During recent years, employment as a public school teacher has changed from being one of the most secure positions in the nation's workforce to one of the most uncertain. Now, in many districts, there is a good chance newly employed teachers will receive a reduction in force (RIF) notice each spring. The number of educators who are RIFed each…

Proection of faculty employment and student enrollment at Montana State through the 1980s provides a basis for studying faculty attrition during declining enrollment. Projections indicate an average of 12 faculty members per year will have to be terminated and some tenured faculty laid off. (Author/LC)

How schools weather budget reductions shows the difference between effective and less effective school systems. Policymakers' response to reductions depends on an array of factors: general economic conditions, access to data about future trends, community expectations and "myths," past records of school effectiveness, local education…