Suggests nonformal education can be defined only with respect to its function in a specific context, its objectives established on an individual basis. Argues that it cannot be centralized or institutionalized. Includes nonformal education as a method of broadening access to education, providing second chance programs, and serving a Gandhian…

Applies economic theory to questions concerning the public financing of two-year colleges. Highlights two analytical constructs used in recommending educational policy: the principle of externalities and the theory of human capital. Considers the effect of academic/vocational program mix on educational financing and issues of equity and access.…

Using 1964-1983 enrollment data for a small Michigan state college, this paper charts tuition rate change impacts on college undergraduate headcounts and credit hours over time. Results indicate that student behavior follows the law of demand, varies with class standing, corroborates human capital investment models, and invalidates uniform tuition…

Observing that in affluent societies, education loses its primary significance as an economic investment and increasingly assumes the nature of a private consumer good, the author discusses problems this poses for educational policy development which, in the Federal Republic of Germany, is characterized by conflict between egalitarian and…

The work of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) is guided by a strategic plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide focus for the activity of this small agency and its five staff members in order to increase productivity and impact in the areas of its statutory authority. The mission and goals were accepted by Commissioners…

National development, a worldwide rationale of mass schooling systems, is both economic and social-integrative and supports the human capital paradigm. The social-integrative objective fosters membership in modern systems of state and money exchange that pull people away from traditional ethnic, cultural, regional, or religious allegiances. This…

Using a Virginia study as a model, this study assessed the effect on Washington state's economy of its 27 campus community college system. The study was based on a simple circular cash-flow model for the years 1969-1976 and measured economic impact in three areas: on the level of business volume done in-state, on employment, and on total state…

This study estimates the effect of maternal education on birth outcomes using data from the Vital Statistics Natality files for 1970 to 1999. It also assesses the importance of four potential channels through which maternal education may improve birth outcomes: use of prenatal care, smoking behavior, marriage, and fertility. In an effort to…

Tuition and financial aid affect higher education access and institutional budgeting practices. California's public system has the lowest fees for community college, midrange for the California State University, and highest for the University of California. Although Federal Pell and State Cal Grants soften the tuition burden, the system relies…

Reviews public education in the United States during the 20th century through an exploration of the "virtues" of mass education, such as public funding, a practical curriculum, and secular control of schools. Argues that many of these virtues were situational and may now be considered vices. (Contains three graphs.) (WFA)

The purpose of compensatory education is grounded in the history and practice of addressing the effects of poverty on teaching and learning. The intended purpose of compensatory education was to provide additional investment in human capital for low-income students to compensate for the higher investments in human capital afforded to more…

This paper hypothesizes that the cost differential between primary school and middle or secondary schooling will affect household decisions to invest in any one schooling level in Ghana. Human capital investment is usually modeled in an intertemporal optimization framework in which households or individuals maximize the present value of life-time…

This report reviews progress in implementation of the World Bank's poverty reduction strategy during fiscal 1996-97. Chapter 1, "The World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy and Future Directions," outlines elements in the poverty reduction strategy: policies to promote broad-based labor-demanding growth and increase the productivity and…

Chile has an outstanding record in reducing poverty, having cut the poverty rate in half in the 11 years ended 1998. Poverty is a multi-dimensional concept, including both income and access to social services and education, as well as such intangibles as empowerment and social capital. This study presents a quantitative assessment of…

Review of "Women, Education, and Development in Asia: Cross-National Perspectives" (Grace Mak, editor) and "Girls' Schooling, Women's Autonomy and Fertility Change in South Asia" (Roger Jeffery, Alaka Basu, editors) discusses the unpredictable impact of schooling on women, a critical gender-based perspective on human capital…