Fundamental changes took place in Australian education policy during the period from the early 1970s to the 1990s. These changes were paralleled by the establishment and abolition of the Schools Commission (1973-88). The establishment of the Schools Commission marked a period in Australian politics when education was a priority. The Schools…

Successfully educating at-risk populations depends in part upon adequate and equitable funding. This General Accounting Office (GAO) report examines the current status of and trends in public-education spending. National and state trends in education spending and revenues were examined using data from the Department of Education's National Center…

As the case management approach has become increasingly popular, a new phenomenon has emerged. A client may have several case managers, each employed by a different project, and these managers may not be aware of each other. The National Center for Children in Poverty has recently conducted research on case management in service integration…

The National Center for Children in Poverty recently conducted research on case management in service integration projects. The core of the study's information comes from 16 projects around the country, all serving children living in poverty. This brief discusses the characteristics of case managers, including their demographic attributes, tenure,…

In this report, the Association of California School Administrators examined some of the myths and misrepresentations about administration in California's public schools. Specifically, it examined the following five myths: (1) A lot of money that could be better spent in the classroom is being wasted on administration. (2) There are too many…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the New Mexico school-finance formula. Specifically, the study assessed the adequacy of the enrollment growth factor (EGF) and its differential impact on New Mexico school districts that grow at different rates. An EGF refers to some type of weighting in a state's basic aid formula to reflect…

This report synthesizes the experience-based ideas that emerged from small group interaction at the 16th annual Montana Rural Education Conference, which focused on the pros and cons of school district consolidation. Conferees first heard from panelists and speakers expressing a spectrum of positive and negative positions on the consolidation…

This background paper examines the current state of higher education finance--the scope of the higher education enterprise, challenges to its funding base, and undesirable consequences of current financing practices--and describes what is meant by a "restructuring" of higher education finance. It demonstrates that the structures and practices…

Haiti's Incentives to Improve Basic Education (IIBE) or Project Bilteral d'Education (PROBED) program seeks to stimulate improvements in educational quality and efficiency in private primary schools. The program surpasses other efforts because of: (1) unusually thorough preparation; (2) rapid assumption of management by Haitians; (3) a…

Designed to help colleges plan for the successful continuation of educational improvement projects beyond the end of their original funding period, this report presents a case study of Pennsylvania College of Technology's (PCT's) efforts to ensure the continuation of a Title III faculty development program. After describing the the Title III…

This booklet offers guidelines for college and university trustees for managing the institution's endowment funds as they seek to balance efforts to grow the endowment for the institution's future with the need to use these funds to supplement current budget needs. Critical policy issues are identified, such as: the endowment's purpose, maximizing…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Act of 1950 stipulates that NSF must maintain a program for determining the total amount of money for scientific and engineering research received from federal agencies by each educational institution and appropriate nonprofit organization and to report these data annually to Congress and the President. NSF…

This paper presents a five-year plan for the improvement of Pennsylvania's system of services for people with mental retardation and their families. It was developed over an 18-month period by 70 people, including people with disabilities, family members, advocates, providers of service, legislative staff, and county and state government…

Many graduates who have the academic ability to continue their schooling beyond high school do not enroll in higher education. This phenomenon has been referred to as "talent loss." The challenges involved in financing higher education partially contribute to talent loss and its pervasiveness among poor students, but they fall short of…

This booklet for trustees of higher education institutions offers guidelines to help trustees understand the institution's financial statements. Individual sections describe the three major financial statements and cover topics such as: (1) standards of the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (2) the "statement of financial position,"…