Competition is usually considered a mechanism for the allocation of scarce resources. This paper draws attention to a neglected effect of academic competition: competition provides participants with a normative orientation about field-specific values by informing them about which activities will be rewarded. We conceptualize this as a socializing…

This policy paper estimates the short-run economic effects of the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), Michigan's state-funded preschool program for 4-year-olds. The paper considers 15-year effects on state residents' per capita incomes due to impacts on employment rates and real wages, as well as cost-savings from free preschool and fiscal…

Sustainability is an important but often elusive goal in educational improvement. This article presents six strategies that are usually present in successful long-term professional learning initiatives--and missing in efforts that start off with potential but fall by the wayside. Although some of these strategies can get a boost from financial…

Calculation has emerged as an imperative practice, providing universities with one of their most effective strategies for self-governance. This norm has significantly influenced university decisions on the availability of places across different disciplines. Utilising the Foucauldian conceptual tool 'technology of government', this paper delves…

The School Teachers' Review Body's (STRB) pay and allowance recommendation for teachers and leaders is a 4% increase to all ranges and advisory points effective from September 2025. This is the level, in STRB's view, that supports recruitment and retention and represents good value for money for taxpayers. The recommendation is based on data. STRB…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Committee on Education and Workforce regarding the state of American education. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Tim Walberg, Chairman, Committee on Education and Workforce; and (2) Honorable Robert C. Scott, Ranking Member, Committee on Education and Workforce. The…

In May 2025, a deadlocked US Supreme Court left in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling barring faith-based schools from eligibility in the state's charter school program. "Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond" (consolidated with "St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond") carries no…

The study investigates the effectiveness of intergovernmental fiscal transfers for reducing educational inequality in Indonesia. Using panel data of 34 provinces of Indonesia from 2011 to 2019, this study examines how intergovernmental fiscal transfers, namely, the General Allocation Fund (DAU), Special Allocation Fund (DAK), and School…

State funding for public higher education institutions is crucial in supporting college access and completion, particularly among students from historically under-represented groups, yet little is known about the mechanisms that states use to allocate funds and how they are affected by financial challenges. This article provides the first detailed…

Since the early 2000s, billionaires have treated the Denver Public School District as a Neo-liberal education experiment. Using a tangled web of astroturf groups, nonprofits, and training organizations, billionaires have hijacked this public school district, leaving some schools, students, and democracy behind. In this report, Denver's Mike…

Equitable school funding is key to achieving overall educational fairness. Successful state education finance reform advocates must address the causes of funding inequity and create solutions that consider the effects of changes from different perspectives. "Designing Change: A Toolkit for State Education Finance Reform" gives advocates…

Recent reports have highlighted the inequalities that exist in how state and federal funding is allocated to different institution types and the students they serve (Ahlman, 2019; Carnevale et al., 2018; Foster & Fowles, 2018; Mugglestone et al., 2019; Taylor & Cantwell, 2019; Taylor et al., 2020). Because these different types of…

This case study of a single campus of a California public university looks at what involvement faculty want in the financial components of the shared governance of their institution. It explores their real involvement on a campus with a particularly strong shared governance culture and systems, where academic senate subcommittees allow faculty to…

In the United States, K-12 school finance is largely controlled by the states. Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds are distributed based on 51 different configurations of formulas, rules, and regulations to over 13,000 districts that vary in terms of the students they serve, their ability to raise revenue locally, and many…

The social movements #Rhodes Must Fall and #FeesMustFall that arose during 2015/2016 in South Africa were a direct response to structural injustices that continue to permeate higher education institutions, signalling that decoloniality was yet to be achieved. Whilst much has been written and debated about decolonisation in relation to…