This statutory report presents the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) from October 1, 2023, through March, 2024. The audits, investigations, and related work highlighted in the report are products of OIG's mission to identify and stop fraud, waste, and abuse; and promote…

How might school funds be spent more effectively in today's uncertain environment? This up-to-date volume explores a range of ideas to help schools and districts better manage their resources, including: how to rethink staffing and management to get more value for employee compensation; how policymakers might revisit pension arrangements in ways…

Doing more with less is noble in public education. This is something quality public charter schools do well. It is also something, that cash-strapped rural and high need schools across Idaho know all too well themselves. It is well documented that all of public education in Idaho operates on leaner rations than do schools in most parts of the…

How do children fare in the federal budget? Investments in children's health, education, and overall well-being pay high dividends for taxpayers and the economy as a whole. Without adequately funded education, nutrition, housing, early education and care, and other basic supports, the foundation of children's well-being is at risk. This report 1)…

Our 31st annual report analyzing data from southeast Wisconsin's public school districts finds that while 68 of the 92 school districts are exceeding or significantly exceeding expectations on our new state report cards, there are large achievement gaps across the region on state assessments for low-income students and students of color. Key…

Our 32nd annual report analyzing data from southeast Wisconsin's public school districts finds progress on some college readiness indicators and largely positive showings on district report cards. Those results are offset, however, by discouraging results on standardized tests and continued substantial achievement gaps between students of…

For the last 30 years, the Public Policy Forum has collected and analyzed education data to produce an annual report on the demographics, academic performance, and finances of public school districts in southeast Wisconsin. In the three decades of producing this report, few years have exhibited as much change and transformation as this one. The…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) A Common Understanding: Final K-12 Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics Released on June 2; (2) "Diplomas Count":…

As districts struggle to meet the demands of standards-based reform and requirements for "highly qualified" teachers in the face of increasing fiscal constraints, professional development has the potential to be a significant part of a district's improvement strategy. To use dollars effectively, districts need to think about how to best integrate…

This document reports on an in-depth study of the implementation of systemic reform in the state of Victoria. Called Schools of the Future, the reform was significant in its scale and complexity. Within 4 years in Victoria achieved the lowest per-pupil expenditure of any state of Australia. Data on academic achievements have been fragmentary and…

A Kentucky school district accepted a challenge to make computers and computer-assisted instruction available to all the district's students. Creative partnerships with businesses and searches for federal, state, and local grants helped raise the funds for technology in education. (MLF)

Punitive damages are almost commonplace with multimillion dollar awards occurring monthly. Survey responses from 190 secondary school principals and 290 school attorneys indicate that schools have a serious problem. Concerns about liability and its costs have caused a change in school programs. Lists four tort reform measures that would be helpful…

State regulations allow public school districts outside of New York City to apply for Building Aid on leasing costs involving instructional facilities for grades Pre-K through 12 located off school district property. This guide explains how the districts should proceed when applying for Building Aid on leased facilities. Attached is the…

Zero-based, programmatic budgeting involves four basic steps: (1) define what needs to be done; (2) specify the resources required; (3) determine the assessment procedures and standards to use in evaluating the effectiveness of various programs; and (4) assign dollar figures to this information. (MLF)

This publication outlines some of the techniques school districts are using to survive in an era of fiscal restraint. Information in this resource directory is based on a national survey of 108 school districts affiliated with the National School Board Association. Section 1 summarizes the survey findings, which indicate that school districts have…