Thirty years ago, charter schools embodied possibility. They were envisioned as nimble, innovative, community-driven alternatives to traditional public schools -- laboratories of experimentation led by teachers and grounded in equity. The grand bargain was clear: more freedom from regulations and bureaucracy in exchange for heightened…

As the largest university in the state's biggest city, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) plays a crucial role in providing higher education to disadvantaged students. It also serves as the third-largest research institution in the state, behind only UW-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin. In 2013, an estimated $1.5 billion in…

This article examines the impact of the fiscal recovery policies stemming from the 2007-09 economic recession and the implementation of the 2011 New York State Property Tax Levy Cap on the budgets of school districts located within a Long Island, New York suburban township. The research basis of this paper is based on two studies conducted by the…

With just months to go until the nation's overhauled K-12 law goes into effect, state policymakers are still scrambling to firm up the infrastructure for their education systems, under the new blueprint laid out in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). They're doing it at a time of political change and policy uncertainty at the national level,…

In 2006, Michigan changed their traditional merit award to a credit contingent program based upon successful completion of 60 college credits. The Michigan Promise Scholarship was crafted by state policymakers without input from the financial aid community. This case study suggests that the change in policy resulted in two unintended consequences:…

This paper examines the impact on higher education of funding shortfalls that are due to significant reductions of college budgets by state legislatures and that result in trimming of services and laying off of employees. First, an overview of national trends and statistics describes retrenchment as a key institutional response. A look at some…

This anthology of articles investigates and analyzes problems related to declining enrollment with emphasis on the state of New Jersey. It is intended to provide assistance to local New Jersey school districts in managing and preparing for enrollment decline. The first chapter provides an overview of declining enrollments in New Jersey and touches…

A survey of 98 institutions in six states compared how doctoral and non-doctoral public campuses reacted to reduced state funding in the early 1990s. Univariate and multivariate analysis found both types of campuses coped incrementally rather than fundamentally. Few adopted long- range plans, and most relied on raising tuition and fees and…

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…

This handbook begins with a history of funding in California's community colleges, explaining that financial support for community colleges has evolved over the years, as have the colleges themselves and the purposes they serve. Following this history of funding is a discussion of 1988's Proposition 98, which guaranteed annual funding and revenue…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 poses unique challenges for rural schools and districts. Small schools are more likely to be labeled as needing improvement due to the volatility of annual test scores for small student populations. Rural districts are limited in their capacity to provide parents with school choice, and rural districts face…

The impact of changes in Pennsylvania's special education program rules and financing system during the first 2 years of implementation (1991-92 and 1992-93) are considered. Policy objectives were: to control escalating state expenditures for special education, to give school districts greater control over special education expenditures, and to…

This essay discusses the financial problems faced by higher education institutions in the United States and advances possible solutions to these difficulties. Colleges and universities in the 1990s are confronted with internal desires to expand services and programs, an absence of productivity gains, increasing costs for information and…

This document presents the final recommendations and background papers of a task force empowered by the Michigan legislature to consider the mission and roles of the state community colleges, alternative funding modes, and the responsibilities and interrelationships of the state and local governing boards. Following an overview of recommendations…

Issues in the financing of higher education are discussed, including concern about rapidly increasing student debt, the decline in state student financial aid, rising student costs, college presidents' assessment of the damage in various areas of college operations caused by these changes, and predicted legislative response. Issues are considered…