Pensions have been at the forefront of recent debates over teacher pay, but the issues are complicated and political. As such, this document is an attempt to inform readers about how pension plans work for the 90 percent of public school teachers enrolled in them. Using objective data and analysis, we explain how teachers earn benefits in those…

"The State of Preschool 2017" is the 15th edition of the National Institute for Early Education Research's (NIEER) annual report tracking state-funded preschool access, resources, and quality. Since 2002, many states have made progress, a few have fallen behind, and a handful have emerged as leaders. As a result, disparities in access to…

"The State of Preschool 2016" is the latest edition of our annual yearbook report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. NIEER's [National Institute for Early Education Research's] "State Preschool Yearbook" is the only national report on state-funded preschool programs with detailed information…

State and local funding for general operating budgets for Kansas public schools will be at a five-year low this school year, yet total Kansas school district spending will reach an all-time high of $5.67 billion according to estimates released by the Kansas State Department of Education. Total per pupil spending is projected to reach $12,454 per…

In light of the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy's call to action back in 1961, The Arc wanted to know if people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are still living in the shadows. So, they launched a national online survey, Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS), from July 22, 2010 to October 31,…

Kansas school districts reduced employment by 327 full-time equivalent positions this school year, the smallest reduction in three years of cuts to district operating budgets. Districts reduced positions by 561 in FY 2010 and 1,626 in FY 2011. Districts eliminated nearly 400 "regular" teaching positions this year, but added 114 special…

The "2015 State of Preschool Yearbook" profiles state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2014-2015 school year as well as documenting more than a decade of change in state pre-K since the first Yearbook collected data on the 2001-2002 school year.…

After decades of focusing on expansion and access, California's institutions of higher education are now being handed a more difficult charge: to dramatically increase the number of college graduates with diminishing state funding. There is a growing consensus that the United States needs to ratchet up its production of college graduates to turn…

The "2013 State Preschool Yearbook" is the newest edition of our annual report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest "Yearbook" presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2012-2013 school year as well as documenting a decade of progress since the first…

The "2011 State Preschool Yearbook" is the newest edition of our annual report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest "Yearbook" presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2010-2011 school year as well as documenting a decade of progress since the first…

Data from a variety of sources confirmed that the opening of the 2001-2002 academic year brought a return to reduced appropriations for higher education and higher tuition increases. As the impact of the continued economic slowdown and the financial blows from the September terrorist attacks become known, policymakers continue to reduce budgets…

As the 2002-2003 academic year got underway, many public colleges and universities found themselves wrestling with mid-year state funding reductions, significant enrollment growth, and pressure to hold the line on tuition. With unfunded enrollment mounting and another bleak budget year on the horizon, states and their higher education institutions…

Data from several sources, including annual surveys by the College Board, show that the robust economy of recent years relieved pressure on institutions to increase their tuition and fees, but current budget constraints may result in increased tuition and fees for students. The rate of increase in tuition and fees at public four-year institutions…

The "2010 State Preschool Yearbook" is the eighth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2009-2010 school year. The first report in this series focused on programs for the 2001-2002 school year and…

This document contains information about selected trends in higher education enrollment and finance in Connecticut. It opens with a summary of the state's operating budget for fiscal years (FY) 2003-2005. The report then examines higher education in a statewide context and general fund and operating budget expenditure trends. Comparative funding…