We study the effects of increased school spending in rural American school districts by leveraging the introduction and subsequent expansion of Wisconsin's Sparsity Aid Program. We find that the program, which provides additional state funding to small and isolated school districts, increased spending in eligible districts by 2% annually and that…

This topical brief compares selected state policies related to educator effectiveness that have been enacted in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The brief also includes examples of projects R5CC and state leaders in Tennessee and West Virginia are implementing to increase educator effectiveness.

Unpaid (informal) family caregivers provide vitally important supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), but receive little support or training. This study's aim was to examine how states across the nation supported informal family caregivers in their Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs for…

Grading inflation is a major problem in academia. The paper's purpose is to assess graduate students' perception of grade inflation. Students' results (n = 120) are examined by gender and grade point average. According to students, grade inflation is not a problem and grades accurately reflect performance. Respondents believe that some students…

This is the executive summary of the report, "How States and Systems Can Support Practitioner Efforts to Strengthen Dual Enrollment." The benefits of participating in one of these programs have been well documented, but so too have the gaps in been well documented, but so too have the gaps in participation among Black and Hispanic…

Objective/Research Question: States have increasingly used merit-based criteria to distribute scholarships and grants, and the dominant conversation on merit-aid programs centers on students attending 4-year colleges and universities. This study examines the characteristics of state-funded merit-aid programs for community college students and…

This fact sheet shares survey findings from directors of 157 child development centers in the District of Columbia (DC) in summer 2023. Findings describe directors' perceptions of direct wage supplements provided to early educators through DC's Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund and implications for their facilities and the child care field.…

Over the last two decades, public appropriations for Illinois have been cut in half, increasing tuition and fees for students and contributing to college population declines, underemployment, and hundreds of millions in lost future tax revenue. This document explains the issues facing public university funding in Illinois and lays out the case for…

Each year, NASSGAP completes a survey regarding state-funded expenditures for postsecondary student financial aid. This report, the 54th annual survey, represents data from academic year 2022-23. Data Highlights include: (1) In the 2022-23 academic year, the states awarded almost $16.6 billion in total state funded student financial aid, an…

Addressing the needs of all student groups is paramount for ensuring equitable access to learning opportunities and fostering high academic success for all students. Students in the United States come from a diverse range of backgrounds, bringing with them knowledge, experiences, and other assets that inform the way they learn, but may also come…

By age 18, students have spent on average 85 percent of their waking hours outside of school. Their use of that time--constructive or not--helps direct their futures. In afterschool and summer programs, young people explore new interests, develop new skill sets, and create lasting relationships with peers and caring adults that shape who they are,…

This case study uses the theory of academic capitalism (TAC) to explore how a public university known primarily for undergraduate education is incorporating market-oriented practices and structures, and how those changes could impact its curriculum and enrollment profile. Through initiatives to establish an engineering college, expand graduate…

The early care and education (ECE) sector in New Hampshire (NH) is a complex ecosystem that must account for families' needs and resources, the capacity and availability of the workforce, and the costs of providing services. This ecosystem is also bolstered (and constrained) by local, state, and federal policy. This series of primers, titled the…

The School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), New Jersey's school finance law, requires the Governor, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to review certain components of the school funding formula every three years. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) issued four Educational Adequacy Reports (EAR) between 2013 and 2022, but none…

In June 2023, the Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board approved the establishment of a charter school by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. This amounts to state funding of a religious school. Robert Kim discusses how this decision goes against Oklahoma's constitutional and legislative history, why allowing religious charters is not the…