In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia's School Reform Commission to conduct a Resource Use Analysis for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) that would in part inform a possible transition to weighted student funding. In April 2008, ERS began the first set of interviews and data gathering…

The article tracks the evolution of the English school finance system from 1988 to 2007. Three main periods are distinguished: Establishing Local Management of Schools (1988-1997); New Labour and Consolidation (1997-2002); and Centralizing Labour (2002-2007). Three key criteria are applied in assessing the system--efficiency, equity and…

The recent court decision in Ohio requires that school districts spend a sufficient amount to insure that students are able to meet outcome objectives. Determination of adequate spending is complicated by the influence that fixed socioeconomic factors have on outcome provision; adequate spending will vary depending on the harshness of the…

Today, it is increasingly difficult for states to adequately satisfy the demand for well-funded and quality public services, such as K-12 education by relying exclusively on traditional, broad-based taxes for fiscal support. State sponsored lotteries are an increasingly popular, non-traditional revenue stream for public education. There is in many…

Examines the connection between resource allocation and its anticipated results by emphasizing the multi-level nature of the educational system, the importance of nonpurchased resources, and the effect on learning of both the manner in which the classroom is structured and the mix of peers with whom students learn. (Author/IRT)

Describes a methodology used by the Texas A&M University system to monitor the efficiency with which resources are employed. This participatory method of institutional choice can be used to plan for financial setbacks. (EV)

Estimates frontier production functions for South Carolina's educational process, using data from 541 classes. Classes taught by teachers who received merit awards show greater mathematics and reading achievement gain scores, as do classes with fewer free-lunch students. There was a positive relationship between achievement and (larger) class…

Analyzes the efficiency of earmarking lottery revenues. Findings suggest that this practice does not benefit the statutory recipients. Earmarking has been concurrent with declining educational expenditures in real terms in all five education lottery states. Education expenditure trends of the six nonlottery states are indistinguishable from those…

Critiques Michael Staten and John Umbeck's article ("Journal of Economic Education," Winter 1989) on the concept of inefficiency in applied economic analysis. Suggests the Staten-Umbeck article is useful in forcing a precise analysis of the exercise of welfare economics. Concludes that the term efficient is semantic and provides an…

This article focuses on the environmental benefits of recycling mainly iron and steel, as well as the current status of such recycling processes. It also examines some of the economic constraints working against recycling, and offers suggestions for correcting the problem. (Author/MA)

Institutional research is an adaptive tool. It aids decisionmakers in assessing an institution's efficiency, and in determining the appropriateness of the institution's goals in relation to social needs. However, given the limited resources available for planning, choices must at times be made as to whether to concentrate analytical studies on…

Examined the relative efficiency of 10 South African universities between 1994 and 1997 using the analytical review technique. Identified the relatively efficient, relatively inefficient, and least efficient. Important efficiency factors include student population dimensions, quality and deployment of personnel resources, and allocation of…

Florida state officials promoted the lottery as a successful revenue-producing source for public education. Yet, increases in lottery revenues (even when combined with increased student fees and other revenues) were insufficient to offset significant declines in state allocations to community colleges after the lottery was introduced and reached…

A simple and readily understandable visual display of quantitative measures of academic efficiency and productivity is demonstrated in this article. This graphical construction facilitates annual comparisons of unit efficiency and productivity as well as an analysis of temporal changes in unit activity. By establishing a common framework upon…