Describes a state's and district's process of bringing available technology up to expectations with the Digital High School Education Technology Grant Program (California). Discusses several challenges: getting started; aligning technology to standards; matching media to needs; addressing information literacy development; training staff; getting…

A recent study found no evidence of inadequate state-aid general funding for Oklahoma's mandated elementary class size requirements as they became more restrictive during implementation phases. Over the years, state aid increased on a per-simulated-class basis for grades K-6. State-aid distribution equity also increased. (MLH)

Reviews 30 years of state efforts to support school-facilities construction and renovation in Texas. Describes recent state programs to provide direct funding for school facilities: Instructional Facilities Allotment, Existing Debt Allotment, and New Instructional Facilities Allotment. Although state funding of school facilities has increased,…

Recent court decisions and legislation show that an adequate school finance formula must provide sufficient money so public schools can teach all students. Four different approaches for determining school finance adequacy are: (1) determining the economic cost of various educational functions; (2) linking spending to performance benchmarks; (3)…

Tested two major models of higher education resource allocation to determine which best explained allocation of state dollars. Using multiple regression, demonstrated that departments characterized by male, full-time faculty; graduate degrees; and grants and contracts tend to be given more resources than those characterized by female faculty, high…

The idea is not new: Offer courses remotely, build in variety and the students will come. This article discusses how public schools are investing in offering online courses, catering to students' specific learning needs and to remote locations. Several surveys conducted in recent years show that school districts nationwide are embracing this…

In this article, the author discusses the impact brought about by the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB) on school funding. Because of changes in the funding formulas, most of the increased funding will go to districts in which the highest number of poor children reside. Districts which are less impacted by poverty will lose funding. The…

This study demonstrates a method for extending debates on the effectiveness of school inputs into the cost-effectiveness realm. This study uses the example of Florida's statewide initiative to reduce class sizes to determine which of many state inputs buys the most effect for the same expenditure. The method includes a three-stage process:…

Two years ago, Mandeville High School (http://mandevillehigh.stpsb.org/index.shtml) in Louisiana purchased a mobile wireless computer lab with grant funds from the state. This lab not only helped improve the writing and research skills of the school's ninth-grade students, but also improved its overall performance score to become one of the…

This article presents the special issues of the eighth edition of "Education Week's" annual report on education technology, "Technology Counts." The annual report tracks the economic and policy forces that are converging to push those changes, which are happening at the federal, state, and local levels. States and school…

American higher education is caught in an unparalleled environment in which traditional political partisanship is affecting issues such as academic freedom, student access, and international competition. The country's million or so faculty members constitute a huge national resource, and if they worked together they could become a powerful voice…

This article describes how a new "report card" on state-financed preschool programs concludes that states still have a long way to go to provide young children with high-quality educational experiences before they start kindergarten. While the report, which was issued by the National Institute for Early Education Research, in New Brunswick, New…

This study examines Utah's funding system for public education and provides an analysis of the fiscal impact of allowing parents to use a portion of their child's state education funding to attend a school of their choice, public or private. Like many states, Utah is facing pressure to improve its system of public education funding. The state's…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Democrats Consider Leftover Spending Bills: Coalition of Health and Education Advocates Pushes for $2 Billion in Additional…

High-quality early care and education (ECE) programs promote positive child outcomes, allow parents to work, and contribute to the local economy. Although extant research takes into account the ECE sector in its entirety, recent economic and policy interest has centered on part-day prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds only. Using an ecological…