In the current implementation of the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, there are lessons to be learned from past higher education loan programs, better ways to administer these programs and direct loans, and points to remember as direct loans are implemented. Current guaranteed student loan programs have been the subject of scrutiny recently…

Financial conditions and new demands suggest that Iowa school districts will continually struggle to satisfy state and community needs. Given this situation and districts' opportunities for seeking alternative arrangements, the recent trend in school closings and district reorganization is likely to continue through the year 2000. This study…

Based on a recent nationwide survey of rural administrators, this digest reports on the financial problems of rural school districts and some possible strategies for improvement. Rural administrators reported the following financial management problems: (1) cash flow problems due to late receipt of state aid or taxes; (2) expenditures that are…

This paper addresses the need of institutions located within Africa, particularly institutions of higher education, to fulfill the task of generating and applying knowledge relevant to solving the economic, food, and health problems that plague the continent. The paper examines the nature of African universities and the historical context in which…

Two workshops on rural education held at Highlander Research and Education Center brought together grassroots community activists, parents, teachers, and students from rural communities in Appalachia, the southeast, and 15 states east of Mississippi. The participants represented the experiences of white Appalachians, African-Americans, Native…

The great diversity of the student population in California's community colleges and the 1982 cut of $30 million in the community colleges' budget are forcing colleges to make decisions regarding which courses and programs to eliminate, which students to disenfranchise educationally, and the priorities that should be assigned to courses. In…

To investigate school districts' responses to fiscal constraint, this study examined the relationship between districts' expenditures per student and allocations of funds to instructional, support, and administrative costs. Budget allocations, as indicators of the districts' priorities, were compared for 1978-79 and 1981-82 in 46 Oregon school…

The processes of innovation and change at Michigan State University are considered with respect to the Educational Development Program (EDP). EDP refers to innovative programs and organizational changes in undergraduate instruction during 1964-1980. Throughout its existence, the EDP underwent many iterations to make it more acceptable to a…

This paper presents a historical portrait of the process of financial resource allocation at Compton Community College (CCC). Introductory material provides information on the college, its organization, and its budgeting and accounting procedures. Next, changes in finances occurring between 1974-75 and 1977-78 are outlined, including the growth of…

Hearings on the question of debt collection on student loans are presented. It is noted that in 1981 the Department of Education decided that collections on student loans would be shifted from the public to the private sector. The following concerns are addressed: the reasons for the Department's decision to transfer collection of defaulted…

A survey of California's community colleges was conducted in spring 1983 to inventory actions taken in response to 1982-83 budget limitations. Findings, based on an 81% response rate from community college presidents (N=86) and an 80% response rate from chancellors of multi-college districts (N=16), included the following: (1) overall, fall 1982…

The Long-Range Facilities Master Plan presents solution strategies and financing methods for accommodating a projected student enrollment increase of 45,000 between 1986 and 2000. This increase, plus limited financial resources, school use studies, and recent legislation, necessitated the plan. The issues include housing students, facility…

The intent of this project was to determine the financial impact of the rural economic crisis on rural community health centers. A 1986-87 survey reported changes in accounts receivable, bad debt, and sliding fee use, and the effect such changes may have on the cash position of rural community health centers. Of 284 rural community and migrant…

The report examines trends and issues concerned with the financing of higher education in Greece from 1974 to 1988. Greek higher education, which is almost all public, has expanded at an average annual rate of 3% during the period with the non-university technical component growing at an annual rate of 17.8%. Though the expansion was facilitated…

The report examines trends and issues concerned with the financing of higher education in Spain especially since 1983 when the University Reform Law was passed. Most universities are public with private institutions playing only a minor role. The recent constant growth rate is not expected to slow despite a decline in demographic growth. A…