Examines the relationship between institutional spending patterns and performance funding standards at the 14 public community colleges in Tennessee. Analyses reveal a relationship between expenditure categories and performance standard scores, with higher scoring colleges spending a greater portion of funds on academic support and instruction…

A survey of 23 college and university coordinators who conduct assessment activities and report findings in connection with Tennessee's 15-year performance funding initiative reveals strengths and weaknesses associated with 10 indicators of institutional performance. Reasons for the program's longevity, designed to serve accountability and…

The future of Greece's well-being will depend on improving educational performance to boost productivity and improve social outcomes. In the current economic context, with the need to get best value for spending, Greece must and can address inefficiencies in its education system. The challenges are significant. For example, Greece lags behind many…

Profiles of the 14 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) provide information on the structure of these states for public postsecondary education and budgeting. For each state, the following areas are discussed: state-level coordinating and/or governing agency, institutional governing boards, state board for vocational education,…

Summaries of the design, planning, and implementation of performance funding programs in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington reveal the challenges and opportunities of this reform approach. Performance measures and objectives and the history of the program in each…

Performance indicators used for state funding, past and present, of public colleges in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington are reviewed to explore their intent and implications and to provide information for policymakers considering introducing or revising…

The use of performance funding, which provides institutions with income for educational results, was tested in Tennessee. Traditionally, the budget has been separated from performance evaluation, and state formulas have evolved from the need for funding to be objective, comparable, and predictable. The Performance Funding Project in Tennessee,…

The impact of President Reagan's fiscal year (FY) 1988 higher education proposals on the State of Tennessee are considered in hearings held in Memphis, Knoxville, and Nashville. The focus is proposed funding cuts in higher education, with particular emphasis on cuts in student financial aid. In addition to testimony from college representatives,…

The purpose of this study was to determine how public two-year colleges in Tennessee internally budgeted and expended their unrestricted educational and general (E&G) funds from fiscal years 1988-89 through 1997-98. The E&G budget is comprised of seven major functional categories that include instruction, public service, academic support,…

A 1996 survey of state policymakers and public college representatives in states with performance funding (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee) is presented. Although differences exist across states in a number of areas, findings challenge the assumption of an irreconcilable gap between…

A sample of teachers, principals, supervisors, superintendents, school board members, and county commissioners across Tennessee responded to questionnaires concerning funding patterns and revenue sources for public education. Except for the commissioners, who are the funding agents for school systems in Tennessee and are responsible for setting…

This report examines comparative data on fiscal need factors critical in equitably financing public education and on factors with varying or unique implications for urban, suburban, and rural school systems in Tennessee. In analyzing the current operating expenditures for 1976-77, expenditures were divided into two components--instructional…

Presents an overview of the 10 standards currently assessed under Tennessee's performance funding model for 2-year colleges. Provides findings from a study of performance funding coordinators' perceptions of the standards at 14 public 2-year institutions. Indicates that coordinators generally believed that the current model provides good measures…

Ways of measuring the fiscal capacity of school systems are examined in this paper, which presents a representative tax system model. Fiscal capacity is influenced by factors other than tax base size; the "ideal" model should address adjustments for variations in cost across communities and school systems. The first section examines the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the cost relationships among the educational programs in Tennessee prior to the implementation of Tennessee's weighted pupil formula (1976-77) and to examine expenditure patterns for the first year of the actual operation of the formula (1977-78). All mandated programs were examined as well as additional…