Provides a further examination of nonresidential expanded tax base (ETB) approaches to school finance. Disagrees with Townsend's optimism that more equitable distribution formulas can be found in existing state aid systems, and with Townsend's concern that the specification of distribution formulas will be subject to political manipulation.…

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring the first national special-education expenditure study in nearly 15 years. A nationally representative sample including all states and 250 school districts will provide comprehensive and comparable data. Nine states will provide additional representative data to get a handle on their expenses. (MLH)

Indiana's school funding formula was developed in response to a lawsuit challenging the state's educational system's constitutionality. A reward-for-effort formula sets each school corporation's per-pupil noncategorical revenue, general fund property tax rate, and percentage of state aid. Funding for alternative education is planned for 1997. (MLH)

The first of two sections discusses two major factors compelling a rethinking of school finance: standards-based education and the shift from equity to adequacy in school-finance litigation. The second section summarizes five compilations of research findings related to these two factors. (PKP)

Since contemporary school finance litigation began in the 1960s, almost every state has experienced school finance litigation or the threat of litigation. To date, 45 states have encountered lawsuits challenging their funding of public schools. Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah are the five states that have had no school funding…

The vitality of New York State's economy depends on deepening the ranks of the skilled workforce, a need that will grow more urgent over the next several years as the Baby Boomer generation moves into retirement. If employers cannot fill high-skilled positions they will lose competitive ground, and some may leave. New York has successfully…

The impact of change strategies for developing research at an African primarily undergraduate institution is considered using a case study of the University of Botswana. After an analysis of the existing situation, a short research policy, written in understandable terms, was developed. The policy was structured so that it could be used for…

This article discusses the current student-aid system in American higher education and the policy issues surrounding it. The author asserts that it is time to consider serious reform of the complex system of federal, state, and institutional subsidies that has evolved to support postsecondary students. A rational long-term planning process never…

Demographic change in industrial countries will influence educational spending in potentially two ways. On the one hand, the decline in the number of school-age children should alleviate the financial pressure. On the other hand, the theoretical/empirical literature has established that the concomitantly increasing proportion of elderly in the…

Thirty years ago, the Connecticut Supreme Court forced our state to take stock of its system for funding schools. Our poorest towns had thousands of dollars less per child to spend. Today, our poorest districts spend roughly the same as our richest, but Connecticut's poor children still score far below their wealthy peers. Our school finance…

In the UK, education is the third largest area of government spending (of which school spending has the largest share). Since 2000, school expenditure has increased by about 40 per cent in real terms for both primary and secondary schools (see Figure 1). The question as to whether such investment is worthwhile is of central importance. The…

This project--funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts--is an effort to address the performance of state higher education systems, and the public sectors within them, relative to their levels of funding. The measure used for funding and those used for performance are described. The data used throughout this study were compiled and analyzed to answer…

The first section of this article examines the historical record of Ohio's Second Constitutional Convention in an effort to discern what the delegates meant by "thorough and efficient" system of education. Included in this analysis are other historical documents that give further indication of the intent of the delegates. A brief review…

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…

Over the past 2 years, nearly half the states have been debating the fairness and/or constitutionality of their school financing systems. Renewed interest can be traced to changing demographic and economic contexts since the 1970s and a decade of reform calling for qualitative school improvements. Although school revenue more than doubled between…