ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the visibility of economic inequality and the inadequacy of current minimum wage laws in the United States. Changes in the minimum wage, a living wage, or just employment practices may be compelled by law or voluntarily enacted by employers. A literature search failed to yield a concise and practical tool to comprehensively assess existing just employment policies or practices in higher education institutions. This article describes the development of a concise and practical assessment based on the "Model Just Employment Policy" from the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University. The resulting Just Employment Policy Assessment is used to evaluate the publicly available policies of four disparate higher education institutions in the United States. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for future research and administrative practice.
ABSTRACT
How are California districts handling deepening teacher shortages 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic? Following up on a March 2021 study, "California Teachers and COVID-19: How the Pandemic Is Impacting the Teacher Workforce" (ED614374), this report describes the severe shortages many districts are experiencing and the strategies some are using to mitigate these shortages. Through a survey of a sample of California superintendents and human resources administrators conducted in August and September 2021, this study investigates the role COVID-19 has had on key aspects of teacher supply and demand, including teacher retirements, resignations, vacancies, and hiring strategies. Leaders from eight of the largest California districts participated in the study. In addition, the study included leaders from four small rural districts because research shows these types of districts often have additional challenges recruiting and retaining teachers. Together, these districts serve nearly 1 in 6 California students.