School districts held an exclusive franchise on public education services until 1991, when Minnesota passed the first law permitting public charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded, authorized by various agencies designated in public law, but independently managed. They operate outside district control, and most can draw students from…

The Common Core of Data (CCD) is an annual collection of public elementary and secondary education data by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the data collection for the finance surveys on behalf of NCES. State education…

The nation's major city public school districts have substantial construction, renovation, modernization, and deferred maintenance needs because of the age and size of their school buildings, shifting populations, and the need to devote substantial resources to instructional personnel to meet their core academic mission. For instance, the average…

This report presents findings on public education revenues and expenditures using fiscal year 2007 (FY 07) data from the National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) of the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system. Programs covered in the NPEFS include regular, special, and vocational education; charter schools that reported data to the state…

SIGNIFICANT PROGRAM OPERATIONS DATA ARE SUMMARIZED FOR PUBLIC LAWS 874 AND 815, AUTHORIZING RESPECTIVELY, FEDERAL PAYMENTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES IN FEDERALLY AFFECTED AREAS FOR CURRENT OPERATING EXPENSES OF SCHOOLS AND FOR CONSTRUCTION OF SCHOOL FACILITIES. BRIEF REVIEWS GIVE PROVISIONS OF THE AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION, ADMINISTRATIVE…

In 1995, a federal report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) estimated that $112 billion was needed to bring the nation's school facilities into good repair. Subsequent studies estimated it would take more than $320 billion to build new schools to handle swelling enrollments, renovate aging buildings, and equip all buildings with the…

The quality of a school building plays a critical role in student academic achievement as well as teacher retention. Yet, the majority of U.S. public schools are in poor physical condition, and nearly one-quarter are overcrowded, pressuring school systems to invest in both improving existing facilities and adding new facilities to accommodate…

This publication describes the creation of a new school building for James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School in Washington, DC. Despite the success of its academic program, the school's 70-year-old building had become unsafe and unsuitable for teaching and learning and was threatened with closure in 1993 because of the district's fiscal…

A SPECIAL COMMITTEE INVESTIGATED EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS IN BALTIMORE RELATED TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE INNER CITY. OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE AT 24 SCHOOLS IN THE INNER CITY, THE OUTER EDGES OF THE CITY, AND THE INTERMEDIATE AREAS. MOST OF THE PROBLEMS WERE ROOTED IN THE SLUMS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF PUPILS ARE NEGRO, TEACHERS ARE UNDERPAID, BUILDINGS ARE…