Ulla Andersson

Still, job growth will remain weak next year, the quarterly UCLA Anderson Forecast says. It expects moderate growth next year if the 'fiscal cliff' is averted. The U.S. housing market is becoming the leading source of strength for the long-sluggish American economic recovery, outpacing both business investment and exports. But even with the return of that crucial linchpin, job growth is expected to remain weak next year, a new report says.

New performance evaluation systems being adopted in school districts across the country are heralded as long overdue. But there's one aspect that is downplayed by reformers: they give principals a rare opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Their prey are veteran teachers who are at the top of the salary scale and who are likely to speak out on issues affecting their school because they have tenure. By rating them as ineffective, principals can get rid of them, in the proce...