Issues for school finance reform raised by capitalization are addressed; conditions necessary for capitalization, the process, and the two main theories presented in the literature are discussed; and the capitalization effects of changed state aid to education and the implications of these effects are provided. (RL)

The prudent school administrator will keep open the lines of communication to his or her fuel supplier and will learn who in the state government is in control of the state's emergency supply of fuel oil. (Author/IRT)

As part of his discussion, the author presents seven criteria that may be used to evaluate the plan a state uses to support the community colleges. (IRT)

Describes how $850 million from private technology companies and the state have begun pouring into nanoscience at SUNY-Albany. (EV)

Describes how the failure of state lawmakers to pass a budget by the start of the fiscal year forced the partial shutdown of Tennessee's public colleges. (EV)

Investigates variations in state funding programs for school building needs. Includes table of 2001-02 primary state aid programs for school facilities. Also describes use of local voter-approved bond issues to fund local school construction. Includes table of 2001-02 state bond programs, debt limits, and state aid for debt. Discusses emerging…

Assesses and compares states and their efforts to fund public higher education capital needs, ranking them by operating appropriations per student and capital appropriations per student. Data shows that states use varied assessment and appropriations methods, that states are challenged by deferred maintenance, and that they often lack long-range…

Describes how increased lobbying by community colleges is yielding payoffs in state legislatures and Congress and significantly more federal earmarks. Discusses how increased financial support may also be due to community colleges' responsiveness to states' economic needs. (EV)

Describes positive developments for the University of Hawaii system after an 11-percent loss of funding since 1993. Discusses administrator, faculty, and student responses to the financial pressures. (EV)

The classes of 2006 in California, Arizona, and Utah are those states' first that must pass high school exit exams to earn diplomas. Twenty-three states now have such exams. Maryland will require a graduation test for next year's class, and Washington state will do so for the class of 2008. In most states with such a requirement, students take the…

The centerpiece of former Governor Elliot Spitzer's education reform agenda was a set of performance agreements between the state and designated needy school districts. Known as Contracts for Excellence, or C4E, these agreements would eventually be linked to over a quarter of the new state aid proposed in the governor's first budget. C4E districts…

The popularity of the New Jersey Foster Care Scholars program is a testament to its importance. Typical college students rely on parents for financial assistance and emotional support. Youth aging out of foster care often are on their own. The scholarship program offers an opportunity for higher education that many foster youth thought they would…

The newly released Thomas B. Fordham Institute report "Fund the Child: Bringing Equity, Autonomy and Portability to Ohio School Finance," is the latest in a series of reports promoting the implementation of decentralized governance of public schooling coupled with student-based allocation of revenues to schools. While the current report…