Michigan's public colleges and universities have become steadily less affordable over the past two decades, mirroring a national trend where state funding of public higher education has not kept pace with costs, leading to increased tuition and fees. States continually assess their higher education tuition and other policies in comparison to their…

Growing concerns over student debt have led to a series of sweeping policy proposals from higher education associations, think tanks, and policymakers over the last decade to align state and federal higher education financing policy. The existing framework, in which states primarily subsidize institutions and the federal government primarily…

The effect of state funded merit aid for college tuition on student performance in high school has been largely ignored by the current literature on merit aid programs, even though one aim of these programs is to provide incentives for increased academic achievement in high school. To test for such effects, we employ a selection model for…

The dream of an accessible education will now become a reality for many New Hampshire youngsters, thanks to a new University of New Hampshire (UNH) initiative called the Granite Guarantee Program. The UNH Granite Guarantee will begin with the incoming freshman class in fall 2017. An estimated 400 New Hampshire students will benefit from the…

The relationship between lack of a high school diploma and juvenile incarceration is well known. This study investigated whether an increase in state fiscal effort for education is associated with decreased juvenile incarceration rates. Each state's and the District of Columbia's educational fiscal effort and its relation with state juvenile…

In 2013, Wisconsin's legislature added a statewide voucher program to the existing voucher programs in Milwaukee and Racine. The state expanded the statewide program in 2015 and changed the funding mechanism of the program so that its cost was borne by local school districts. The program is already distributing tens of millions of dollars to pay…

This annual community college tuition and fees report provides information about tuition and fees charged at each of Iowa's 15 community colleges. This report also provides trends in tuition and fees among Iowa's community colleges, sources of general operating revenue, and comparisons among states and institutions. For fiscal year (FY) 2018,…

The Washington State Department of Early Learning (DEL), in collaboration with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), submits this preliminary report to detail quality control measures in the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) program. This report highlights existing quality control measures and efforts in reducing overpayments…

Purpose: Through case studies of five states with varying facilities policies, this study examines the factors contributing to expanded state investment in equitable public school facilities and how those factors can be leveraged to encourage states that make minimal investments to expand their support for facilities funding. Methods: Data…

Through case studies of five states with varying facilities policies, this study examines the factors contributing to expanded state investment in equitable public school facilities and how those factors can be leveraged to encourage states that make minimal investments to expand their support for facilities funding. Data collection consisted of a…

"Part I: Are DACA Students Still Safe to Stay?" was originally published in the "New England Journal of Higher Education" on April 25, 2017. Following unsuccessful attempts in Congress to provide a legal pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including the DREAM Act of 2010, President Obama introduced an executive…

The expectation in this country is that all students should be able to succeed in school. Yet new data and accountability agendas have heightened attention to performance disparities between students with different identifiable needs--needs that stem from poverty, disability, or limited English proficiency. Educators and policymakers know that…

State-funded prekindergarten (preK) programs are increasingly common across the country. This study estimated the effects of eight state-funded preK programs (Arkansas, California, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia) on children's learning using a regression discontinuity design. These programs vary with…

Cities and school districts across the Commonwealth and country are seeking to combine the benefits of both community- and school-based early childhood programs through a "mixed-delivery model." In a mixed-delivery model, school districts shoulder the administrative burden of federal and state grants, subcontract a number of their seats…

This First Look report presents data on public elementary and secondary education revenues and expenditures at the local education agency (LEA) or school district level for fiscal year (FY) 2015.1 Specifically, this report includes findings for the following types of school district finance data: (1) Current expenditure totals and current…