Over the past three decades policymakers have been seeking new ways to secure improved performance from higher education institutions. One popular approach has been performance funding, which involves use of a formula to tie funding to institutional performance on specified indicators. This report reviews findings from studies on performance…

Missouri's Outstanding Schools Act of 1993 will dramatically improve public education throughout the state. This report provides background and an outline of the act. The law increases state funding of education by more than $360 million a year over FY 1993 funding and sets into motion a series of reforms. Basic education, including science and…

Supreme Courts in Texas, Kentucky, and Montana have ordered their legislatures to devise more equitable ways of distributing funds to schools. The New Jersey Supreme Court is hearing a case; and lawsuits challenging school financing systems are pending in Alaska, Connecticut, Indiana, North Dakota, Oregon, and Tennessee. (MLF)

With regard to school finance legislation, 1994 was an active year with 13 cases decided and over 100 pieces of legislation passed. This paper provides a summary and analysis of state school-finance litigation and legislation for that calendar year. The first part summarizes and analyzes state school-finance court decisions; included is a table…

Drawing from interviews with educational leaders in Iowa and a review of research, historical, and legislative materials, this paper provides an analysis of the distribution of funds within Iowa's statewide system of area colleges. After a statement of the issues of funding equity within the area college system and among the other postsecondary…

The public view of charter schools and their proposed mission will have a major impact on how well this school reform effort will be sustained. Support for charter schools in Pennsylvania has grown to such an extent that it may prevent demand for voucher systems. Parents dissatisfied with public schools elected to transfer their children to…

Legal issues relating to field-based experiences in teacher education are discussed, and results of a survey of state statutes pertaining to field experience programs are given. State legislatures, institutions, and administrative agencies have not sufficiently addressed the need for providing high-quality field experiences for student teachers.…

With the exception of four major metropolitan areas--Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville--Tennessee is a predominantly rural state with 56% (or 79) of its 142 school districts classified as rural. A rural school district is defined as one in which 75% or more of the population lives outside Standard Metropolitan Areas or in which…

A national survey reveals state education agencies are contributing to the growth of educational computing by mandating computer use in schools and inservice and preservice training for teachers. They also allocate funds and provide a coordinating role where local user groups have initiated school programs. (MBR)

This report examines state earned income tax credits (EICs) as a means to assist working poor families to escape poverty. Specifically, the report notes that six states have their own EICs, expressed as a percentage of the federal EIC, with the advantages being that the credit is a reward for work, is a pro-family policy, is efficiently targeted,…

Drawing from an extensive literature review and interviews with state officials, this paper examines the different methods used in the funding processes of the community colleges in Conncecticut and California, traces the evolution of these funding systems, and offers recommendations on how the two states can learn from the recent changes each has…

In Kentucky, 105 of 178 school districts, or 59%, are classified as rural. State law and administrative regulations presume that most school districts are both rural and isolated. The environment for rural schools in the state is heavily influenced by the fact that the majority of school districts are rural. Each school district must have a…

Student financial aid programs have become significant elements in governmental aid to postsecondary education. The effect of the regulations stemming from the Education Amendments of 1976 and succeeding regulations will serve to increase an already heavy administrative burden in institutional management of student financial aid programs. (MLW)

Using examples from California, the author analyzes the increasing trend for states to assume a guiding or dominant role over local school districts in important aspects of American education. He considers the main reasons for this trend to be public concern over academic standards and the increasing cost of education. (Editor/SJL)

This paper describes the state of public education in Illinois in 1994. Over the last 3 years, the state has tried to improve its educational system, but continues to fall short of its goal. Attempts to produce economic efficiencies come at the expense of educational programs in rural communities while decentralization efforts in Chicago try to…