There has been increasing interest on the role of private foundations in education finance and delivery. We argue that this is due to a macro-policy context of stagnating levels of official development assistance for education and an uncritical acceptance of a logic of neutrality and the efficiency and effectiveness of of partnerships and…

This article examines the shift in the locus of decision-making authority across more than 25 years of policy efforts to improve teaching effectiveness. Previously the province of local government, states assumed the lion's share of authority for teaching policy during the 1980s and 1990s. As states and the federal government rose to education…

This article reports that Princeton University has settled a long-running dispute with the heirs of a major donor by agreeing to pay $50-million to the heirs' foundation and approximately the same amount for their legal fees. The case has been closely watched as a test of how strictly institutions must adhere to donors' wishes. The settlement…

This article presents an interview with Diane Ravitch. Ravitch replies to the following questions: (1) What does a good secondary education look like to you?; (2) What should the role of the federal government be?; (3) U.S. public schools regularly take a pounding in the media, but do you see strengths in our system? Were there ever good old days…

For most institutions, the budget pain will get worse before it gets better--if it gets better. Budget constraints have become the norm in virtually every state. In prior recessions, advancement offices tended to view downturns as bumps in the road to be negotiated before returning to business as usual. But the current troubles could signal a…

Institutionally related foundations have played a vital role in raising and managing private resources in support of public institutions of higher education. Unlike private grant-making foundations, college and university foundations are typically incorporated as public charities under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Although they…

Manufacturing has a new face--and the future it offers is exciting. But in order to take advantage of what it offers, one needs a plan and he/she has to know how to execute it. In this article, the author discusses how the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) is working to get the message out that the future of advanced manufacturing will…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the annual revenue received by United States public Community College Foundations from 2008-2009 in relation to selected variables associated in the literature with successful foundation performance. This study also collected longitudinal data by replicating and expanding upon a similar study…

The latest wave of reform in urban schools, led by the venture philanthropists, has made a great deal of change, without much progress. Foundations with a venture philanthropy bent, like the Walton Family Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Broad Foundation, say market principles, such as choice and competition, will improve schools. If…

Foundations must encourage rigorous debate over objectives, strategies, and outcomes as they become more engaged in policy-focused giving. In doing this, they must make it abundantly clear that they won't blacklist critics. The value of skeptics is that they raise unpleasant issues and make it possible for those inside an organizational bubble to…

The incidence of autism has risen dramatically in the past two decades. As more children on the autism spectrum reach college age, there is a greater need to help these individuals develop and nurture their strengths so that they can lead more rewarding lives. This article features the Autism Higher Education Foundation (AHEF) which is opening…

Because of the increasingly prominent role of foundations in supporting improved opportunities for community college students, it may be helpful to understand how foundations set priorities and make decisions. Some foundations engage in responsive grant making, whereby they outline priority areas and then respond to proposals received from the…

There have been several periods during which the professionalization of American teachers has been investigated historically--the 1960s produced studies on the education and the miseducation of teachers; the 1970s gave sociological historical scholarship on class, bureaucracy and schools and the professionalization of teaching; the 1980s provided…

Background: Evaluation is a tool that can promote accountability and enhance organizational improvement. For these reasons funding entities from government to foundations are increasingly relying on program evaluation as a key instrument to determine effectiveness and hold recipient organizations accountable. What has ensued is an environment of…

Background: The philosophical underpinnings of evaluation guidelines set forth by a funding agency can sometimes seem inconsistent with that of the intervention. Purpose: Our purpose is to introduce questions pertaining to the contrast between the instructional program's underlying philosophical beliefs and assumptions and those underlying our…