This publication presents in summary form the development of the two end products of the Trenton Title III project: (1) an educational planning system called STEP (System for Tranton's Educational Planning) and (2) a new planning office, the Division of Research, Planning, and Evaluation. Included is the outline of the planning cycle, a discussion…

Discusses recommendations made by the Massachusetts Advisory Council of Vocational-Technical Education to improve the quality of secondary vocational curriculum. The author examines how and why the recommendations were created, how a hugh agenda was whittled down in scope, and how the council decided to favor the development of "cluster…

Proposals to expand opportunities for children to attend independent schools prompt heated and complex debates. Proponents and opponents bring a number of philosophical and ideological arguments to public policy discussions, while lawmakers often justify their decisions on the basis of the perceived economic and fiscal impacts of the proposals.…

This digest examines a completed pilot program in performance-driven budgeting (PDB) in the New York City public-school system. PDB links school-level budgeting and school planning; that is, decisions about resources must be aligned with school-developed instructional-improvement plans. The digest highlights how PDB came about; its primary goal;…

This report, required by the Oregon legislature, describes the state's Head Start prekindergarten program and the program's achievements during the 2001-2003 period. The report delineates the federal and state funding for the program during this period, and the number of programs, classrooms, and children served, noting that 61 percent of all…

In this report, the Canadian Community College Association (CCCA) offers its rationale for urging the government of Canada to increase transfer payments to the provinces in support of postsecondary education by $2 billion per annum, as well as making an additional increase in transfer payments that would contribute to the future expansion of…

The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality (The Center) has conducted a study of the costs of high quality Teacher Preparation on behalf of the Regional Education Laboratory at SERVE and at the request of the Alabama State Department of Education. In light of the recommendations issued by Alabama's Task Force to Improve Educator Preparation and the…

This worksheet is part of a series of technical assistance resources on financing and sustaining out-of-school time and community school initiatives. The worksheet is intended to help developers of such programs to create one type of financial projection--an operating budget--that identifies the range of costs that their initiative will incur. To…

Surveyed college counseling service administrators and found that budget cuts have created innovative staffing, progressive changes in focus, and a wider range of counseling activities. Suggests college counselors balance leadership with survival and be willing to make changes consistent with shifting priorities. (JAC)

In August 2004 the first ever federally funded school voucher program began in Washington, D.C. Eligible students could attend a private school of their choice in the District of Columbia. Each participant received up to $7,500 for school tuition, fees, and transportation. In addition, the D.C. Public School System (DCPS) and D.C. charter school…

Prepared for a site visit by the North Central Association (NCA), this report describes the goals and vision of New Mexico State University's two-year branch campus at Carlsbad (NMSU-C) through the year 2000. The first section states the mission, goals, and purposes of NMSU-C, while the second describes six campus-wide initiatives to be completed…

Created in 1990 by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Running Start (RS) program allows eleventh and twelfth grade high school students to take college-level courses tuition-free. In 1992-93, the first full year of statewide implementation, approximately 3,508 students participated in the program, while that…

This report describes the 1994 activities and recommendations of the committee charged with studying the budget, programs, and policies of North Carolina's 12 Smart Start early childhood education and development demonstration projects. Smart Start is a high quality early childhood education and family services initiative involving public and…

This quarterly report, covering February 1 through June 30, 1989, summarizes problems with Project Creating a New Approach to Learning (CANAL), part of a court-mandated desegregation plan to reduce inequities in predominantly Black and Hispanic American schools in Chicago (Illinois). CANAL's goal is to train the constituent representatives of the…

To investigate school districts' responses to fiscal constraint, this study examined the relationship between districts' expenditures per student and allocations of funds to instructional, support, and administrative costs. Budget allocations, as indicators of the districts' priorities, were compared for 1978-79 and 1981-82 in 46 Oregon school…