Leaders of programs serving rural America need to act strategically to ensure the long-term success of their initiatives. This strategy brief describes the funding landscape of rural programs and highlights the unique challenges confronting rural program leaders. It describes the different public and private resources that can support…

In their paper entitled "Why should postsecondary institutions consider partnering to offer (Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)?" the authors reviewed frequently asked questions they encountered from higher education professionals about IDAs, but as their research continued so did the questions. FAQ II has more in-depth questions and…

This article presents a cross-section, 50-state analysis of school finance legislation from the 2000 session and a seven-year trend analysis, dating back to 1994. The framework for analysis was grounded in the theory of intergovernmental grants. Although the 2000 legislative session was an active one, the total number of bills passed represented a…

In the past decade in the United States, pre-kindergarten programs for four year olds have expanded rapidly as a potentially powerful intervention intended to promote school readiness for children at-risk for future school failure. This paper describes in detail multi-dimensional profiles of observed quality across 692 classrooms in 11 states…

This report examines the current role of states in supporting school-facilities improvements. Specifically, the study gathered information about state actions to provide funding, technical assistance, and compliance review to school districts. The report also looked at the degree to which states collect and maintain information on the condition of…

This newsletter provides current information on the state of learning resources centers and libraries in California community colleges. The October 1996 issue provides the LRACCC's annual report for 1995-96, describing the Association's membership, publications, budget, and activities for the year. This issue also includes newsbriefs from 12…

This memorandum describes the calculations used to figure the instructional subsidy for postsecondary education in Ohio, focusing on why the model operates as it does and the implications of the current funding model. The two principle factors in the instructional subsidy model are institutional enrollments and actual costs. The model begins with…

In May 1991, the Florida Legislature directed the State Board of Community Colleges to develop a method to equalize the base funding of community colleges, including an appropriate cost differential equation. As a result, an allocation process of legislative appropriations was developed which supported the relative priorities of each college from…

The ability of the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) to address both educational equality and financial equity in the Kentucky public education system is examined in this paper. Following an overview of the conditions that facilitated the act's passage in 1990, the next section discusses the philosophical background of the concepts of…

The Illinois Task Force on School Finance was created in 1990 to devise a plan to ensure adequate state funding for all school districts at greater levels. The task force's plan for 1993 provides for funding of an adequate education and creates a more equitable distribution of educational revenues. The first part of this report presents an…

Questions about inequities in educational funding were raised in New Jersey when the legislature enacted the state's second major education-finance-reform law, the Quality Education Act of 1990 (QEA). This paper describes changes in revenues, expenditures, and programs in 11 diverse New Jersey school districts during the first year of…

This issue brief presents projections for current expenditures in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The following areas are examined: the historical association between the economy and the level of expenditures; the importance of funds from state and federal governments; the effect of the next decade's anticipated…

This document is a handbook on school organization and finance in Washington State. It encompasses legislation passed during the 1990 and 1991 legislative sessions and school district fiscal data through the 1990-91 school year. The guide attempts to simplify the complex subject of school finance for use by educators, policy makers, and the…

This report analyzes revenues from state governments and combined revenues from state government and state university sources for each state, as reported to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by public broadcasting licenses in the Annual Financial Report survey, Fiscal Year 1997. All revenue amounts contained in this report include cash,…

This report offers an analysis of school finance litigation during 1998. It summarizes cases in New Jersey, Ohio, Arizona, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and New York. These states were sued due to failure to provide a thorough and efficient system of common schools, ineffective efforts to provide equitable financing to poorer school…