Robert E. Rowsey

Perceptions of Teachers' Salaries and Non-salary Benefits

Rowsey and Ley asked undergraduate students in education and engineering to estimate the mean salaries for four groups: beginning teachers in Alabama, all teachers in Alabama, beginning teachers in the United States, and all teachers in the United States. Although estimates made by prospective engi neers were generally more accurate than were those made by prospective teachers, both samples underestimated mean salaries for all but one group, be ginning teachers in the United States. Males in both samples generally sub mitted more accurate estimates than did the females. Prospective teachers indi cated that non-salary benefits, such as personal satisfaction of teaching and ad vantages of the school calendar, were important aspects in their decisions to become teachers. Of the engineering students who had once considered teaching, most reported that low salary was the primary reason they did not pur sue a career in education.

Metrics across the Curriculum.

System of Units, commonly called the metric system, by 1996. This act will not only effect what takes place in the nations mathematics and science classrooms, but also must im pact language arts and social studies as well. Those of us who have been around a while know that changing the nations sys tem of measuring is not going to be an easy task. If we are to be successful the call for using metrics across the curriculum must reverberate along with writing across the curriculum. How can this transition be made so that