A number of studies are reviewed in an attempt to identify those schooling inputs that affect schooling outcomes, specifically cognitive achievement of students, in developing countries. Part 1 of the paper outlines the nature of the major tool of analysis, the educational production function (EPF), and the problems associated with its use as a…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Programs Receive Little Funding: Striving Readers One of Only a Handful of Programs to Receive Small…

The Committee on Education and the Workforce, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 2123) to reauthorize the Head Start Act to improve the school readiness of disadvantaged children, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. Amended sections include:…

The complexity of the federal tax code has been the focus of reform efforts for decades, and has received considerable attention in the economic literature. The federal system for distributing student financial aid is similarly convoluted, yet has received relatively little attention from economists. For the typical household, the aid application…

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III) requires, in Section 113(c)(3)(C), that the Secretary provide the appropriate committees of Congress copies of annual reports received by the Department from each eligible agency that receives funds under the Act. Section 113(c)(3)(a) further requires the Secretary to…

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 requires that the Secretary provide the appropriate committees of Congress copies of annual reports received by the department from each eligible agency that receives funds under the Act. Congress has made "accountability for results" a central focus of the Perkins III…

This research brief presents an overview of a 2004 study by G.S. Shannon and P. Bylsma entitled "Characteristics of Improved School Districts: Themes from Research" (Olympia, WA: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction). The authors reviewed more than 80 research articles that investigated the attributes of schools and districts …

Rural areas of the developing world are the last frontier of the information technology revolution. Telephone and internet penetration there remains a small fraction of what it is in the developed world. Limited means of electronic communication with the outside world are just one source of isolation of rural communities and economies from the…

In 2005 the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to gather evidence on local authority (LA) and school approaches to nutrition in schools in order to inform the work of the WLGA Schools Food Task and Finish Group. This report presents the findings of that research.…

The State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report is a tool to help policy makers and educators address broad public policy questions. SHEF seeks to inform policy deliberations with information and perspective on financial issues and national trends. The fiscal 2004 SHEF study documents a four-year period when state funding for higher education…

In this book, the 11 members of the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education provide a broad overview of the U.S. education system, examining its structure and operation, identifying key problems that hinder its performance, and offering perspectives on the requirements of genuine reform. The 11 chapters include: (1) "American Traditions of Education"…

This paper describes U.S. Department of Defense Schools, an education system with significant outcomes that may be pertinent to raising academic achievement among minority students. A research group examined the high achievement of African American and Hispanic students in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. Results find that…

In 2001, the National Education Goals Panel commissioned researchers from Vanderbilt University to study the consistent high achievement of African American and Latino students in Department of Defense schools. This digest summarizes the results of their study and presents supporting research that identifies policies and practices that may…

This collection of papers presents the critical reflections on the management and planning of education of 18 senior officials working in 12 small island nations. The papers are a result of their participation in the Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Planning and Management in Small States program at the University of Malta. The book is divided…

This publication addresses tuition and other fees practiced in education as a means of cost sharing in Lesotho (a small, underdeveloped African nation). The case of Lesotho is an extreme example of household and community financing of education, both at the primary and secondary level, with parents paying for the bulk of their children's…