State appropriations for higher education are highly cyclical, with downturns in funding during difficult financial times followed by increases in funding when state finances improve. This policy brief shares recent research about whether the duration of recoveries from cuts in appropriations for higher education has changed over time and which…

Examines the relationship between student achievement and expenditures in Virginia public schools. Estimation techniques are noteworthy for considering socioeconomic effects via an "unobservable variables" technique, measuring school expenditures in constant dollars, and correcting for heteroscedascity. Expenditure effects on achievement…

Results of a nationwide study of public mental retardation/developmental disabilities spending in the states during Fiscal Years 1977 through 1986 were analyzed and identified trends such as continuing growth in spending for community services, contraction of total spending for institutional operations, and predominance of support for intermediate…

The General Accounting Office assessed the likely impact of replacing personal income with the Representative Tax System (RTS) on the distribution of federal aid among the states in three formula-based programs. These programs were the General Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972, known as the Revenue Sharing program; Title XIX of the Social Security…

The report analyzes the effect undergraduate enhancement funding in Florida has had on the student undergraduate experience. The study involved an analysis of data obtained from the Board of Regents Instructional Activity data files, analysis of the findings of previous studies and task force reports, the results of a survey distributed to 1,031…

Traces state financial aid to private colleges in New York State, culminating in McGeorge Bundy's subsidy program beginning in 1967. Questions whether students have actually benefited from Bundy Aid. A statistical analysis shows that private college tuition levels are determined more by academic quality than by costs, religious affiliation, or…

The present monograph has been "written with a view" to presenting in a simple and concise manner to the general educational public the most significant conclusions reached in the course of an extensive study of school finance, continued for several years and covering a number of states. Some of the data have been taken from bulletins of…

This report presents the results of an annual survey (1989-90) of states with general programs of scholarship or grant assistance for undergraduate study. Section I presents highlights and a summary of the survey's results. Section II offers comparative program statistics for 1988-89 and 1989-90 with some data from earlier years. Section III…

This draft report examines patterns in the allocation and distribution of federal compensatory education (Chapter 1) funds in New York State school districts. To preserve local control over education, Chapter 1 aid for disadvantaged students is distributed through a three-tiered system involving a federal allotment formula, state distributions,…

An economic impact study of Ohio's public universities and medical schools provides documentation that state appropriations yield financial returns higher than virtually any alternative use of state funds, in the form of economic growth and increased opportunity for financial security. Some significant findings of the report are summarized here.…

This paper discusses a study that examined three questions: How has overall state spending on higher education changed from year to year in relation to states' ability to fund higher education? (2) Has the growth in state spending on higher education varied significantly from the growth in total state budgets in recent years? and (3) What have…

When current fiscal data of New York State school districts are analyzed with information on pupil characteristics and staffing patterns, some policy issues are raised, including a mismatch between local district need and avaliable resources, shortchanging of New York City pupils, and a close relationship between local wealth and staff…

Investigates how administrative complexity (in funding and personnel) of American public school districts varies, depending on the importance of local, state, and federal funding environments. Dependence on federal funding generates the most administrative intensity, while state funding generates the least administrative intensity. High local…

Describes a study of the institutional adaptations and strategies employed by community colleges in minimizing the problems associated with changes in sources of revenue. Summarizes findings based on a literature review and a survey of college presidents. Recommends strategies for adjusting to funding changes. (AYC)

This report provides state-by-state figures concerning tax appropriations for the operating expenses of state colleges and universities. Included are an overall analysis of the recent 2-year changes in appropriations, an analysis by geographical region, and the trends in state support. Also highlighted in this analysis are the appropriation levels…