Issues in school funding inequities are discussed in this Digest, which points out that funding inequity exists among inner-city, rural, and urban schools. The extent of the disparities that exist in per-pupil spending between wealthy and poor school districts within states is described. Reasons for funding inequities include the built-in inequity…

The 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act mandates that schools receiving federal funding must desegregate their student performance data by race, gender, and socioeconomic status in order to provide progress information to the community and state. Data-driven decision making is particularly important in urban schools…

Legislatures and courts have attempted to create equitable formulas for school finance. However, these formulas may have negative effects on educational opportunities for urban students. Comparisons of the per-pupil expenditures of large urban school districts, such as New York, with nearby suburban districts and state-wide averages disclose…

The state role in educational funding as a major educational policy issue is discussed in this digest. The school finance system debate has been stimulated by property tax issues, changing demographic and economic conditions, emphasis on qualitative improvement, and school restructuring. Implications for local administrators include increased…

The state-of-the-art of financial analysis for academic units within institutions of higher education is evaluated with attention directed to: how the cost of an academic unit is determined, how revenue is identified with academic units, how costs are analyzed, how revenues and expenditures are projected, and how the financial efficiency of an…

The movement toward school consolidation was triggered by James Bryant Conant's contention that larger schools are more efficient and offer more comprehensive programs. Many studies seem to support the claim that larger schools are cheaper to operate. Yet problems with these studies include wide variation in the minimum, optimum, and maximum sizes…

This document presents statistical information on children with special needs, their education, and the professionals who serve them. Graphs, tables, and charts are used to illustrate: (1) the number of children receiving special education services from 1989 to 1999; (2) the incidence of different disabilities; (3) the growth of students in the…