The State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report is produced annually by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) to broaden understanding of the context and consequences of multiple public policy decisions in each state. These decisions contribute to public higher education funding levels and funding distributions across…

This executive summary presents highlights from the annually-produced State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report for FY 2018. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) publishes the yearly report to broaden understanding of the context and consequences of multiple public policy decisions in each state. These decisions…

Workforce development in the United States today is spread across higher education institutions (primarily public two-year and for-profit colleges), labor market institutions, and workplaces, with public funding from a range of sources. But outcomes for students and workers are weaker than they could be, especially among disadvantaged students and…

Many state education leaders are taking a fresh look at school finance in hopes of containing costs. Some are reworking transportation formulas, or zeroing in on special education eligibility, or merging districts. Others are investing more in digital learning, charter innovations, and information systems. But state leaders too often overlook a…

Many states are looking at effective ways to use financial incentives to encourage students to complete a postsecondary credential. JFF's new report, "Statewide Aid Policies to Improve College Access and Success", originally commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education's Vision Project, has provided valuable…

In this report, Pre-K Now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the States, reviews state budgets to see which legislatures understand the economic and educational value of high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten. In light of the tough fiscal environment, the news for young children is surprisingly good. A chart that documents pre-k budget allocations…

As state tax revenues plummet, some lawmakers and higher-education leaders are once again looking at loosening the bonds between state governments and public colleges to save money and give colleges the freedom to bolster their bottom lines in new ways. Over the past two decades, college officials have often lamented the growing need to secure…

This paper summarizes a recent study of a mathematical approach to the allocation of State resources to local school districts. The purpose of this approach is to (1) assure the maximum utilization of resources available, (2) distribute State funds in accordance with the criteria of effectiveness imposed on the system, and (3) satisfy the…

Although California schools are experiencing cutbacks, the cause may be declining enrollment rather than Proposition 13. A less debatable result of Proposition 13 is greater state control of education's purse strings. (Author/JM)

An economic impact study of Ohio's public universities and medical schools provides documentation that state appropriations yield financial returns higher than virtually any alternative use of state funds, in the form of economic growth and increased opportunity for financial security. Some significant findings of the report are summarized here.…

Zero-base budgeting is presented as the functional alternative to the community college funding crisis which may be precipitated by passage in June 1978 of the Jarvis Amendment (Proposition 13) in California. Defined as the management of scarce resources on a cost/benefit basis to achieve pre-determined goals, zero-base budgeting emphasizes…

Four kinds of evidence demonstrating substantial social benefits resulting from public expenditures on higher education are discussed: (1) social rates of return; (2) nonmonetary benefits; (3) local economic activity; and (4) national economic growth. A recent study of the effect of investment in higher education on workforce productivity is…

Developing comparable data for policy-making and financial support allocation for health professions education creates difficult problems for state-level decision-makers. The experience of the New Jersey Department of Higher Education in collaboration with the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is reported. (Author/LBH)

The major purpose of this report is to examine what the operating aid formula for the 1977-78 New York State school year could have been for the 347 save-harmless districts and the 236 limited aid districts if the 1977 legislature had not based apportionments on the previous year's aid. The study, conducted by a governor-appointed task force,…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the fiscal year 1972 funding of vocational and technical education by the Illinois Division of Vocational and Technical Education had changed from the inefficient funding patterns previously investigated for fiscal year 1971. The conclusions of the 1971 study were that the funding was not economically…