Discusses Rhode Island's approaches to and requirements for social studies instruction. Identifies some of the commonly offered social studies electives. Describes the effects of taxpayer revolts upon educational funding and social studies instruction. Cites a possible role for the Rhode Island Social Studies Association in the state's changing…

Discussion of problems associated with using bond funding for library acquisitions focuses on experiences at Louisiana State University. Topics addressed include books as collateral; partial payment problems; collateral-based restrictions; taxes; invoicing; delayed payment; and recommendations for how to prepare for bond funding of library…

Budget cuts in Ontario, particularly in small schools, have resulted in cuts to outdoor programs. Proposes that the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario produce a document emphasizing the importance of outdoor education and that members and others interested in the environment write letters to local newspapers advocating environmental…

Describes the scope of financial problems facing community colleges, and typical college responses. Traces the history of college planning approaches. Recommends proactive planning (i.e., conceptual, adaptive, anticipatory, and action-oriented planning) as the most appropriate response to existing and coming financial challenges. Identifies ways…

An annotated outline provides recent case law in special education since the last update in volume 56 of this journal. Based on the 1990 amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA), references are in the form of the acronym for its new title, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (MLF)

School leaders in four communities describe some approaches they are using to reduce school district spending or generate new revenues. Suggestions include finding alternative revenue sources; pursuing "pro bono" or in-kind services; adopting zero-base, programmatic budgeting; reducing support and custodial staff ratios; and applying technological…

Illinois currently permits districts to finance repairs and construction related to children's health, life, or safety through a modest "backdoor" referendum rate tied to property values. These repairs are ameliorative but not preventative. This article recommends a strategic capital preservation plan that sets aside funds for use in…

Over 166,000 students attend charter schools. President Clinton has called for the creation of 3,000 charter schools by 2000. This article examines effects of "weak" versus "strong" charter-school laws, discusses charters' pros and cons, explains funding challenges, and reviews preliminary findings on charter schools'…

In Missouri v. Jenkins (1995), the U.S. Supreme Court examined Kansas City's expensive and ambitious desegregation remedy, which exceeded the district court's discretionary authority. The court demanded an intradistrict remedy no longer reliant on making programs and facilities so outstanding that suburban students would voluntarily transfer to…

Describes how poor information flow and faulty financial disclosure can stop private institutions of higher education from detecting warnings of financial trouble. Discusses how boards of trustees can prevent such a crisis. (EV)

Reviews the effects of university financial constraints on student affairs services in areas of service changes, funding shifts, and perceived program quality from 1992 to 1997. Results indicate that constraints have had a significant effect on reducing certain services and increasing others. Finds a significant relationship between changes in…

Describes how a policy shift by the National Endowment for the Humanities has left regional grant recipients scrambling to make new plans. (EV)

This study examines whether the financial and time pressures associated with spouses' working lives play a role in the relation between work and divorce during the first years of marriage. Using retrospective data from the Netherlands, the results show that divorce is more likely when the husband works on average fewer hours and the wife more…

State appropriations often fail to keep up with the growth of colleges' budgets, forcing institutions to raise tuition for out-of-state students to fill budget gaps. However, the strategy could backfire if too many of these students look elsewhere, leaving colleges with even less tuition revenue than before the raises were put in place.

Changing state revenues have prompted heightened concern about the immediate short- and long-term future and stability of state investments in higher education. The 2007 Survey of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges (NCSDCC) is the third administration of questions to determine questions of access, funding and overall…