An Evaluation of Award-Winning Elementary Teaching Materials from the Kazanjian Program

In an unusual study, Professor Nappi attempts to measure the effectiveness of teacher-made materials in increasing the economic knowledge of elementary school pupils. In addition, he asks whether special training for teachers using the materials results in greater pupil learning as well. Finally, he seeks to determine the extent to which the teacher's understanding of economics (as measured by the Test of Economic Understanding published by Science Research Associates) brings about a change in pupil knowledge. Experimental and control groups were established for purposes of this study, and the pupil change scores were adjusted for differences in mental ability. It was found that, ceteris paribus, the materials, the special training for teachers, and teacher knowledge of economics all resulted in “comparative advantages” for experimental group pupils.     

An Exploratory Study of the Economic Understanding of Elementary School Teachers

Professor McKenzie administered the SRA Test of Economic Understanding to 144 elementary teachers in southwest Virginia and compared their performance with that of several other groups. It is concluded that elementary teachers whose formal economics training is comparable to that of high school teachers are equally knowledgable. His results raise further questions about the effectiveness of two semesters of economics as compared with one, at least as far as long-run impact is concerned. The so-called “Stigler hypothesis” was also tested, McKenzie concluding that Stigler was probably “overly pessimistic about the lasting effects of the college economics course.” Several suggestions for improving the teaching of economics at the elementary level are included.     

Measuring School Efficiency and Effectiveness to Inform the Design of a School Funding Formula

In this paper, we discuss a number of key methodological and data issues presented to researchers in determining base funding requirements for Australian schools. In particular, we outline the commonly used ‘reference school’‐ based approach to determining a benchmark level of school effectiveness and efficiency, and discuss some of its limitations. In contrast to this method, we present a new approach to estimating base funding requirements that, aided by the use of more granular data, provides a more robust approach to understanding and measuring school effectiveness and efficiency.     

Elementary School Basal Readers and Work Mode Bias

“Students are in constant contact with textbooks and, through these materials, are perhaps influenced by implicit values that eulogize professional and paraprofessional work activities and derogate technical-vocational work activities.” This statement expresses the concern of the authors about the treatment of technical and vocational workers in textbooks used by elementary school children. The study not only gives evidence of bias in the books, but suggests an objective means of analyzing textbooks to determine whether or not bias exists.     

Impact of Parental Resources on Student Outcomes Using Elementary School Data

This paper examines the use of parental volunteer hours in elementary schools in the state of Kentucky and assesses whether they improve student learning in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. A unique annual school-level panel dataset was created of over 600 elementary schools from 2000 until 2017. This approach is novel because it permits investigation of the impact of parental involvement in schools through achievement distributions in each subject area. The findings suggest that use of parental volunteer hours tends to reduce the percentage of students at the low end of the achievement distribution and increases the percentage at the high end in many grades and across several subjects. No instances were identified of detrimental impacts. The research implications are that opportunities may exist for school districts to improve student outcomes through encouragement and increased use of parental involvement in schools.

     

An Approach to Testing the Effectiveness of the Teaching and Learning of Economics in High School

Based on data on students in a college economics principles course over a nine-year period, the authors conclude that high school economics does improve performance in the principles course but does not influence grades in intermediate theory classes.     

经济学发展的基本途径

笔者探讨了经济学发展的基本途径,以经济学的自然科学基础更新为例,说明经济学发展要吸收科学发展的成果;以金融市场成为"人造市场"为例.说明经济学发展需要从现实中吸收营养;以当前金融--经济危机为例.说明经济学发展需要继承前人的研究成果,特别是马克思的基本理论;以科学发展的两条道路为例.说明经济学发展需要遵循科学发展的客观规律.     

