In this brief, the authors review some of the main goals of state student financial aid programs and provide a few examples of how these programs are organized. They also describe how state programs vary in terms of who benefits. They then discuss various possible designs for joint federal-state policymaking in this area and study their impact.…

Access and affordability are the main themes of Goal 1 of The Virginia Plan for Higher Education. Progress toward these goals can be measured by a variety of means, but access and affordability serve as foundational guiding principles as the Commonwealth of Virginia crafts its annual and biennial higher-education budgets. Student-loan debt is but…

In attempting to explain state support of public higher education, this study develops a theory-driven, comprehensive conceptualization of the state political system within a larger theoretical framework that consists of state economic and demographic factors and higher education system attributes. Furthermore, although the higher education policy…

Examines the move toward federal constitutional rights for minority language populations and the trade-off considerations of implementing such a move. It is argued that minority language populations benefit from maintenance of decentralized language policies and that state bureaucratic agencies are more protective of language minority rights than…

Representing the work of a Task Force on Community College Finance established by the California State Legislature, this report recommends criteria and standards for the implementation of a new program-based funding mechanism for the state's community colleges. After reviewing the legislative mandate for the implementation of program-based…

Introduces a statewide child care resource-and-referral network that links programs together at the state level while linking parents and providers at the local level as a model for meeting child care needs in rural areas. Suggests that the collaboration and creativity of rural community members and state-level leaders can ensure the best services…

This serial issue summarizes findings from a survey of 20 state mental retardation and developmental disabilities agencies and 93 community based providers on developing and financing community services. The survey queried respondents concerning: (1) which models or strategies for financing community services have been most effective; (2) what…

State and Federal Governments can provide aid to local school districts in many different forms, which, in general, will have different effects on school district spending. Policymakers, therefore, need to know what the impacts of alternative aid programs will be in order to best achieve their objectives. This report presents a method, based on a…

Policy suggestions for achieving the equitable and effective funding of Maryland public schools are offered in this document. The ideas presented draw upon papers presented and discussions held at a statewide conference entitled "Setting the Agenda for Funding Equity." Purposes of the conference were to develop the policy elements of a…

This report investigated the financial expenditures of states for services for individuals with developmental disabilities and examined the factors that influenced the level of expenditure. Eight multiple-regression models are presented which explain 70 to 88 percent of the variation in states' total expenditures. In addition to the obvious…

In its first year (1986-87), a $37.4 million Connecticut aid program has markedly reduced disparities in teacher salaries and expenditures per pupil. This paper reviews the use of school aid increases in Connecticut, describes the simulation models used, explains the models' role in targeting state aid, and outlines the legislation and its…

The purpose of the study described here was to identify indices of state efforts to promote equal opportunity in higher education that might have influenced state appropriations. In addition, an attempt was made to discover common economic and demographic characteristics of the 50 states that appear to influence state egalitarian efforts. The…

A model of state policymaking affecting private higher education involves three constructs of policy posture: laissez faire; central planning; and market competition. Relationships of the policies and postures to state characteristics and policy outcome proxies are explored, and policy implications are drawn. The analysis suggests that…

Throughout South Carolina, the Technical Education System had experienced a leveling of the growth that had characterized its early years, and a sharp decline in state financial support over the last three years. At Piedmont Technical College, where enrollments had remained relatively stable, the substantially reduced state of financial…

Describes model, data, results, and implications of a study attempting to clarify two issues previously overlooked in studies of financing public education with local property taxes: (1) that regionally aggregated data may bias test results, and (2) that local fiscal response to grant programs may vary with the wealth of school districts. (SB)