Can money buy high-quality education? Studies find only a weak relationship between public school funding and educational outcomes. In "The Money Myth", W. Norton Grubb proposes a powerful paradigm shift in the way we think about why some schools thrive and others fail. The greatest inequalities in America's schools lie in factors other…

In the expansion and increasingly vocational orientation of English education, Further Education (FE) colleges have played special roles (as have community colleges in the US). FE colleges are conventionally described as the Cinderella of British education--the overlooked beauty who comes to widespread attention because of her courtship by the…

Alternative early childhood education policies that states might consider are discussed in this five-part report. Likely consequences, and pros and cons of each alternative are outlined. Section I presents various funding options, including the funding of existing programs, voucher mechanisms, project grants, and formula funding. Section II…

This document examines the options for federal financing of postsecondary vocational education. The first section describes the federal funds that now support public vocational education, emphasizing funds distributed to institutions through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act and funds distributed to students via financial aid. The…

This book posits that "plain talk" is needed on the subject of evaluation in vocational education and training. In the first chapter, conceptual issues are discussed. Chapter 2 focuses on the reasons for, and methods of, evaluation. Chapter 3 presents and assesses the value of a broad range of evaluation techniques, including outcome measures,…

This paper suggests a variety of topics for the National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) to support as it reviews progress under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Technical Education Act 1998 (Perkins III). Section 1 covers the task most closely related to the legislation itself, which is to examine how community colleges and other…

This paper continues a long-standing process, expressed in current practices of reauthorizing federal legislation every 5 years, of examining the rationale for federal involvement in occupational (vocational) education. Past discussions of this issue have come to a broad set of conclusions that the federal government should fund what states cannot…

What is known about proprietary schools and their effects on wages and earnings is summarized, with particular attention to aid to proprietary school students and student characteristics. Overall, findings provide little support for proprietary schools. One implication is that assumptions necessary for student loans are not met. (SLD)

A study analyzed the role of state governments in implementing federal education and job training policies and in designing and implementing their own policies. A framework was developed for understanding policy instruments used to promote education and training objectives: mandates, inducements, capacity-building, and system-changing. Each type…

Federal and state policy makers face 11 issues in implementing the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Amendments of 1990. A preliminary issue is whether federal policy makers or the states should establish further definitions of and restrictions on what constitutes tech prep (articulated secondary-postsecondary technical preparation programs).…