On the theory that the state can attract more foreign industry and tourism if residents have more foreign language skills, Tennessee is establishing the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute with state and private funds, solely to improve foreign language instruction. (MSE)

The long-term pattern of state assumption of public elementary and secondary education funding continued during the past decade. This trend, as shown in numerous tables, has been neither regular nor consistent among states and regions in recent years. The property tax is still the mainstay of local school districts. Includes 18 references. (MLH)

States are taking a closer look at public policy toward private higher education. The Education Commission of the States plans to appoint a special committee to study such issues. Charges of "empire building," automatic student subsidies, and philosophical objections to aid are discussed. (MLW)

States are more involved in desegregation cases. Ways to implement plans before getting to litigation are the following: (1) appropriate state funds for voluntary desegregation; (2) allow local school officials to develop their own plans; and (3) let these officials know it is in their interest to resolve segregation problems before court…

Argues that categorical funds should be available with few restrictions so that local education agencies can make decisions on how to add the funds to the tax-levy base. Claims that this type of funding could provide a variety of instructional programs to meet the needs of targeted students, without segregating them or contributing to their…

Offers a set of criteria for evaluating the impact of state funding plans on the diversity of a college's mission; educational quality, outcomes, and effectiveness; educational access and equity; and "fair share" divisions of resources. Considers alternatives to enrollment-based funding. (DMM)

Discusses various sources of private funds available to community colleges, including foundations, alumni, life-income gifts and annuity programs, corporations, and auxiliary enterprises. Identifies key members of a college's resource development team and warns of risks of increasing dependency on private funds. (DMM)

Leaders of urban public universities and many state legislators are challenging the high status of states'"flagship" institutions, saying local institutions can serve local needs best, and are unwilling to defer to premier research universities in requests for general support and new programs. (MSE)

A combination of political and economic conditions create a grim outlook for state colleges in most parts of the country, in contrast to the optimism of a few years ago about the use of higher education programs to promote state economies. (MSE)

The system for financing higher education in West Germany is outlined, including the principles, organization, and procedures for resource allocation, state and university responsibilities, institutional governance and the roles of individuals and groups at various levels of governance, and institutional procedures for budgeting and auditing. (MSE)

Several criticisms of a "Journal of Education Finance" article by Guilbert Hentschke and John Yagielski (v8, n1) are elaborated, the most fundamental of which is its failure to consider the revenue side of fiscal strain. (MJL)

Authors of "School District Fiscal Strain: Implications for State and Federal Financial Assistance" respond to a critique by F. Howard Nelson in this issue. Among other points, they counter that their article did consider the revenue side of fiscal strain by assuming a constant budget constraint. (MJL)

Investigates alternative measures of school district wealth, focusing on the issue of intergovernmental aid (particularly equalization aid), arguments for and against different wealth measures, jurisdictional implications of the use of alternative wealth measures in four states, and the effect of alternative wealth measures on state equalization…

Analyzes the financial impact of Pennsylvania's Act 125, which distributed $132.5 million in additional state aid among the state's public school districts. (JG)

H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act, strengthens and improves the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act by enhancing local accountability, introducing model sequences of courses that incorporate both secondary and postsecondary elements in a non-duplicative progression of courses, and merging the…