For decades, people questioned the sense of having two school districts, each with its own superintendent, central office and high school, operating in the same small town of The Dalles on the banks of the Columbia River in north-central Oregon. But election campaigns to consolidate repeatedly failed because each community had strong emotional…

According to an American Association of School Administrators survey, 6 percent of school districts closed or consolidated schools during the 2008-2009 school year, double the rate of the previous year. Another 11 percent are considering school closings or consolidations in 2010-2011. In the 1980's, declining enrollments were the main reason for…

This article reports that the nation's economic crisis is bringing colleges higher borrowing costs, smaller endowments, tighter budgets, and fears over the availability of loans for their students. Yet one of the most critical factors in colleges' health--student enrollment--appears to be largely holding strong, at least for now. Tuition and fees…

The 7th edition of this publication provides updated projections of high school graduates for each year and each state (plus the District of Columbia) through 2022. The profile breaks down the projections by major racial and ethnic groups: (1) American Indian/Alaska Native; (2) Asian/Pacific Islander; (3) Black, non-Hispanic; (4) Hispanic; and (5)…

Across the U.S., urban school districts are losing students and shuttering schools. In Detroit, some 35,000 students have left the city schools in less than a decade, and the city will close 34 schools and reassign more than 10,000 students in 2006. However, the trend is not limited to Rust Belt cities like Detroit, although their problems tend to…

Using estimated enrollment demand functions and readily available data on size, quality, and costs, a model, designed to assist policy-makers in identifying overbuilt institutions and programs that should be closed is described. This study is a case application of an optimatization model to two community colleges in northern Minnesota. (Author/MLW)

When this research report was first conceived, the current economic crisis was only just on the verge of revealing its full extent. Economic crisis or no economic crisis, over the years funding for PK-12 education has been a constant struggle. While all schools continue to face difficulties, for various reasons rural schools have different and…

This volume contains the recommendations made to the Minnesota legislature by the Advisory Council on Fluctuating School Enrollments. Volume II serves as an appendix to this first volume and contains the data and information on which these recommendations were based. Volume I's recommendations center around the effects of fluctuating enrollments…

Seventy percent of the public schools in Southwest and West Central Minnesota voluntarily participated in a study of class size and course offerings available during the 1979-1980 school year for grades 10-12. Vocational education and special education courses were not included in the study because of their cooperative nature. The size of classes…

This study, a follow-up to an earlier study which found declining rates of enrollment at institutions of higher education in Minnesota, examined the specifics of this trend. Major findings indicated: (1) the 1990s have seen a serious decline in high school graduate enrollment in Minnesota colleges; (2) the decline cannot be accounted for by more…

This document contains the working papers, special studies, and data analyses conducted for the Minnesota Advisory Council on Fluctuating Enrollments. The information in this volume formed the basis for the advisory council's recommendations (contained in Volume I) to the Minnesota legislature, state department of education, teachers retirement…

In highlighting findings from five separate studies on the characteristics of public school personnel in Minnesota, this study seeks to assist legislators, public agency staffs, school board members, and administrators in gaining a better understanding of the educator labor force as they engage in policy development and planning for the decade…

A long-range financial planning model was developed by the staff of the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board to explore the issues and problems facing the financing of Minnesota postsecondary education. The model was designed to determine the extent to which alternative general financing policies and specific funding formulas affect…

The Minnesota school district described in this case study indicated a reluctance to plan for and adjust to change brought about by declining enrollment. Instead of closing underutilized facilities, the district has bowed to strong community pressure to keep open all three elementary schools in this mining town of 6,000 people. Forced termination…

Published in conjuction with a planning assistance manual (EA008692), this case study examines the impact of declining enrollment on one suburban Minnesota school district. To cope with enrollment decline, the district sought to maintain a balanced budget and to preserve as nearly as possible its existing educational programs. It also sought…