When it comes to education, not all spending is equal. Some education dollars are spent more productively than others. In a time of lagging revenues and flat achievement in many districts, policymakers have increasingly started to pay greater attention to the question of whether education systems are getting the most out of every education dollar.…

Since the days when the country was dotted with one-room schoolhouses, many changes have taken place in school governance and management. In 1940, there were over 117,000 public school districts in the United States. In 2000, there were fewer than 15,000, even though the student population of the country had doubled in that time. While school…

The downward enrollment trend shown in this year's "AS&U" 100--a compilation of the nation's 100 largest school districts--is unmistakable. Added together, the 100 largest districts had 10,708,137 students in 2006-2007, compared with 10,763,959 in 2005-2006. Even districts that showed steady growth throughout the 1990s and the early…

Consolidation has dramatically reduced the number of school districts in the United States. Using data from rural school districts in New York, this article provides the first direct estimation of consolidation's cost impacts. We find economies of size in operating spending: all else equal, doubling enrollment cuts operating costs per pupil by…

Presents some of the arguments and reviews the research on small school districts. Based on experiences in Indiana, contends that consolidated school superiority is exaggerated. With proper planning and innovation, small schools can effectively share human, material, and financial resources. Eighteen references are provided. (MLF)

Attention is focused on the possible loss of efficiency associated with efforts to increase size by closing schools and consolidating school districts. Empirical evidence from New York State is presented that shows that lower levels of efficiency exist in large compared to small school districts. Implications for policy are explored. (Author/CT)

A study of selected districts in 18 states concluded that economies of scale consistently and significantly influence how educational resources are allocated among schools. District size figures significantly in inequalities present within districts. Equalizing both school and district size is essential for achieving equitable distribution…

People in the rolling, scenic valley, between the Ozarks and Ouchita mountains have a lot in common. As of this school year, they share something else in common: a school district. The four districts that make up the newly christened Two Rivers are among 57 rural Arkansas systems that state lawmakers forced to consolidate with their neighbors.…

Discusses the federated school district, a cooperative organizational alternative for low enrollment rural districts facing enrollment decline or fiscal exigency. Describes district characteristics: local elementary schools, small regional high schools, a governing assembly, and a multiple district administrative system. Includes a planning model…

The long-standing sentiment driving consolidation into larger school districts has shifted, though research shows no consensus on right size. Larger districts appear to benefit students from more affluent backgrounds, while penalizing those from poorer backgrounds. Different sets of organizational dilemmas arise from increasing or decreasing…

Consolidation has become both a solution for small, rural school districts and a contentious policy fraught with numerous difficulties. Despite concerns about limited curricula and higher operating expenses, there is no generalizable evidence that students educated in rural settings underachieve or have deficient social skills. Recent research has…

Examined relationship between 1983-84 Nebraska high school enrollments and program breadth and junior-senior high school enrollments and teacher endorsement rates. Concluded rural district reorganization/consolidation resulting in larger secondary grade enrollments would probably result in more course offerings but would not affect percentage of…

In 1983 the Arkansas State Board of Education adopted minimum education standards. One consequence of the legislation has been school district consolidation. From 1983 to 1999, the number of Arkansas school districts declined from 370 to 310, and consolidations are expected to continue due to the high costs of maintaining the standards and…

A study involving 28 new Local Education Authorities in England and Wales investigated the impact of the creation of smaller unitary authorities. Results found a new wave of enthusiasm to tackle special needs issues, collaboration taking place between the new authorities, and closer contact with the clients. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Consolidations come in all shapes and sizes, including mergers, annexations and dissolutions. They do not all take place under state mandate, however. A handful of districts consolidate every year in some states like Illinois that have large numbers of small districts, many of them dual districts that serve K-8 or 9-12 in the same geographic area.…