The Center for Special Education Finance (CSEF) provides policymakers and administrators at all governmental levels with data, analyses, expertise, and opportunities to share information about special education finance issues. One of CSEF's major activities is the periodic collection and dissemination of information on state funding systems for…

The primary focus of this research report is on university-based degree programs that prepare individuals for leadership positions in community colleges. Issues related to the preparation and development of faculty are also an important component of the personnel challenges facing community colleges. To bring greater focus to this discussion, the…

The "State ESEA ["Elementary and Secondary Education Act"] Title I Participation Summary Report for 2002-03" summarizes the participation data for the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) program. This program financially assists eligible school districts and schools in providing opportunities for at-risk…

Leadership is key in the success of any reform, especially one as ambitious and complex as that in Philadelphia. "The case of Philadelphia is noteworthy as an exemplar of the implementation of paradigm-breaking new reforms in the governance and delivery of urban education." This report follows the first five years of the state takeover…

This concise history of community colleges touches on major themes, including open access and equity, comprehensiveness, community-based philosophy, commitment to teaching, and lifelong learning. The third edition includes revised text as well as updated statistical information, time line, reading list, and Internet resources. In the more than a…

KIDS COUNT, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all…

In the mid 1990s, the Ontario Government decided to enhance the accountability of the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology by measuring and rewarding their performance in meeting specific goals and outcomes. The KPI Satisfaction Survey is a tool developed by the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities in conjunction with the colleges to…

This document briefly outlines recent activities of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in the following Strategic Action Areas: (1) National and International Recognition and Advocacy for Community Colleges; (2) Learning and Accountability; (3) Leadership Development; (4) Economic and Workforce Development; (5) Connectedness…

America's continuing efforts to improve education and develop a world-class workforce will be hampered without a federal and state commitment to early childhood education (ECE) for 3- and 4-year-olds. The Business Roundtable and Corporate Voices for Working Families believe federal and state efforts to develop such early childhood systems must be…

The purpose of this research was threefold. The first purpose was to conduct a needs assessment for a local school district to obtain additional funding for the nutrition and healthy eating habits unit of the 9th grade Wellness curriculum. The Wellness program consisted of one semester of physical education and one semester of classroom…

This paper partially fulfills the charge set out by New Business Item (NBI) 18, passed at the 2004 NEA Representative Assembly requiring that NEA conduct an analysis of "weighted student formula" (also known as "student-based budgeting") and how it impacts educational programs in large urban districts. The funding system known as "weighted student…

In this report for the Progressive Policy Institute's 21st Century Schools Project, the author takes a close look at charter schooling in Ohio, examining the history, status quo, challenges, and the future of the charter school effort there. He finds terrific examples of success, but points out that there are some very real challenges, including…

This report presents an overview of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) Operational Program Reviews (OPRS) conducted at 18 California Community Colleges in the academic year 2001-2002. It sets findings about programs' strengths and weaknesses in the context of the eight EOPS program components: management and coordination,…

This paper discusses the need to build instructional capacity in high poverty, low performing schools using Title I funding and integrate the corresponding federal policy requirements with state teacher education policies to allow states and districts to develop locally designed partnerships with alternative certification agencies. It recommends…

In 1999, a survey was conducted of almost 800 university students with different disabilities across Canada to investigate what computer equipment students used and wanted, how they financed their computer technologies, and why they failed to take advantage of government subsidy programs. Results from the survey indicate many students did not know…