been complex and having to manage people has always been tricky. Now, the digital age has added even more complexity to human resource management, like the transparency of social media, the persistence of software updates, and the remoteness of international teams.

This makes human resources a difficult job that's faced by many challeng es. It also means that identifying and overcoming human resource challenges is time, money and effort well spent, since the greatest asset a business can boast are its employees.

But what are the top human resources challenges in the workplace ? Well, having tons of experience working with HR, we've managed to narrow down the list to the seven most common challenges faced by HR professionals , along with practical solutions.

1. Attracting top talent

Attracting and retaining the best talent takes discernment, time, and a whole lot of work. That's why this human resource challenge features so high up on the list.

To attract the right individuals, you need to know the requirements of the job and the organization. But as job roles and expectations keep changing, and organizational culture keeps adapting, this task becomes increasingly difficult.

So, we suggest that you start with how and where you market vacancies. Use the platforms that are most likely to be frequented by your target talent, depending on their skills, industry, and job level. Attracting the right candidates means you've got less work to do in the phase.

Then, when you do start screening your candidates, focus more on their fit with the organization, than with the job. Look for evidence that they enjoy learning, that they're up for a challenge, and that they're comfortable with change. Find out how technologically savvy they are, and how they deal with feedback.

By looking out for these qualities, you'll be creating a team of employees who are likely to achieve the business' training and development objectives, even as these transform over time (which is more important than knowing that they can perform the job well today).

2. Embracing change with grace and ease

Change is a shapeshifter, influencing our environment, competitors, customers, and workplace. But whether managerial, structural, procedural or technological, it's well-known that humans are afraid of change. The unknown brings about feelings of uncertainty and anxiety.

. Human resources are tasked not only with managing employee morale, happiness, and cooperation through change but also with constantly This makes the large responsibility of adapting employees for change, one of the most recurring challenges faced by HR professionals upskilling employees to meet the changing needs of the business.

The solution? There's no single right answer. But an effort to communicate frequently and transparently before, during, and after times of change is a good place to start. Provide fair warning of changes to come, and equip staff with the competencies they'll need to deal with change.

By providing training on the hard and soft skills they'll need to cope with the change, employees will feel more secure and capable, and be more likely to embrace change.

3. Developing the leaders of tomorrow

Not all teams perform at the same level, and this is usually because of the team leader. Many employees consider leaving their jobs because of a poor relationship with their direct manager. That's why it's critical to source and develop talented and inspiring leaders.

But this is easier said than done. Because grooming current employees for leadership positions doesn't work when the leaders-in-the-making keep leaving - which is a regular occurrence in a Millennial-heavy workforce. That's why this is one of the most common human resource challenges today.

Of course, you could handcuff your future leaders to their desks (we're joking, you can't do that), , you could find ways to motivate them to stay.

Like providing regular training that aligns with a clear career progression path. This shows talented employees that you value them, see their potential for leadership growth, and are actively investing in that growth.

4. Fostering a culture of continuous learning

Today, crowds of employees leave their jobs with the key reason being a lack of development opportunities. Yes, training is the golden drawcard for keeping employees stimulated, engaged and loyal.

But this is only true when training is relevant to their jobs, includes engaging content and is available in formats that enable flexible learning. Training must happen continuously in order for the business to remain competitive, so employees can often become bored or overloaded.

Of all the human resource challenges , this one is arguably the most simple to address. Because Learning Management Systems enable us to train with eLearning courses. Online training can take place at home, on the weekends, or even on a mobile phone while waiting for a taxi. And it gets better.

Some LMSs, like eFront, offer advanced gamification and microlearning features, so that employees remain engaged in their training, and enjoy the flexibility of consuming bite-sized chunks of learning at times that are most convenient to them.

5. Managing diversity with local in mind

Globalization. It's affecting every business, in every part of the world. Our customer reach is expanding beyond the traditional Head Offices, and talent can be sources across seas and borders. This means more sales, and a diversity of employee experiences, ideas, and perspectives.

