Excerpts from a recent report on the financial management of intercollegiate athletics programs reveal that the programs generally require more money than they generate, contrary to popular perception. However, the programs are also often overstaffed and have room for cost reduction in other areas, particularly financial aid, travel, and…

Explains why privately-run lunch programs are providing better nutritional value at less cost than state-run programs. Several examples are provided of schools where lunch program privatization has increased participation and cafeteria discipline, improved nutritional and food quality, and has done so with financial efficiency. (GR)

To address concerns that universities are overcharging the federal government for indirect costs of research programs, data from seven major research universities were used to simulate a standardization of costs and policies to eliminate differences widely assumed to contribute to rate variation. Results suggest universities are not overcharging…

A study of fringe benefits requested by 19 research institutions on behalf of recipients of postdoctoral and junior faculty fellowships found differences reflecting varied institutional policies. It is suggested that, given current funding agency concerns about resource allocation, these and other costs might be more appropriately shared by the…

New federal regulations concerning direct cost accounting for college and university research projects are explained. It is concluded that the new standard allows institutions to reduce the signatures required on cost transfers and use reasonable cost allocation methods to simplify distribution of direct costs when research is supported by…

Cost information was collected from five local education agencies that provided inclusive and traditional special education service options for preschool children with disabilities. Within-agency comparisons suggested that inclusive models were generally less expensive or comparable in cost to traditional forms of special education. Specific cost…

School choice programs, which allow students to attend the public or private school of their choice using public funds, have taken root in the U.S. and are growing rapidly both in number and size. Their fiscal impact has become an important political issue. Proponents say school choice saves money because private schooling is more efficient,…

The Moche Cost Analysis of Public Education (CAPE) formula was developed to identify total and per pupil costs of regular elementary education, regular secondary education, elementary special education, and secondary special education. Costs are analyzed across five components: (1) comprehensive costs (including transportation and supplemental…

In connection with its jurisdiction over biomedical research and development at higher education institutions, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations met twice to hear testimony on abuses in the indirect cost recovery practices at universities for Federal research grants and contracts. At the…

This paper presents an overview of the current status of child care in the United States. It provides a framework for discussing strategies to expand the supply of child care, improve its quality, and make it accessible to all families. Child care is defined, and factors that influence the quality of care are listed. The demand for child care is…

This document lists projects funded under the Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education's (FIPSE) Comprehensive Program from 1995 through 1998. Also included in this edition are abstracts of the three 1998 FIPSE focus competitions: Disseminating Proven Reforms, European Community/United States Joint Consortia,…

Seven day care centers in the Denver-Boulder (Colorado) metropolitan an effort to identify the kinds of subsidies they received and to estimate the importance of these subsidies for the cost of services. The sites included a Head Start program, three nonprofit centers, two family day care providers, and an infant care center. Labor accounted for a…

This digest reviews various longitudinal studies that examined the long-term effects of programs that served young children living in poverty and at risk of school failure. Concerning program effects on school performance, all studies that collected data on children's intellectual performance found that their program groups had better intellectual…

This fact sheet summarizes issues involved in the reauthorization of the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1988, Title IV-B, Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This Act provides grants for research and demonstration projects and training activities to meet the needs of gifted and talented students. The Javits…

The 1988-89 annual report presents fourth year activities and findings of 17 longitudinal studies (begun in 1986) on the effects and costs of early intervention with handicapped children. Major activities of this year focused on management of individual studies, recruitment of sites, and development of procedural refinements. For each of the…