In January 2010, the General Assembly passed the Complete College Tennessee Act (CCTA), a comprehensive reform agenda seeking to transform public higher education through changes in academic, fiscal, and administrative policies at the state and institutional levels. While the higher education landscape has been shaped by the CCTA, it is also…

An overview of the historical development of China's model for promoting compulsory education in rural areas indicates that it has two basic characteristics. The first is assuring a stable foundation for material support and expanding the provision of education by adopting measures to reduce operating costs. The second is raising the level of…

Although datasets such as the Integrated Postsecondary Data System are available as inputs to higher education funding formulas, these datasets can be unreliable, incomplete, or unresponsive to criteria identified by state education officials. State formulas do not always match the state's economic and human capital goals. This article analyzes…

In this article we examine how the introduction of an output-based funding scheme in Norwegian public higher education in 2003 affects pass requirement standards. Based on a survey of faculty at the institutions concerned, we find that the propensity to expect that the new funding model will affect the failing/non-failing decision in exams is…

By late 2008, the United States was in the midst of its most severe economic recession since the 1930s, brought on by a collapse in real estate prices and exacerbated by the failure of many large banks and financial institutions. Heeding calls from economists, Congress and the Obama administration passed a historic law in early 2009 to stimulate…

For over three decades, government subsidies have been a major source of funds for private schools in Australia. Private schools now enrol more than one-third of all students. Analysing administrative and participation data, we find that Australian private schools have used government subsidies to increase the quality of their services (that is,…

In January 2010, the General Assembly passed the Complete College Tennessee Act (CCTA), a comprehensive reform agenda that seeks to transform public higher education through changes in academic, fiscal and administrative policies at the state and institutional level. At the center of these reforms is the need for more Tennesseans to be better…

This Education Policy Brief examines the origins of the Complexity Index, how it is used in the state's funding formula, and considers whether the state's formula is working to fulfill school funding objectives. It raises some issues that should be considered when policymakers consider changes in either the Complexity Index factors, the weights…

Spurred by court rulings requiring states to increase public-school funding, the United States now spends more per student on K-12 education than almost any other country. Yet American students still achieve less than their foreign counterparts, their performance has been flat for decades, millions of them are failing, and poor and minority…

While there is a wealth of research on school finance equity and adequacy, and school finance theory clearly documents differences between the two concepts, no study has examined whether the reforms engendered by each approach actually differ in terms of resource distribution. The present study examines the issues using district-level data on…

Using statistics, documentary evidence and commentary from academics and academic trades unions, this article analyses the key features of U.K. government policy towards higher education in England since 1979. The focus is on England because the details of policy and policy implementation vary between the four nations of the U.K. My findings…

In September 2007 the Government withdrew HEFCE funding for students studying for a second higher qualification at a level equal to or lower than their first--the so-called equivalent or lower qualification (or ELQ) rule. This policy hit students and universities in England, though not those in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. In a recent…

In our increasingly complex society, research and research training in master's institutions is just as critical as in doctoral programs, but with a different emphasis and purpose. In PhD institutions, research programs are generally considered to be for the purpose of advancing knowledge in the discipline and helping to prepare the next…

Congress is currently considering updating the key legislation that governs K-12 public education--the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Noticeably missing from the current law, more commonly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), is a comprehensive early learning agenda, which span from preschool through 3rd grade. The Obama…

The inequitable distribution of well-qualified teachers to students in the United States is a longstanding issue. Despite federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind Act and the use of a range of incentives to attract teachers to high-need schools, the problem remains acute in many states. This study examines how and why teacher quality is…