However, with this diversity comes with a few human resource challenges , like managing diverse cultures in a local team. While adhering to local policies and procedures, HR must also create a workplace that is comfortable, welcoming, and free of conflict - for everyone.

Cultural awareness programs can help employees recognize the benefits of diversity, like better ideas and innovations, and a wider customer reach. Team building activities are also an effective approach for integrating employees of different cultures and uniting them towards a common business objective.

6. Looking After Health and Safety

Health and safety standards are probably one of the more obvious human resource challenges . Not only does labor law govern these concerns, but they're also of great importance to general employee wellbeing. Because health in the workplace isn't just about hygiene and safety.

Today, the psychological well-being of employees can deteriorate due to high demands, limited time, and general employee burnout. Sure, periods of stress are normal, and under times of pressure, employees can often produce their best work. But high levels of stress cannot be sustained.

This means that HR professionals need to keep a close eye on escalating workloads and stress levels. An open-door policy to discuss anxiety, working hours and unfair expectations is critical.

Training managers in Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can help them recognize the benefits of a healthy mental state. Other training, in mindfulness and general stress coping techniques, can help build a resilient workforce. And then, there are those progressive companies that allow mental sick leave when employees are feeling burnt out.

7. Creating a Quality Employee Experience

It's not uncommon to find high staff turnover in fast-paced companies. Because even though they might manage to hire the best employees, keeping them around becomes the next obstacle and one of the greatest human resource challenges .

But if your employees are satisfied with their job, their workplace and the people they work with, then they're far less likely to consider other employers. We're talking about the modern concept of employee experience.

So, focus on creating an employee experience that's a notch above the competition. You can do this by offering engaging online training, gym facilities, flexi-time, work-from-home arrangements or other incentives. Build a culture that is inspiring and welcoming, and encourage your leaders and managers to lead by example.

Face Your Challenges

The ultimate challenge for HR professionals is understanding the corporate landscape of the future. As industries and technologies evolve, new generations enter the workforce, and globalization creates increased competition, it will be the human resource issues that make or break a company.

By remaining relevant, and continuously identifying and addressing human resource challenges , companies will empower their greatest asset, their people, towards sustainable success.

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The Top 7 Human Resource Challenges and How To Face Them

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Humans have always been complex and having to manage people has always been tricky. Now, the digital age has added even more complexity to human resource management, like the transparency of social media, the persistence of software updates, and the remoteness of international teams. This makes human resources a difficult job that's faced by many challeng es.

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Last Updated January 10, 2020

The rapidly transforming business landscape means that there are currently many human resource management challenges which will continue to evolve for years to come. Tom Marsden, Director of Professional Services at Alexander Mann Solutions said that HR departments really need to be adding real business value to their organizations. "Although the restrictions of the recession aren't over yet, companies are recognizing that they will need to take steps to retain their workforce. This could be through an increased emphasis on training and engagement programs or by investing in areas that will optimize expenditure, such as integrated technology systems or improved candidate attraction schemes. The signs are that HR departments are preparing to maximize their resources and staff as organizations look to grow."

The Evolution of HR Professionals

Coach. Counselor. Employee advocate. Business strategist. As the business world changes, so does the role of HR professionals. Since human resources is a business-driven function, effectiveness depends on a thorough understanding of the strategic corporate direction, as well as the ability to influence key policies and decisions. In addition, human resource management challenges must be defined and solutions determined in order to succeed.

Today's Top 10 Human Resource Management Challenges

Due to the fluctuating economy as well as local and global advancements, there are many changes occurring rapidly that affect HR in a wide range of issues. In the Survey of Global HR Challenges: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations (WFPMA), several challenges for human resource management were revealed. This survey, which concluded that "despite national and regional differences, there was remarkable unanimity," disclosed the following top 10 human resource management challenges:

Taking a Closer Look at the Top 3 Human Resource Management Challenges

1. Change Management

Since this is generally not a focal point for HR professional training and development, change management represents a particular challenge for personnel management. The WFPMA finds that "This may also be the reason why it is cited as the foremost issue as HR continues to attempt to help businesses move forward. An intensified focus on training may be needed to develop added competencies to deal with change management."

