The link between education funding levels and student outcomes is a matter of continuing debate, including in New York State. State education aid in New York follows a progressive formula that targets more aid to lower-income, higher-need school districts, yet these districts continue to dominate lists of the state's lowest performing schools. The…

This article presents results from the 2012 National Survey of Access and Finance Issues conducted by the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges (NCSDCC), an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges, and includes a comparison of survey results from previous years dating back to 2003, with the…

A college degree pays off--but by just how much? In this report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, the authors examine just what a college degree is worth--and what else besides a degree might influence an individual's potential earnings. This report examines lifetime earnings for all education levels and…

Education and earnings interact in complex and often unexpected ways--but there are rules to the game. "The College Payoff," a new paper from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, uses in-depth data analysis to identify, illuminate and elucidate those rules. This executive summary provides a glimpse of the education and…

As a starting point for their analysis of equity, the authors begin their work here with an examination of the relationship between student performance, as measured by the California Academic Performance Index (API), and student needs, as measured by the percentage of students from low-income families (i.e., the percent of students eligible for…

Using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System maintained by the California Department of Education (CDE), the authors present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers that may be used to assess whether there are inequities in the…

The effort-ability index is a means of drawing together the two concepts of effort (reflected by revenue collections and per pupil expenditures) and ability (both to provide for nonschool expenditure functions and for school purposes) to provide a measure of a local government's need for state assistance. In constructing an effort-ability index…

There is a growing sense that education policymakers need to become more sensitive to the inequities and inefficiencies associated with the generation of local resources for education, particularly the property tax. The purpose of this book is to provide insight into issues surrounding the generation of local revenues for public education in…

This 18th "Annual Condition of Education Report" provides a wide range of demographics, statistics, and student achievement data to help Iowans better understand their public educational system. Much of the data in this report demonstrates that that Iowa continues to rate above national averages in areas such as student test scores,…

This paper examines the government's role in financing human capital investments. It first examines why private investments in education, training, and other forms of human capital are likely to fall short of socially desirable levels. It then reviews past trends in public support for human resource investments. Finally, it discusses current…

The degree of public support for public higher education as measured in constant and current dollars in 1970 and 1980 is examined. Further analysis is made of the change from 1970 to 1980 according to the ratio of the percentage change in appropriations per student to the percentage change in income per student. Aggregate personal income by state…