The author looks at five specific forces or trends that will be affecting vocational education in the eighties and nineties: adults, women, and minorities; implications for excellence; equity for women, minorities, and the disadvantaged; the shrinking tax dollar; and high technology. (CT)

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission's performance-funding policy rewards public institutions for undertaking comprehensive assessment programs. New policy guidelines that emphasize quantitative indicators such as test scores and alumni ratings are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Forty-nine state superintendents of public instruction responded to the sixth biannual assessment of U.S. gifted/talented education programs. The questionnaire addressed the following topics: certification requirements for teachers, state funding, impact of tax limitation measures, state guidelines for gifted/talented programs, student selection…

Reports a study of 25 California state subsidized infant-toddler programs investigating the relationship of personnel costs and staffing practices to child care quality. Study results, when combined with findings of an earlier study by Olenick, provide evidence of a link between personnel budgets and enhanced program quality. (NH)

Data are tabulated on trends in generally available and specially directed federal aid, state grants, and institutionally awarded aid and in the number of recipients and dollar awards for each major aid category. (MSE)

Summarizes public school finance in New York State, focusing on recent high levels of state aid. Discusses Speaker of Assembly's role as education advocate. This powerful Democrat formed a 1983 task force that studied financing, set priorities, issued a report, and produced a five-year plan to initiate further legislative action. Contains 2…

This longitudinal study examines the determinants of higher education and lower education revenues per capita and the ratio of the two over a 30-year period. Demographic variables and personal income are found to be unimportant. The most important variables are found to be historical and political variables. (Author/JAZ)

Four leaders in state industrial arts answer questions about funding for industrial arts/technology education programs. Questions involve best sources of funding; setting up foundations for receiving funding; receiving funding through corporate grants and private foundations; and suggestions for industrial arts/technology education professionals.…

Surveys some of the issues and practices of state-funded prekindergarten programs. (HOD)

This report updates developments relating to public school finance legislation in Texas during a special summer legislative session in 1984. Discussion focuses on House Bill 72, which increased teachers salaries, distributed state aid more equitably, increased equalization aid, mandated new programs, and increased state taxes. (TE)

Discusses the effects on teacher salaries and employment practices of several Canadian provinces' cost-cutting measures; emphasizes British Columbia's "Public Restraint Act" and public employees' response to it. (MCG)

Retrenchment is explored using theories of fiscal crisis and state economic variation to interpret state and federal funding patterns for public research universities. The State University of New York at Buffalo and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University illustrate the impact of government spending patterns. (Author/MLW)

As states modify their school finance systems in pursuit of equity, play a larger role in setting the level of teacher salaries, and link school finance and improvement, state control of schools is growing. However, state support of schools will decrease as property taxes increase. (DCS)

Discusses challenges to the mental health field as a result of severe economic change. The six articles deal with reindustrialization, the effect of the labor market on mental hospital and prison use, retrenchment strategies, mental health problems in energy boomtowns, and economic issues of public policy. (JAC)

A new arrangement is described that was adopted by the State of Minnesota for financing and managing inservice professional development activities in vocational teacher education programs. (TA)