This report evaluates Florida school district requirements concerning use of the exceptional student education (ESE) Matrix of Services, which is required by the state only for students receiving the most intensive special education services. It provides background information, an explanation of the method used to gather data, and results of the…

The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) is charged with improving library services throughout the state to ensure that all citizens have access to quality library and information services. The agency is responsible for receiving and administering federal and state funds for the more than 200 public libraries in Alabama. Information is reported…

This January 2000 audit report concerns the status of California community college districts' compliance with Section 84752 of the California Education Code, which prohibits districts from receiving full-time equivalent student (FTES) funding for activities that are fully funded through another source. The state apportions funds to districts based…

Despite having its most expensive district spend 1.56 times more than its least expensive district, the state of New York has not used a cost index to determine the distribution of aid to school districts, except for Building Aid. The Consumer Price Index (as suggested by the Regents, Governor Pataki, State Comptroller McCall, and the Midstate…

This brochure contains information about student loans for college applicants and students in Missouri. It is a resource to assist borrowers in making smart repayment decisions and in understanding the options to avoid delinquency and default. Things to consider before one borrows, how to increase one's resources, and how to decrease one's…

Even though a majority of Americans claim to support public funding of the arts, state government spending on the arts is minimal--and may be losing ground relative to other types of state expenditures. Moreover, most state arts agencies, or SAAs, have not succeeded in convincing state government leaders that the arts should be integral to their…

Home to several excellent universities and colleges, the Midwest has long benefited from the region's strong higher education system. However, with projected demographic changes and state support declines, institutions of higher learning face significant challenges in the years ahead. The author identifies two trends: (1) Increasing shift towards…

Making effective financial decisions and knowing how to manage money are skills critical to enjoying a secure financial future. Yet many individuals and families lack the knowledge necessary to make sound financial choices, as evidenced by falling savings rates, mounting consumer debt, and a growing dependence on alternative banking institutions.…

This paper examines changes in California's school finance system over the past 35 years. It focuses specifically on the growth of categorical program funding. The study assesses the nature and magnitude of changes, the causes of those changes, the significance of those changes for the capacity of schools to provide high quality educational…

This report provides data tables analyzing revenues from state governments and combined revenues from state government and state university sources for each state, as reported to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by public broadcasting licensees in the Annual Financial Report survey for fiscal year 1996. All revenue amounts contained in the…

This booklet provides basic information and guidelines to rural New York school districts competing for grants or other competitive funding. Section 1 examines new realities in the education landscape: the demand for higher academic standards, requirements for increased accountability, the call for systemic change, the need to integrate and align…

This collection of papers presents three approaches to urban educational reform. After "Introduction--Urban Education Reform: Competing Approaches" (James G. Cibulka and William Lowe Byrd), Part 1, "Systems Reforms of Urban School Systems," includes (1) "Accountability at the Improv: Brief Sketches of School Reform in Los…

This memorandum provides information about students granted financial aid in the University of Wisconsin (UW) system in 2001-2002 and earlier years. The total financial aid provided to UW students was $550.0 million, up $52.2 million from 2000-2001. Total loan dollars for UW students totaled $371.2 million, up $30.9 million from 2000-2001. UW…

Survey data and exhibits are presented from all 50 states concerning the planning and financing of public school facility design and construction. Survey results are displayed in two formats. The first is a pictorial display of the data that shows each state's Department of Education's response on a United States map. Accompanying these exhibits…

Policymakers continue to face major challenges in education finance, despite a history of reforms. Today's challenges include ensuring financial adequacy, maintaining gains in distributional equality, coping with the increasing need for teachers, satisfying public preference for diversity in schools and programs, and devising performance…