This document, based on a computer search of the ERIC database, presents a review of the literature on divorce and single parent families. Statistics from the 1980 census are presented which show that 19.7 percent of children under 18 live with a single parent, who in the overwhelming number of cases is the mother. The document presents data on…

Legislatures and courts have attempted to create equitable formulas for school finance. However, these formulas may have negative effects on educational opportunities for urban students. Comparisons of the per-pupil expenditures of large urban school districts, such as New York, with nearby suburban districts and state-wide averages disclose…

Community college students are dropping courses at increasing rates at substantial costs to their institutions and themselves. Subsequently, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate this trend, the factors that influence it, and ways of reversing it. A recent study revealed that the most frequently cited reason for course withdrawal was…

Considerations that can help colleges and universities develop institutionally specific strategies for planning faculty reductions are addressed. It is suggested that an institution can provide a fair and workable reduction plan if it: thoroughly explores alternatives to faculty layoffs; develops explicit standards and procedures for reduction…

Current educational and fiscal trends have combined to create a complex management environment in which two-year colleges have had to forgo long-range planning and concentrate on the immediate problem of dealing with ongoing change. The dilemma caused by this change is evident in the intensive reexamination of what community colleges should be and…

This "ERIC Digest" considers the U.S. charter-school movement, which has produced about 800 schools in half the states and enrolls over 100,000 students. Charter schools reflect founders' varied philosophies and commit to achieve certain educational outcomes within a certain period, in exchange for waiving many restrictive regulations.…

Approaches to develop a new understanding of academic careers are discussed. For many faculty members, a key issue is how to adjust their understanding of an ideal career to contemporary reality. During the 1970s, almost all of the professoriate saw its standard of living decline, a decline that stabilized by the early 1980s. Job mobility is…

Discusses the impact of fiscal contraction on community colleges. Explores how reduced state appropriations have adversely affected community college instruction and student support systems. Research shows that because instruction and student support services suffer when budget is reduced, fiscal contraction can hamper the ability of colleges to…

This digest examines the problem of upgrading rural school facilities, focusing on specific rural issues, conditions that interfere with teaching and learning, and new funding approaches. Almost half of U.S. public schools are in rural areas and small towns. Close rural school-community relationships may make it easier to make decisions,…

Tenured faculty can be dismissed for reasons of financial exigency. If the employment contract provides a specific definition of fiscal exigency and the processes to be used in effecting retrenchment, then those terms govern in lieu of constitutional due process. In the absence of such guidance, courts are willing to allow dismissal for reasons of…

Strategies and problems facing the small private liberal arts colleges as a group are described. Many of these schools have weathered the financial emergencies of recent years by cutting expenditures to the point where the quality of education is threatened. New measures have been called for to reduce the tuition gap between private and public…

The essays in this collection provide contrasting points of view on a number of community college issues that have become more pressing during periods of economic constraint. The volume contains: (1) "Part-Time Faculty: The Value of the Resource," by William R. C. Munsey; (2) "Part-Time Faculty, Full-Time Problems," by David Hartleb and William…

Based on a mail survey of over 100 rural school administrators in 34 states, this handbook outlines common problems and successful strategies in the financial management of rural, small school districts. Major problems are related to revenue and cash flow, increasing expenditures, providing quality education programs, and staffing to handle the…

Based on a recent nationwide survey of rural administrators, this digest reports on the financial problems of rural school districts and some possible strategies for improvement. Rural administrators reported the following financial management problems: (1) cash flow problems due to late receipt of state aid or taxes; (2) expenditures that are…

This paper describes the displaced homemaker, defines her plight, and delineates the successful Displaced Homemaker Program conducted by the Fort Wayne area (CETA) consortium. The emphases of the program focus on the fundamental concerns of the displaced homemaker, i.e., the establishment of a new identity, the resolution of financial problems,…