Chief state school officers in all 50 states were surveyed to gather information regarding the various states' funding arrangements for small and/or isolated rural schools and to develop a financial planning tool for use by state legislators and boards of education. Data were gathered from every state except Hawaii. Twenty-eight states had some…

As college costs continue to soar, families across America are confronting a financial burden they find difficult if not impossible to manage alone. Existing programs like student loans are unable to address a problem of this scope. The search for a method to encourage savings for college without drawing on limited public resources has led to a…

Current levels of federal and state support to increase access to higher education and the barriers now being faced are considered, based on a Higher Education Research Institute report. The postwar transition from elite to mass to universal higher education has been accompanied by major changes in government support. State governments have…

The system of school finance equity in Texas is described as it existed before the court case Edgewood Independent School District (ISD) v. Kirby, and the overhaul mandated by legal rulings in the evolving Edgewood case is reviewed. In Texas, as elsewhere, the system of school finance has historically been based on the local property taxes…

This digest of a full report of the same title critically examines the cost controversy in higher education to better understand the types of financial strategies that can help resolve the crisis in college costs. A look at why these costs are so controversial finds that rapid rise in tuition, public debate about educational expenditures and real…

This digest summarizes a larger document of the same title which examines early intervention programs providing services and resources to encourage low-income/minority youth to finish high school and enter college. It notes provisions of federal law which encourage such programs and the unifying mission of the National Early Intervention…

This report addresses issues related to the increasing growth of early intervention programs to encourage high school graduation and college attendance among students from low-income and minority groups. It first presents a brief review of the societal goals of equality for the nation's education system. It then defines the programs "early…

In the United States, society and individuals share the expenses of collegiate education, making it possible to provide higher education for a much larger percentage of youth than in many countries. At the same time, maintenance of low tuitions through public subsidies has provided reasonable assurance of accessibility and equality of public…

This analysis critically examines the cost controversy in higher education with an eye to resolving the crisis which is currently serving to exacerbate public willingness to fund higher education. An introduction touches on the role and influence of political ideologies and offers a framework to be used throughout the analysis for critically…