"Brown v Board of Education" was decided in 1954 by the Supreme Court in the United States to order the desegregation of students by race in public schools. Opposition to this order occurred in many of the states as well as from the federal executive branch of government itself. Over time, alternatives to educating students have surfaced, some of…

Disputes in Australian universities cost millions of dollars each year that could be spent more fruitfully on core activities such as research and teaching. This paper uses three case studies to examine what we know about disputes and dispute resolution in Australian universities. The impact of changing higher education funding and policy on…

Education researchers have moved beyond asking whether money matters to school performance. They are now investigating how money matters to student learning and achievement. There are three questions that policymakers and citizens must address: How much money are they willing to spend on the education of the young? How should it be fairly spent?…

A review of articles, research studies, and textbooks on school finance and the economics of education in the 1980s is presented. General issues discussed include theoretical concepts, fund raising and fund distribution alternatives, and promotion of educational equity and efficiency through resource allocation. (TJH)

Reviews research on the association between school size and educational outcomes and considers policy implications of that research. Suggests a shift of value from large size to small size. Describes current state finance formulas, with an emphasis on sparsity and geographical isolation factors. Identifies policy considerations relative to the use…

At a time when college degrees are increasingly a prerequisite for middle-class wages, less than 40 percent of college students are able to demonstrate proficiency on literacy tests, barely half of college students graduate on time, and many do not graduate at all. At the same time. the price of college continues to increase quickly and…

This paper discusses the current role of the property tax as a revenue source for state and local governments. It is written for state and local policymakers and others interested in property taxes, including those who lack an indepth knowledge of tax systems. The purposes of the paper are to: (1) explain the current role of property taxes in…

A review of case law on the constitutionality of state school finance provisions on equal protection and equal adequacy grounds is provided. Protracted rounds of litigation over the years in several states and a rash of recent suits reveal that this issue remains lively and contentious. (TJH)

Examines the problem of equity in school funding, noting the relationship between poverty, racial composition, spending, and student achievement. Discusses how equity is measured; the influence of the social context (i.e., ghettoization, corporate deals, and political spins); the impact of the legal context; and the issue of equity versus justice.…

Based on a study of how eight states have pursued educational reform, this booklet reviews new issues facing school finance as a result of the recent upsurge of interest in educational improvement. The booklet has four sections. The first section discusses changing state fiscal and political contexts within which reforms are being debated. Section…

The Packwood/Moynihan/Roth Tuition Tax Relief Act of 1981 and the nearly 20 other tuition tax credit bills introduced since the beginning of the current session of Congress are intended to provide tax credits for a portion of the tuition paid for private education. Two major studies attempting to determine the impacts of passage of a tuition tax…

Court decisions resulting from litigation regarding higher education governance and finance are discussed in this chapter. Governing body authority and intergovernmental relations are the subjects of a number of cases. Three cases involve questions of licensing of private institutions of higher education by state agencies. Other cases illustrate…

Court litigation concerning governance and finance in higher education demonstrates lawyers' attempts to extend the legal principles established in one educational system to different systems. Intergovernmental relations cases involve educational institutions' connections with counties, cities, states, and various public agencies. Because of an…

Evaluates two papers in this "Economics of Education Review" issue. Affirms G.E. Auten and G.G. Rudney's predictions that major tax reforms could reduce private giving, but notes the authors' failure to adjust for changing institutional need. Praises C.C. Coughlin and O.H. Erekson for extending their inquiry to corporate donations and state aid.…

This report contains a conceptual framework for analyzing costs and prices by evaluating the higher education production function and the determinants of both prices and costs. The framework can be used to strengthen understanding of costs and prices within individual institutions and to inform macro level investments at state and national levels.…