The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated challenges in the early care and education (ECE) sector, including: preexisting structural flaws; insufficient funding mechanisms; sector fragmentation; inadequate support for the workforce; and inequalities, such as the lack of access to high-quality care among low-income, rural populations, and communities…

American higher education faces some serious problems--but they are not the ones most people think. In this brief and accessible book, two leading experts show that many so-called crises--from the idea that typical students are drowning in debt to the belief that tuition increases are being driven by administrative bloat--are exaggerated or simply…

America's public universities educate 80% of our nation's college students. But in the wake of rising demands on state treasuries, changing demographics, growing income inequality, and legislative indifference, many of these institutions have fallen into decline. Tuition costs have skyrocketed, class sizes have gone up, the number of courses…

"Adequacy lawsuits" have emerged as an alternative strategy in pursuit of improved public education in America. Plaintiffs allege insufficient resources to provide students with the quality of education promised in their state's constitution, hoping the courts will step in and order the state to increase its level of aid. Since 1980, 45…

This discussion of the state/university relationship addresses the ways in which states and universities can achieve relationships that are constructive for both parties. The following chapters are presented: (1) "Choosing Quality" (includes policy, interest in quality, university role, trends in state/university relationships, and resources); (2)…

Whether or not there will be enough funds available to meet required expenditures has become an annual dilemma for most colleges and universities in recent years. This publication, based on a survey conducted among the 130 member institutions of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), is an attempt to show…

This book reports on the research findings of the Pakistan Study, a collaboration between the Harvard Institute for International Development and other organizations in Pakistan. The focus is primarily on what affects student learning in Pakistan's government-sponsored primary schools. Chapter 1 discusses primary schools in Pakistan and the…

This collection of papers focuses on the economic aspects of education as follows: (1) "Introduction" (David H. Monk, Margaret Wang, and Herbert J. Walberg); (2) "Tax Revolts and School Performance" (Thomas Downes and David Figlio); (3) "State Aid and Education Outcomes" (Sheila E. Murray); (4) "The Interface…

This book examines the issues surrounding the funding of higher education. The book is divided into 10 chapters: (1) "The Financing of Higher Education" (David S. Honeyman and Megan Bruhn); (2) "The Value of Investments in Higher Education: Capturing the Full Returns" (Terry S. Geske); (3) "State Funding Formulas: Promise…

This volume analyzes government policies for helping students pay for education beyond high school and was developed as a result of an October 1994 gathering of policymakers, analysts, and practitioners convened to review federal student assistance and to consider policy alternatives for the Clinton Administration. Chapter 1, "A Fifty-Year…

The future of Head Start depends on how well people learn from and apply the lessons from its past. That's why everyone involved in early education needs this timely, forward-thinking book from the leader of Head Start. The first book to capture the Head Start debates in all their complexity and diversity, this landmark volume brings together the…