This document provides a detailed synopsis of the book "Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage" (L. B. Schorr). Specific kinds of intervention programs can alter the stunting conditions in which many poor children are raised. It is not necessary to change everything in order to make a difference, and policymakers do not need to wait…

A comparative budget analysis approach employed by British universities is discussed. The British funding system analyzes in detail unit costs and marginal costs and undertakes comparative assessments of expenditure patterns and priorities for a group of 95 institutions with similar objectives, in which each has autonomy in resource allocation.…

This report presents two large tables showing trends in the financing of public higher education since 1977-78. Introductory information explains how to use the tables, the data-time relationship (whether fiscal year, academic year, or calendar year), and includes a sample chart constructed from one state's data. The raw data used for these…

A survey of the 50 United States investigated laws and policy concerning programs for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in elementary and secondary schools. This summary outlines state requirements imposed on schools regarding specific types of programs that must be offered to LEP students, the number of LEP students to be served, and the…

General issues in the development of programs for language minority children at the preschool level, ages 2-4, are discussed. Focus is on the need to meet their comprehensive needs, and the five following points are made: (1) programs should be designed to serve the child's social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development within the context…

Results of an updated survey on the basic legal structures and responsibilities of state coordinating or governing agencies and public institutional governing boards are presented. The data cover the 50 states and the District of Columbia as of January 1, 1983. For each state, information is presented on the following: (1) the structure of the…

This policy brief presents findings from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory research on resource allocation in 1,504 independent school districts in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. Using 5 years' data from the federal Common Core of Data and the Census Bureau along with 3 years of student performance data from each state…

From 1980 to 1991, the University of Alberta undertook systematic reviews of all its academic and support units mostly for program improvement purposes, but also to acquire information for planning and budget decisions. This report responds to a 1988 request to examine the University's 1980-1988 experience with program reviews and to recommend…

This paper describes the organization and planning for research and development in Sweden, particularly the role of higher education. A section on policies notes that the state has overall responsibility to fund basic research and the training of research workers. Issues receiving particular attention include environmental problems and new…

This report presents comparative data governing the financing of public higher education in each state and the District of Columbia. The model used in data analysis involves the following nine data elements: population, number of high school graduates, public full-time equivalent enrollment, taxable resources, tax revenue collected, state and…

This issue of the "Nevada Public Affairs Review" focused primarily on the politics of state taxing and spending in Nevada. The articles present several aspects of this topic, including a comparison of taxation in Nevada with that in other states, an analysis of the growth of the gaming industry in Nevada, an argument for removing…

This special issue on vocational and social inclusion of people with disabilities includes papers with the following titles and authors: "Applying Theories of Career Behavior to Special Populations: Implications for Secondary Vocational Transition Programming" (Jay W. Rojewski); "Familiarity with the Service System and Perception of…

Although the general thrust of recent education reports and studies--to strengthen the academic quality of secondary education--has been salutary, efforts fall short of giving clear direction for school improvement in a number of areas particularly important to urban school superintendents. The reports fail to recognize the unique context of urban…

Financial incentives are an important and vastly underutilized means of improving the rate at which two-year college students transfer to four-year institutions. The increased cost of tuition at a four-year institution can be a serious financial obstacle to the transfer student. One way to alleviate this might be to provide more financial aid to…

The purposes of the study were to (1) identify formulas currently used for justifying budget requests or allocating funds for operating expenses of state-supported colleges and universities; (2) provide a comparative analysis of each formula with respect to the functional budget areas recognized, the base and formula factors used, methods of…