教育质量“资本化”对住房价格的影响——基于成都市武侯区小学学区房的实证分析

近年来,随着国家“就近入学”政策的不断深化和家长对优质教育质量的持续诉求,“以房择校”成为家庭教育投资的新特点.本文基于成都市武侯区二手房的截面数据,构建特征价格模型,通过实证分析得出两个结论:一是教育质量的“资本化”已经部分体现在住房出售价格上,但对租金影响并不明显.二是教育质量的差异导致了学区房溢价呈现片区化的差距.此外,入学资格逐渐成为衡量家庭整体幸福感和核心竞争力的重要指标.而学区房背后隐含的其实是“阶层固化”的社会结构的板结和“富者越富,贫者越贫”的马太效应的加剧.     

住房金融的初级市场与次级市场

以住房抵押贷款为主体的住房金融初级市场的发展是住房消费的基础,并能促进经济平稳运行。我国的住房金融初级市场起步晚、发展快,存在品种少、数量少的特征,并面临资金短缺、流动性降低、长期信贷管理难度加大等一系列问题。文章认为住房金融次级市场是克服住房金融初级市场存在和面临问题的根本途径。但由于住房次级市场的发展对经济环境与法律环境的要求较高,应采取探索和促进的战略。     

关于"制度失效"问题的研究

由相悖性非正式制度引致的"逆制度选择"行为使我国现实中存在大量的"制度失效"问题,引发了作者对新制度经济学"制度最重要"命题的进一步思考.认为"制度是重要的,能够有效实施的有效制度是更为重要的"才应该是新制度经济学制度命题更为准确的说明.这一新理解对于深化我国经济改革具有重要指导意义,同时对相悖性非正式制度,即潜规则引致的"违规"行为如何异化正式制度,以及就消除失效问题的方法、途径等问题也进行了分析.     

构建循环经济技术支撑体系初探

循环经济是解决我国经济发展与资源、环境问题的正确途径。发展循环经济必须要有完善的技术支撑体系。本文从行为主体的角度,对在构建循环经济技术支撑体系的过程中,如何充分发挥政府、企业以及社会公众的不同作用,进行了初步的研究探索。     

The Advanced Placement Program

This article explains the new advanced placement tests in economics, to be introduced in May 1989, and discusses their anticipated impact. The author was instrumental in their development.     

企业集团财务管理浅析

企业集团必须一个整体目标,即通过集团整体资源综合配置效益最大化,实现资本保值和增值;同时,集团内各企业 应在总体目标的指引下,达到其在不同阶段和不同类型企业应达到的目标。集团的这一整体目标决定了企业集团与一般企 业财务管理具有不同的特征。本文就企业集团财务管理的模式及其内容作了初步谈讨。     

浅析中国农村剩余劳动力的转移

中国经济发展正处于转型时期，而农业也处于由传统向现代的过渡时期。这一期间，城乡收入差距扩大，农村大量的剩余劳动力向城市转移。如何解决这批人的就业呢？由于他们知识技能低下，很难在城市的现代部门就业，大多游离于城市的边缘。而工业扩张带的就业机会，也因为没有知识而无法获得机会，这些就业机会由城市失业获取。城乡的劳动力市场实际上是分割的。所以，必须对进城打工的农民进行技能培训，使他们获得同等的就业机会。另外，对家庭年产承包制实行创新，使一部分剩余劳动力不流向城市。同时，国家必须建立农业储备基金，以维持农村贸易条件的稳定和城市居民生活水平的稳定。     

The Attractiveness of the EMU Exchange Rate Stabilization Program

One of the arguments for a monetary union is that it reduces the variability of exchange rates. This paper demonstrates that the welfare gain that EU countries can expect to gain from the move to a single currency is moderate. The gains from exchange rate stabilization are limited by imports of foreign consumption goods and borrowing by governments. Furthermore, exchange rate stabilization may imply a welfare loss as the removal of non-zero exchange rate expectations deprives investors of the opportunity to speculate on expected-rate-of-return differentials. Numerical simulations suggest that the welfare gain from exchange rate stabilization for the average EU country is equivalent to a 0.9 percent rate of return on portfolio wealth.