The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) annual survey of tuition and fees collects data on resident and nonresident tuition and fees at public two- and four-year institutions in the WICHE region for undergraduate and graduate students. WICHE administered the most recent survey to state higher education executive offices,…

Scholars and policy analysts have long focused their attention on questions related to funding for higher education. Considerations include questions about the relationship between educational spending and student success and efforts to determine overall levels of funding adequacy. This report builds on those conversations by drawing attention to…

This case study uses the theory of academic capitalism (TAC) to explore how a public university known primarily for undergraduate education is incorporating market-oriented practices and structures, and how those changes could impact its curriculum and enrollment profile. Through initiatives to establish an engineering college, expand graduate…

The early care and education (ECE) sector in New Hampshire (NH) is a complex ecosystem that must account for families' needs and resources, the capacity and availability of the workforce, and the costs of providing services. This ecosystem is also bolstered (and constrained) by local, state, and federal policy. This series of primers, titled the…

The School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), New Jersey's school finance law, requires the Governor, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to review certain components of the school funding formula every three years. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) issued four Educational Adequacy Reports (EAR) between 2013 and 2022, but none…

It is no secret that America's higher education system has a deep history of discrimination and exclusion. Funding for public institutions is still intensely inequitable and--in many cases--the situation is only getting worse. Most states have one or two public institutions with a large financial advantage over their peers. This is the norm, a…

Significant interruptions to in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to potentially long-lasting negative impacts on student achievement, impacting every part of Colorado education. As cited by the National Student Success Accelerator (NSSA) at Stanford University, a meta-analysis reviewed tutoring interventions that were…

This brief provides findings from the full report, "California's Higher Education Funding Landscape," which examines California's higher education funding sources, revenue trends over the past decade, and compares its funding model with other large states to inform future policies. Key findings include: (1) appropriations for higher…

The number of private schools in the United States has been flat or slightly declining in the last few decades. However, in states that broadly offer families scholarships or vouchers for private school tuition, the number of private schools has gone up. This report analyzes if and how increased demand for private schooling and homeschooling,…

Historically, states' child care subsidy programs have used market rates, or tuition charged by providers, to set subsidy rates that support income-eligible families in accessing child care services. However, the market rate is often based on what families in a specific community can afford to pay, not necessarily what it actually costs to provide…

Pursuant to Assembly Bill 132 Section (89)(e), the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the Board of Governors for California Community Colleges are pleased to release the 2024-2025 LGBTQ+ Program Legislative report. In accordance with the reporting requirements, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office is required to…

Twenty-two times, state courts have ruled that legislatures are inadequately funding K-12 schools based on constitutional rights to public education. When states implemented court-ordered financing reforms, the poorest school districts increased per-student spending by 11.5% to 12.1%. Those districts then showed increased graduation rates by…

In June 2023, the Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board approved the establishment of a charter school by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. This amounts to state funding of a religious school. Robert Kim discusses how this decision goes against Oklahoma's constitutional and legislative history, why allowing religious charters is not the…

Public funding to higher education has declined over the years and many states have experimented with policies to encourage private sector donations to public universities. Building on research that examines the intersection of state policy and philanthropy, we examine the influence of a state policy on endowment gifts to the University of Wyoming…

The resources that federal financial aid, state financial aid, and federal public benefits programs provide, when they operate effectively, are critical to older students and students with children. This report seeks to shed light on how these programs are functioning by analyzing data and policies across four states--Colorado, Missouri, North…