This survey of public opinion about Chicago Public Schools charts responses in the following areas: (1) general evaluation of the public schools; (2) grading the staff; (3) the biggest problems facing Chicago schools; (4) a range of proposed reforms; and (5) finances. Characteristics of the respondents and public school parents also are plotted.…

This report addresses current concerns in public education defined as being important to American Jews. Issues discussed include strategies for improving educational quality; the effects of funding disparities, tax credits and vouchers on public education; and the importance of integration and bilingual education in the public schools. Also…

This study, based on research by UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning, deals with a prime contemporary problem, that of how to provide better education to more people in the face of tightening budgets, escalating costs, and educational conservatism. The authors contend that the imaginative use of cost analysis can be a…

Scientific and technological research in Spain has been hindered more by lack of organization than by lack of funds. The 1983 Universty Reform Act to restructure the curriculum and improve research quality represents a major step in bringing Spanish research up to the levels of other modern university systems and to promote economic development.…

The evolution, changing role, and recent criticisms of Britain's University Grants Committee, the government agency charged with channelling funds to higher education institutions, are reviewed and discussed. The appropriateness of the concept and structure in a time of great educational change are specifically addressed. (MSE)

The 2004 Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education identified clear and measurable goals that focused on outcomes rather than inputs alone. To reinforce this outcomes-based approach, the plan proposed that the state develop a new funding method to reward public colleges and universities for student success. Specifically, it proposed that the…

This study compared the equity and adequacy outcomes for plaintiff and nonplaintiff school districts as they relate to the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990. Both descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used in comparing variables and in determining the differences in selected finance measures. There were three major…

Examines three generally held assumptions concerning the mission, resource management, and curriculum of two-year college occupational programs within the context of the current information society. Recommends using information networks to promote knowledge, acknowledging information as a dominant resource for management, and integrating learning…

Problems in the structure and responsibilities of the University Grants Committee, Britain's national higher education funding and decision-making agency, are outlined and changes in national policy toward higher education are suggested. (MSE)

The effects of budgetary constraints on British higher education are examined, especially as they affect institutional autonomy in resource allocation and staffing. The extent to which other European governments have similar problems and policies is discussed. (Author/MSE)

The conjunction of development funding and educational research in Africa and the dominating role of a single agency, the World Bank, have consequences for research and educational policy: structuring of research according to agency constructs and policies, legitimation of poorly supported propositions, lack of critical review, a fixation on…

This paper examines various ways in which states, colleges, and universities are balancing tensions between demands for greater institutional autonomy and demands for greater accountability to state legislatures. Noted are the states' varying fiscal situations, mixed messages on autonomy given by state governments to institutions, and increasing…

Two questions must accompany educational reform: Who will make decisions regarding curriculum? and What kind of curriculum is most desired for students? This paper suggests that teachers and students, guided by other interested parties, should make curriculum decisions, and a highly personalized curriculum is most desirable. These changes require…

Using survey and interview responses, examines school members' perceptions of school autonomy over budget decisions, availability of budget information at the school level, and members' willingness to engage in shared decision making in Rochester, New York. Results suggest there are implementation barriers in Rochester pilot schools. Participants…

In the standards-based education reforms of today, an important question is how much it will cost for all--or almost all--students to reach state-determined proficiency levels? School finance adequacy seeks to determine that cost. Four models have been developed to estimate the costs of adequacy. Two of them--the professional judgment and the…