A donor-advised fund, increasingly popular for college giving, can be used by donors for immediate tax benefits and flexibility in charitable giving. The donor makes an irrevocable gift to the fund, which is considered a charitable organization, and the fund administrator invests the gift. The donor specifies the amount to be given and the…

The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a "Just for Teachers" section on its Web site to assist public school teachers in grades K-12 evaluate and select appropriate investments for employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement savings plans and other savings vehicles. The functions of this site are briefly described in this article.

This paper analyzes how James Tobin's widely cited concept of "intergenerational equity" for university endowments relates to the economic concepts of intertemporal substitutability and risk aversion. I show that Tobin's concept of intergenerational equity is a very special case of intertemporal substitutability; a special case that implies very…

Education has become a central issue in West Papua. During the Suharto regime, the Indonesian government paid little attention to educational investment in the province which led to poor educational infrastructure and a shortage of teachers. As a result, the quality of human resources in the province is poor. Since 2001, the adoption of the…

Policy discussions about teacher quality and teacher "shortages" often focus on recruitment and retention of young teachers. However, attention has begun to focus on the incentive effects of teacher retirement benefit systems, particularly given their rising costs and the large unfunded liabilities. In this paper we analyze accrual of…

Thirty years ago, the Connecticut Supreme Court forced our state to take stock of its system for funding schools. Our poorest towns had thousands of dollars less per child to spend. Today, our poorest districts spend roughly the same as our richest, but Connecticut's poor children still score far below their wealthy peers. Our school finance…

In the UK, education is the third largest area of government spending (of which school spending has the largest share). Since 2000, school expenditure has increased by about 40 per cent in real terms for both primary and secondary schools (see Figure 1). The question as to whether such investment is worthwhile is of central importance. The…

This seventh edition of "Key Data on Education in Europe" retains its main special feature which is the combination of statistical data and qualitative information to describe the organisation and functioning of education systems in Europe. The present 2009 edition maintains the subject-based structure defined by the previous one but…

Since 1988 the education system in England has been subjected to wave upon wave of radical change and reform. Despite significant investments and some successes, this programme contains so many serious weaknesses that it is doing more harm than good and it should be fundamentally redesigned. However, before any new programme of reform is…

This paper includes over 1,250 stories that catalog a broadening and deepening commitment to campus sustainability by colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The 380-page report categorizes stories from nearly 600 higher education institutions into 24 chapters, spanning education and research, campus operations, and administration and…

Looking for ways to save money within the Stafford Student Loan program, a study was done to measure the effect that a lower special allowance could have on the supply of Stafford loans made with private capital. The special allowance is an incentive payment to commercial lenders who participate in guaranteed student loan programs. The study used…

The treasurer of Smith College describes their use of the unit method of investment, in which each endowment is given shares in the total investment pool, and the total return concept, which emphasizes the use of a modest portion of investment appreciation for operating purposes to supplement the yield from interest and dividends. (JT)

Quantitative financial measures were applied to evaluate the performance of the North Dakota Public Employee Retirement System (NDPERS) pension fund portfolios and the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA)/College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) portfolios, thus providing a relative performance assessment. Ten years of data were…

This paper outlines how to teach macroeconomic principles through mock stock market investing while helping students develop economic awareness, interest, and comprehension on a more sophisticated level. The basic textbook is "The Economy Today" (B. R. Schiller). After two weeks of teaching basic economic concepts and vocabulary, such as…

Elements of an effective management program for colleges and universities are examined. Five basic purposes of an effective program of cash management are identified: developing accurate cash projections, managing cash receipts, controlling cash disbursements, establishing sound banking relationships, and investing funds. It is suggested that all…