Many state budgets are reaping the benefits of tax revenues that are rising faster than at any time since the economic slowdown ended. Overall tax collections by states rose by 11.7 percent in the first quarter of 2005, giving the legislatures extra cash to shore up school aid, increase teacher pay, and finance new initiatives such as full-day…

This special issue presents the ninth edition of "Education Week's" annual report on education technology, "Technology Counts." The annual report found that the nation has made dramatic progress in developing computerized data systems that can reliably guide education decision-making, but still has plenty of work to do before those systems can…

Colorado's 178 district superintendents are embroiled in a polite, yet pointed debate with Commissioner of Education William J. Moloney and the state school board over the state's role in helping districts raise student achievement. In this article, the author discusses Colorado district superintendents' grievances. They are calling for more…

This article discusses how chief executive officer Bonnie Copeland handles the troubled system of Baltimore city schools. The day after Copeland was hired, she announced the most radical restructuring in the system's history, including the firing of up to 1,000 of the district's 12,000 employees, to address a $58 million deficit in its $914…

In this article, the author talks about the debate that flared regarding aid given to states. Officials of the Bush administration countered complaints that Republicans are inadequately financing the No Child Left Behind Act. They said the states didn't spend all of the federal K-12 money available to them in a timely manner. State officials…

The U.S. Department of Education gave more than $5.7 million in bonuses to its employees, including a student-aid official who got $71,250. In the 2003 calendar year, more than 75 percent of the department's employees received bonuses, with political appointees among the recipients. Each year, the department gives some employees cash awards on top…

In this article, the author describes how the "weighted student" funding, under which money is divvied up based on the actual number and kinds of students at each school, gains favor among education leaders. With weighted-student funding, a district divides up money--rather than staff positions and programs--among schools. Proponents…

This article reports on starkly contrasting portraits of special education that the justices are sure to hear on the first day of the new U.S. Supreme Court term. In a case from New York City, the 1.1 million-student district argues that school officials made every attempt to provide an appropriate education plan under the federal Individuals with…

Discusses how state courts are forcing states to shift their focus of funding for school facilities to the neediest school districts. State problems in prioritizing the distribution of school funds are examined. (GR)

An effort to require school districts to funnel 65 percent of their budgets directly into classrooms is gaining traction in several states. Governor Rick Perry of Texas signed an executive order in August mandating that school districts implement the 65 Percent Solution, as the idea is called by the nonprofit group organizing the effort. It also…

Despite rosy economic news, highlighted by the 8.2 percent surge in the nation's economy in the third quarter of 2003, state coffers aren't growing at pace to meet the needs of schools and other high-priority programs such as Medicaid and prisons. Last month, many states started issuing estimates of how the money they'll have to spend in the 2005…

The hundreds of cheerful Los Alamitos Elementary School pupils playing dodge ball and four-square on the school's vast playground on a recent day presented a sharp contrast with the worries their teachers and parents face. Though their school is in one of the nation's richest areas, it has such a bare-bones budget that it cannot afford such basic…

This article describes how the litigation over whether states are adequately financing their K-12 schools has tipped in favor of those who say they are not. Of the six major judicial decisions in the past 18 months, advocates of increased school funding have won each time, dramatically changing the finance landscape in those states. Advocates for…

This article discusses President Bush's budget cut on education spending. The president's blueprint for federal education spending in the next fiscal year includes a high-profile plan to boost math and science education, new money for private school vouchers, a renewed push to improve high schools--and the most drastic cut in Department of…

The U.S. Department of Education has notified 10 states that it intends to withhold a portion of their state administrative funds under the Title I program for failing to comply fully with the testing provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Those funds would instead be diverted directly to school…