2. Leadership Development

As the second of the biggest challenges for human resource management, leadership development needs to be a critical strategic initiative. HR professionals are faced with being expected to provide the essential structures, processes, tools, and points of view to make the best selection and develop the future leaders of the organization. The WFPMA reports that, "Across the globe leadership development has been identified as a critical strategic initiative in ensuring that the right employees are retained, that the culture of the organization supports performance from within to gain market position, and that managers are equipped to take on leadership roles of the future so that the organization is viable in the long term."

3. HR Effectiveness Measurement

How can improvement happen without the right tools to measure HR effectiveness? As with many other areas of business, this profession also needs to be able to measure results in terms of transaction management, as well as in terms of the positive influence on business. "Utilizing metrics to determine effectiveness is the beginning of a shift from perceiving HR's role as purely an administrative function to viewing the HR team as a true strategic partner within the organization," the WFPMA says. "In fact, the next section reports that survey participants believe a critical future issue for HR will be organizational effectiveness - again supporting HR's critical role as a strategic partner to management."

This world federation also notes that, "Where HR departments have traditionally focused on measuring their own effectiveness, there is an evolving recognition that they can provide organizational value by measuring the effectiveness of the entire business organization. The shift is significant as it represents movement from simply counting the numbers hired to determining the ROI of collective and individual hires on a long-term basis. Going beyond measuring turnover, this new approach considers 'bad' turnover and 'good' turnover along with the overall cost of replacement hires."

The Numbers Speak Volumes

When you start looking at the numbers, you realize the significant impact of trends and challenges in human resource management. There are many variables that influence human resource management. To give you a glimpse at some of the upcoming changes, the HR Leadership Council has released the following statistics:

One in four high potentials plans to leave their organization in the next year

By effectively developing employees, managers can be better coaches and improve performance by up to 25%

Three out of five organizations have either restructured or plan to restructure within the next six months

Recent declines in employee engagement further decreased overall productivity by 3 to 5%

Leaders with strong people development skills are 50% more likely to outperform revenue expectations

Delivering on critical onboarding activities boosts new hire performance by 11.3%

77% of midsized companies use (or plan to use) wellness to reduce costs

46% of midsized-company CFOs anticipate a merger or acquisition in less than six months

Expand Your Skills and Enhance Your Expertise

To meet or exceed all of these human resource management challenges, you'll need proven tools and strategies. One of the best ways to gain the necessary expertise is by earning your Master of Science in Human Resource Development entirely online. In Villanova's online HR master's degree program, you'll learn how to:

Implement strategic organizational change for increased quality, productivity and employee satisfaction

Construct an effective training program

Design a compensation system that motivates employees

Structure benefit packages and measure their success

Identify principles for developing, utilizing and conserving human resources

Use data and statistics to make informed business decisions

Leverage technology to enhance the contributions of the human resource function to an organization

Develop financial management and budgetary skills

As a student in Villanova University's HR master's degree program, you'll gain advanced knowledge in core human resource competencies, with a focus on developmental, strategic and global issues. Engaging online courses in a video-based e-learning environment will empower you with the latest tools, proven processes and best practices across a range of key topics, including organizational change, human resource planning, compensation, international human resources, organizational training and project management for HR professionals.
Learn how you can conquer human resource management challenges by earning your Master's in HR from Villanova University - 100% online.

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Top 10 Human Resource Management Challenges | Villanova University

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Last Updated January 10, 2020 The rapidly transforming business landscape means that there are currently many human resource management challenges which will continue to evolve for years to come. Tom Marsden, Director of Professional Services at Alexander Mann Solutions said that HR departments really need to be adding real business value to their organizations.