Policy makers and educators in the U.S. have recently shown considerable interest in the concept of weighted student funding (WSF) as a means of financing primary and secondary schools. WSF appeals both to conservatives, who see it as a way to promote parental choice and school autonomy, and to progressives, who are attracted by the call of extra…

"Higher Education Counts" is the annual accountability report on Connecticut's system of higher education. Since 2000, the report has been the primary vehicle for reporting higher education's progress toward achieving six, statutorily-defined state goals: (1) To enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) To join with…

The data presented in this combined report--"Rankings & Estimates"--provide facts about the extent to which local, state, and national governments commit resources to public education. As one might expect in a nation as diverse as the United States--with respect to economics, geography, and politics--the level of commitment to…

Parents and taxpayers are frustrated by reports of students who have failed to master the reading, writing, and thinking skills they expect of college graduates. They are searching for evidence of how much or how little students learn at competing institutions. And they are wondering why a third of full-time college graduates don't finish a…

Missouri is the "Show Me" State. And with this goal in mind, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) offers this report card to examine the state of higher education in Missouri. If the nation is to ensure its continued preeminence in higher education, policymakers, trustees, alumni, and taxpayers must know what is going on in…

Funding public education represents a massive state and local effort. Spending on education is second only to Medicaid in terms of the overall state budget and it consumes the largest share of local tax revenues. Between state and local taxes, Massachusetts taxpayers spent nearly $11 billion to operate the Commonwealth's PK-12 education system in…

This paper assesses the impact on economic growth of increased efficiency of public spending in primary and lower-secondary education. Higher efficiency in public spending in schools can bolster growth through two main channels. On the one hand, it can allow a transfer of labour from the public sector to the business sector at unchanged…

The higher education pay and prices index (HEPPI) measures the general price level facing higher education institutions in the UK. It was produced at six-monthly intervals since it was started in 1956 but from the July 2006 edition it has been published annually, reflecting the fact that we are in a period of (relatively) low inflation in the UK…

School construction completed in 2006 totaled just more than $20 billion, a drop of seven percent from the record $21.6 billion put in place in 2005. Even so, it was the sixth year in the last seven that annual construction exceeded $20 billion. During the seven years of the present century, school districts have completed construction projects…

Colleges are focusing increased effort--and money--to improve the physical condition of existing facilities and address a huge backlog of deferred maintenance. According to "American School & University's" 36th annual Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Cost Study, the median college spends 16.4% of total college budget on M&O, up from 11% the year…

Economists and business leaders have recognized the role played by colleges and universities in driving economic development through their purchasing and employment (to say nothing of their longer-term contributions to workforce development and knowledge creation) and the institutions often promote that impact in order to gain public and political…

This volume is the first annual Texas Public Library Summary Statistics. It contains information as submitted by local public libraries on their 1993 Annual Report forms. The contents include: analytical tables; population served by Texas public libraries; number of Texas public libraries; how Texas compares per capita; percentage of expenditures;…

Because school budgets are limited and becoming more so, the wise use of school finances to enhance student learning is imperative. This digest examines the ways public schools are redistributing existing resources and changing policies to increase student academic achievement. Information is provided on the most effective means for allocating…

This document provides findings of a study that examined in detail the cost of producing reimbursable meals in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs (NSL and SBP) during school year 1992-93. The study examined the costs charged to SFAs (reported costs) and those costs incurred by the school district in support of SFA operations, but not…

This document presents findings of a study that examined in detail the cost of producing reimbursable meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs (NSL and SBP) during school year 1992-93. The study examined the costs charged to SFAs (reported costs) and those costs incurred by the school district in support of SFA operations,…