This report draws from a study being conducted by William Massy and Andrea Wilger for the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). The study examines how academic departments work in order to identify organizational incentives that can improve productivity. The brief offers some definitions of productivity in higher education and…

This publication presents an assessment of various methods applicable for measurement of lender profitability with particular emphasis on net present value (NPV) in order to determine whether the Department of Education's current method for determining lender profitability within the Stafford Student Loan program is the best. The introduction…

Recent studies portray African education in a state of stress. Since it is widely believed that education is critical to development, proposals for addressing this crisis have been numerous and frequent. A knowledge base of research studies has to be created to advise the external agencies that support education in Africa. Many studies were,…

Designed to encourage and inform community college efforts to secure private financial support, this literature review and resource guide examine the current status of fund raising at community colleges and list pertinent information sources. After introductory comments advocate increased community college involvement in fund raising, the paper…

This meta-analysis found a minimal relationship between student achievement and educational expenditures except for direct instructional expenditures such as teachers' salaries and supplies. The amount spent is less vital than how the money is spent. (Compare gymnasium renovation with purchasing a new math program.) Nonschool factors may also be…

The Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA), which replaced the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, significantly changed the federal government's role in education. The ECIA is part of a program to consolidate and simplify federal programs, cut federal spending, and transfer power to state and local governments. Fiscal,…

The Annual Performance Report (APR) for Grant Year July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The OSEP designed the APR to serve as a state?s self-assessment and improvement planning…

Policymakers, educators, and researchers recognize the importance of community colleges as open door institutions that provide a wide range of students with access to college. At the same time, competing demands for the state funds that would support community colleges have resulted in reduced public allocations and higher student tuition fees.…

This publication summarizes research on the educational and social benefits of small schools and the negative effects of large schools on students, teachers, and members of the community, as well as the "diseconomies of scale" inherent in large schools. It asserts that research shows that measuring the cost of education by graduates rather than by…

Education is a fundamental value of the people of Florida, whose state constitution even calls for a "high-quality system of free public schools." But rather than live up to this commitment, the state--led by Governor Jeb Bush and a Republican legislature--has embarked on a series of programs that undermine public education. This report examines…

When the Texas legislature proposed a 100 percent increase in college tuition, the Texas Student Association mobilized its members to fight the issue. The students' activities are discussed, along with reasons for the bill's failure and its prospects for future passage. (PP)

Although educational productivity research has been much debated in school finance litigation, it has proven largely irrelevant to resolution by the courts of broad equity issues raised by the allocation of educational resources among school districts. Relevant court cases and arguments, current legal trends, and possible future directions are…

Offers a brief outline of the results that have been achieved in Title I reading programs, a discussion of the new role that teachers in all content areas must assume for improving reading skills, and a prediction about the future of Title I reading programs. (FL)

Ten pitfalls for financial analysts are described: information lags, misinterpreting trend data, data shortcomings, sample institutions' problems, misuse of panel ratings, using same indicators for private and public institutions, underdevelopment of conceptual framework, arbitrary financial health scales, shaky use of discriminant analysis, and…

One of the most elusive problems confronted in designing state aid programs for the public schools has been the determination of equitable measures of local fiscal capacity. (Author)