Differences in the corrected state rankings on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores are explained by the percentage of students taking the test and by student composition by sex, race, and average family income. Higher state per capita educational expenditures are significantly related to higher average SAT scores. Policy implications are…

Since 1970 approximately half of the states have challenged the constitutionality of state educational funding methods under equal protection or educational adequacy grounds. A review of court cases finds no clear trend towards acceptance or rejection of state provisions for school financing but does reveal a heightened awareness of inequity in…

Discusses the relationships between fiscal stress in California public schools after the passage of Proposition 13 and high school curricular changes. Reports that school staff and parents interviewed in California's Big Eight districts perceived reduced course offerings in similar areas and understood the intimate ties between financial pressures…

Following a summary of Canadian equity policies and of specific provisions made by Alberta, a statistical analysis of the impact of the existing funding mechanism leads to the conclusion that the alternative models of power equalizing and percentage equalizing would generally increase the level of equalization. (MJL)

States within certain regions (like the Great Lakes area) are probably incapable of financing any major educational reform. The declining Illinois public school system exemplifies this predicament. However, change in the form of a more efficient organization of Illinois school districts is both feasible and likely. (RDN)

Discusses current school construction needs in North Carolina and methods available under state law to finance construction. To put North Carolina law in perspective, the article also discusses school construction finance procedures used throughout the United States. (Author)

This report observes that, while Maine's economy is changing at a rapid pace, its workforce is not, and to compete, Maine must dramatically increase the educational attainment levels of its citizens. Many of Maine's core industries face significant shortages of skilled workers, a shortage that is slowing the growth of the state's economy and…

State-funded pre-Kindergarten is a growing phenomenon in the United States. The majority of 4-year-olds now spend time every weekday in care outside of their home and many of these children are being served in preschool classrooms funded with state education dollars. The public strongly supports such programs and there is generally bipartisan…

This study presents the most comprehensive picture, to date, of public investments in the education and development of children by three age groupings--the early learning years (roughly 0-5), the school-aged years (roughly 6-18), and the college-aged years (roughly 19-23). It is based upon detailed analysis of state, federal, and school district…

Historically states are seen as more comfortable with narrowly focused rules, regulation, and monitoring responsibilities than with broad change. Currently states face revolutionary new arrangements for financing education, overseeing federal commitments, and providing fair and meaningful standards for educational performance. The major…

This report investigated the financial expenditures of states for services for individuals with developmental disabilities and examined the factors that influenced the level of expenditure. Eight multiple-regression models are presented which explain 70 to 88 percent of the variation in states' total expenditures. In addition to the obvious…

This report presents findings and recommendations of the Little Hoover Commission regarding California's efforts to provide schools that are economically built, adequate, safe, and well maintained. Findings and recommendations are presented in the following areas: school facility building and maintenance; leadership needs in managing construction…

This report presents annual data on the amount of financial assistance available to postsecondary students in the form of grants, loans, and work-study. The objective of the report is to assemble the most complete, comparable, and reliable statistics on student financial aid for the 2000-2001 academic year and for years from 1963-1964 to the…

There is an increasingly popular view of government to shift costs of education formerly borne at the national level to the states, and the states, in turn to shift costs and risks to individuals that has created a "perfect storm" of economic and political trends. The idea of privatizing a portion of Social Security and the continuing press for…

The 2007-09 state general fund executive recommendation (including general fund capital projects) is $470.2 million for the eleven campuses, UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Forest Service and North Dakota University System Office, which is an increase of $81.8 million or 21.1% over the 2005-07 adjusted appropriation. The total…