The Department of Basic Education in South Africa acknowledges that 99% of primary school-aged children attend school, but attendance at secondary school level is not yet universal. Low levels of secondary school attendance contribute to poverty and unemployment. We investigated the socio-demographic elements associated with school attendance…

We study the progressivity of state funding of school districts under Tennessee's weighted student funding formula. We propose a simple definition of progressivity based on the difference in exposure to district per-pupil funding between poor and non-poor students. The realized progressivity of district funding in Tennessee is much smaller--only…

The "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965" ("ESEA") requires that school districts provide services to higher-poverty, Title I schools, from state and local funds, that are at least comparable to services in lower-poverty, non-Title I schools. The current Title I comparability requirement allows school districts to…

Argues that the economic absorption capacity of developing nations should not be a deterrent to donors of educational aid. They should understand that they are donating to "soft" development rather than to "hard" production. (ND)

This General Accounting Office (GAO) report addresses the concern raised by Senator Thad Cochran that revising counts of people in poverty (by adjusting the official poverty line for geographic differences in the cost of living) could significantly alter the allocation of federal aid to state and local governments. A concern is that a…

Although federal aid is not a large portion of school funding, it has a large effect on schools. Federal education aid flows mainly to poor states, central cities, and rural areas. Where states exercise discretion in allocating federal aid, distribution follows the general distribution pattern of the basic state aid formula. If a state has an…

Most of New Jersey's charter schools are located in the state's poorer, urban school districts, or "Abbott" districts, and exclusively serve students from those communities. A number of other schools are located outside of the Abbott districts but enroll students from these districts. Specifically, of the 50 charter schools operating in…

Rural education is confronted with new problems, responsibilities, and opportunities to contribute to the solution of major issues facing the United States. It is generally agreed that about 10 million rural people are poor and that they constitute one-third of the nation's economically disadvantaged. The paramount cause of present urban problems…

Five interpretations of equity are examined as they relate to the distribution of public goods and services. The first principle, utilitarianism, maintains that individuals are free to pursue their own interests and are rewarded according to contributions. The second principle, needs, is the basis of communist societies in which each gives…

This paper reports on the results of an analysis of the distribution of Federal aid to education, an analysis also intended to illuminate the conflicts that can result from allocating funds on the basis of different standards. The study classifies districts on three measures--family income, property wealth, and degree of urbanization--and examines…

Presented is a two-part study which represents a broadly based effort to assess the consequences of federal compensatory funds being targeted toward elementary students showing low achievement rather than only to those who were first low income and then low achieving. Part 1 deals with the technical issues of suitability, feasibility, and cost…

Except for school construction, there is no legislation to guide implementation of the programs and reforms ordered by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the landmark "Abbott v. Burke" case. Instead, in its 1998 "Abbott V decision," the Supreme Court directed the Commissioner of Education to provide standards and procedures to…

The extent and effects of inequities in Chapter 1 compensatory funding and the relationships between demographic, financial, and educational variables and state and local Chapter 1 policies are investigated. Multiple regression analysis is used to determine the relationships among dependent variables, which include expenditures and number of…

New Jersey's urban--or "Abbott"--schools have improved at the preschool and elementary school level, but lag when it comes to middle and high school performance. These are the key findings of an Abbott Indicators Project report entitled, "The Abbott Districts in 2005-06: Progress and Challenges." The report was prepared by…

Camden is one of 31 urban school districts in New Jersey known as Abbott districts. As an Abbott district, Camden receives funding to equalize its per student general education budget with the most successful suburban districts in the state. Through a series of indicators, the Camden Abbott Indicators Report presents the status of educational…