Reduction planning is a rational process that requires a comprehensive program and a firm grasp on current operating practices and costs. It is planning for reducing personnel positions, lowering levels of service, and deferring maintenance. This paper explores three important issues in reduction planning: the basic concepts of reduction planning,…

Examines the changes that have occurred in the structure of spending on education. Discusses trends in teachers' salaries, in spending shifts in different levels of education, in retraining programs, and with different sources of financing. (ML)

A law suit filed by a coalition of Hispanic civil rights and student groups to sue Texas and the boards of its public four-year colleges and universities is discussed. The state is charged with discriminating against Hispanic students by providing fewer programs and giving less money to public colleges with large Hispanic enrollments. (MLW)

A study found unionized colleges less effective than non-unionized colleges on eight of nine dimensions: student satisfaction, academic development, career development, and personal development, faculty and administrator employment satisfaction, professional development and faculty quality, system openness, ability to acquire resources, and…

Examines the impact during a period of extensive curricular and school finance reform in Texas of the implementation of the block grant provisions of Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Considers governmental response, effects on transaction costs and resource allocation, and the potential for further savings. (PGD)

Educational construction dropped during 1984, but an optimistic projection is made for the years 1985-87. For the first time, expenditures for additions and modernizations exceeded the amount spent on new construction. Seven tables provide a regional breakdown of completed and ongoing construction expenditures. (MLF)

The development of a system of resource allocation for an entire faculty of science at a major Swedish university, using program units smaller than the department unit, is outlined. Special problems of continuous evaluation, allocating additional resources, and initiating new specialties are discussed. (MSE)

A former senior government education official traces the emergence of Britain's National Advisory Board for local authority in higher education and discusses political issues in the policy formation and resource allocation processes during its first few years. (MSE)

States within certain regions (like the Great Lakes area) are probably incapable of financing any major educational reform. The declining Illinois public school system exemplifies this predicament. However, change in the form of a more efficient organization of Illinois school districts is both feasible and likely. (RDN)

Discusses components of the University of North Carolina's consent decree, and holds that the "remedies" proposed therein actually will prevent the achievement of equal educational opportunity in North Carolina. (GC)

The Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Planning model (ACSIP) is an annual comprehensive planning and fund distribution design that must be used by all Arkansas public schools. Using the ACSIP model, each school in Arkansas develops a comprehensive school improvement plan. The plan is used, also, as the school's application for all federal…

As states build comprehensive early childhood systems, policy leaders will need to be attentive to the funding streams available to communities to achieve desired returns. Most public funding for early care and education, as well as for other health and social services for young children and their families is categorical. Categorical funding…

This paper describes career pathways, a framework or approach by which regions can better align publicly supported systems and programs to build a knowledge-economy workforce customized to the needs of local labor markets. A career pathway is a series of connected education and training programs and support services that enable individuals to…

This digest examines a completed pilot program in performance-driven budgeting (PDB) in the New York City public-school system. PDB links school-level budgeting and school planning; that is, decisions about resources must be aligned with school-developed instructional-improvement plans. The digest highlights how PDB came about; its primary goal;…

This document, which summarizes the study, "Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for Access and Achievement," and the guide, "Educating Homeless Children and Youth: A Resource Guide for Promising Practices," provides evidence that state education agencies and local educational agencies have made significant…