"Key Facts about Higher Education in Washington" provides vital data to chart higher education's progress and challenges. First published in 2002 by the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, this annual report highlights "Key Facts" about Washington's postsecondary institutions--including faculty, students, budgets,…

Prepared in response to Section 3602 of New York State Education Law, this report analyzes the relationship between approved operating expense (AOE) and instructional expense (IE) for 1990-91. Originally defined as a net aidable expense for dispensing operating aid to school districts, AOE's definition and use have been considerably modified over…

This document presents data on the effects that lotteries have on elementary and secondary education funding in those states where at least a portion of the lottery proceeds are specifically designated for the support of public education. The data were obtained from the annual reports of lotteries in states where lottery revenue is designated for…

The New York Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) has created a new 3-page blank form to be completed for all school district capital projects involving the construction of new special education space. The new form requires the signatures of the Superintendent of Schools, the District…

An overview of the type and amount of grants provided by Alberta Education for basic education is presented in this report. Following a description of Alberta school jurisdiction revenues, the purpose and amounts granted to each of the following programs are described: the School Foundation Program Fund; the Fiscal Equity Program; special…

Although school funding structures are similar in many ways across the states, no two states have school finance systems that are precisely the same. School finance systems which are used to achieve multiple objectives, must consider characteristics of numerous school districts, distribute large amounts of money, and have developed incrementally…

Missouri's Outstanding Schools Act of 1993 will dramatically improve public education throughout the state. This report provides background and an outline of the act. The law increases state funding of education by more than $360 million a year over FY 1993 funding and sets into motion a series of reforms. Basic education, including science and…

These volumes update the three previous editions (published for 1976-77, 1978-79, and 1986-87) by describing school finance programs in 1990-91 in the United States and Canada. This effort is descriptive, rather than prescriptive. The volumes consist of two major parts. The first part provides an overview of the school finance systems in the two…

Alaska will face a large fiscal gap and growing budget deficits in the near future. The timing of such fiscal gap open hinges on the joint effect of state budget growth and the oil price change. This paper explains Alaska's dependence on state spending and offers policy options addressing the fiscal gap. State spending: (1) supports nearly one in…

While the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education identified reasons for decline in students' academic achievement, it did not offer any explanation of how the "tide of mediocrity" developed. An investigation of causes of the situation the Commission described produced four principal findings: (1) Since World War II,…

Discusses the relationship between school size and per-pupil educational costs and describes a number of possibilities for using state aid formulas to encourage school districts to operate schools of optimal size. Three possible approaches are discussed, including penalty factors, incentive payments, and a combination of penalties and incentives.…

In this article, Rev. Frank Bredweg, director of NCEA's Special Projects, was interviewed about the present state of Catholic school finances and the "feasible" financial support options open to administrators. (Author/RK)

The national trend is in the direction of reform in public school finance, a reform that will take place in the state courts and that will focus on the inequities that have been produced through the states' financing systems. (Editor)

States should strive for national, and increasingly international, standards in education. States that set educational goals will need to know what indicators of progress will signal to citizens, educators, and government leaders that they are moving toward or reaching those goals. In a separate report, the Southern Regional Education Board has…