Examines educational expenditures, 1975-87, in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal as a proportion of total government expenditures and with regard to resource allocation. Discusses educational expansion during this period; process indicators such as dropout rates, repetition rates, and availability of trained teachers; and…

Reports a case study illustrating how one school district's reform efforts replicate the unequal distribution of knowledge, power, and resources by race and class that occurs in society. Discusses three dominant patterns in education organizational change theory (functionalism, culturalism, and critical theory) and suggests more equitable paths to…

The development and validation of a weighted index capable of discriminating among competing learner needs to allow equitable resource allocation are described. Using the Delphi technique, this national study was concerned with the needs of Australia's school-age population with non-English-speaking backgrounds. (TJH)

Highlights the major accomplishments of elementary school foreign language efforts over the past decade and focuses particular attention on the priorities for the 1990s. These include advocacy for language learning in early childhood, teacher training, resources, additional opportunities for language learning, articulation, and research and…

Analysis of the state of public higher education in the United States focuses on government financing of higher education, the high costs of both government and good education, and student attitudes toward their education. A new general education curriculum design at the University of Chicago (Illinois), designed to alleviate some of these…

A growing trend in bilingual education is to provide instruction in standard ("mainstream") English for children who are native speakers of an English dialect, such as black English. Debate over the practice focuses on effectiveness and the potential drain on bilingual education funding. Although not criticizing or devaluing the nonstandard…

This study of Third International Mathematics and Science Study results addresses the issue of resource availability in rural and urban Australian schools, considering student attitudes toward math and science and career aspirations. Rural schools are more adequately resourced than urban ones. Students' attitudes and aspirations positively affect…

A study of resource distribution in California's public schools found that average class size differs little across schools; however, teacher preparation and high-school curricula (particularly advanced-placement coursework) vary considerably. Schools serving more disadvantaged student populations receive fewer resources, including highly…

Surveyed stakeholder groups in the New Zealand university system to determine each groups' criteria for measuring university library performance. Compared responses of resource allocators, senior library staff, other library staff, academic staff, and graduate and undergraduate students, and found that the groups have different perspectives on…

Throughout the South, and to a lesser extent throughout the country, state budgets for higher education are the healthiest since 1990. In 1998 to 1999, state budgets for higher education are 6.7% more than the previous year. Community colleges, distance learning, and student aid will enjoy large gains. Three states (Alaska, Hawaii, South Carolina)…

Data from a national survey of state spending on higher education in 1998 to 1999, organized by state, include dollar appropriations per state institution and for specific program types (community colleges, student aid, vocational/technical education, private colleges, and state commissions, when appropriate), and percentage changes since the…

A recent article in the "New York Times" observed that the formula used by the federal government to distribute federal student aid funds favors the colleges and universities with greatest resources over those which are less well off ("New York Times," 2003). The story, "Richest Colleges Receive Richest Share of Federal…

This chapter presents findings from a national research study with a sample of nearly twenty thousand first-year students on how students' experiences and campus programs affect key academic outcomes of the first year. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

As community colleges embrace learning-centered practices, student affairs professionals have an opportunity to recommit to building and maintaining partnerships with their academic colleagues. This chapter explores the development, nature, and culture of learning-centered partnerships between academic and student affairs professionals, identifies…

No one can dispute that tests should measure important content, and for many (but not all) purposes, tests should be aligned with curricular goals. Thus in many cases, alignment is clearly better than the alternative, and nothing that follows here argues otherwise. Unfortunately, however, this does not imply that alignment is sufficient protection…