Investigates school spending in Norway, using a disaggregated demand model augmented to include political factors. Disaggregates county governments' high-school spending to identify sources of variation in student/teacher ratio, nonwage spending per student, and student enrollment. Political strength holds down (construction) costs and allows for…

The breakdown or "dumbing down" occurring in today's public schools stems not from poorer teaching but from poorer parenting. The parents most responsible for making public school a priority were goaded by memories of the Great Depression. As prosperity increased, parental attitudes have changed. Citizens of some states (like Indiana)…

Explores popular, historical, progressive, and economic representations of teachers' work to consider opportunities and dangers these images offer. Discusses the power to represent teaching, and speculates on the intentions of those who wield that power. Suggests ways teachers might make their work visible to the public in order to represent…

A liberal arts education, the central core of a university education, provides critical thinking skills and understanding of all aspects of life--important requirements for lifelong learning and adaptation in our rapidly changing world, yet often overlooked by the private sector. Accordingly, Canada's higher education associations call for…

This report highlights the history and importance of public education in the United States, dating back to its establishment as a necessary institution for the young republic and Horace Mann's efforts to promote a common school for all. The report focuses on how and why the U.S. system of public education came into being; the six core public…

Even though a majority of Americans claim to support public funding of the arts, state government spending on the arts is minimal--and may be losing ground relative to other types of state expenditures. Moreover, most state arts agencies, or SAAs, have not succeeded in convincing state government leaders that the arts should be integral to their…

Valencia, Perez & Echeveste (VPE) and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) designed a survey to capture Latino adults' opinions about the benefits, importance, and costs associated with enrolling children in pre-kindergarten programs. The objective of the survey was to gauge support for government-subsidized pre-kindergarten programs among…

Through research and policy advocacy, the Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) works to change state policies and improve programs for children, and advocates to bring together many more voices on behalf of children. The annual report reviews 2006 accomplishments, including: (1) More state funding for preschool ensure that more children…

The first Belgian creches for children from birth to three years of age date from the nineteenth century. From 1919, formal legislation on child care was developed. In the early twentieth century, the origins of Belgian childcare and in its initial legislation some core aspects of present-day child care policy and practice can be found. This…

During the last decade, the discovery that most voters believed that public schools were in need of improvement fueled the educational reform movement. This paper examines the public's role in education, with a focus on reasons for the public's failure to actively support educational reform. A review of recent surveys indicates that although most…

During the first crisis of the early 1990s, higher education institutions in Maryland experienced a decline in public funding and were consequently forced to compete for scarce resources. By 1992, higher education appropriations as a percentage of the state general fund had fallen to 11.1%; a decrease of 2.4% in just 2 years. Some improvement had…

This paper presents findings of a study that determined if there is a significant relationship between federal expenditures for education and federal expenditures for public assistance. Data on federal primary and secondary educational expenditures, federal public-assistance expenditures, the number of public-assistance recipients, the enrollment…

In 1990, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky passed comprehensive and controversial legislation designed to change the nature of public education throughout Kentucky. Because implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act depends on public support at both the state and local levels, it is important to know whether support for…

In recent years there has been a remarkable increase in the number of alcohol and other drug education, prevention, and treatment programs in higher education and funding has not kept pace with program development. The purpose of this document is to help those unfamiliar with the process of funding development to identify possible resources and to…

This paper examines the literature on the impact of school closures on students and communities in the context of four policy issues: school size, cost savings, educational equity, and public support for education. In closure decisions, a major hypothesis affecting school board members is that larger schools can offer a broader curriculum at lower…