Financial barriers to education such as the payment of school fees have long been identified as a key driver of the perennially high out-of-school rates in developing countries. Accordingly, Ghana implemented the education capitation grant (CG) policy in 2005 as part of efforts to universalise access to primary education. At its core, the policy…

Despite their common historical roots, two higher education systems in Latin America differ dramatically in their financing mechanisms. In Argentina, the national government completely subsidizes undergraduate programs in public institutions, while Chile relies mostly on tuition fees charged to individuals attending public institutions. Through…

It has become increasingly difficult for the two major parties in Congress to reach agreement on major higher education legislation. As a result, the Higher Education Act is long overdue for reauthorization. Congressional stalemates on higher education legislation are not conducive to effective and productive governance in this important area of…

In this report, the authors propose and simulate a framework for a new foundation formula approach to distributing federal K-12 education aid. This proposal, with full funding and compliance, would provide every school district with the estimated revenues necessary to reach the goal of average national outcomes in mathematics and reading. The…

Troubled by the inequities in competitive grantmaking, we use critical quantitative methods to analyze the FY2023 federal academic earmarks as a potential mechanism for racialized change work. Specifically, we ask: To what extent does Congress distribute academic earmarks in ways that reinforce or weaken the racialized stratification of resources…

Background: Nearly two decades have passed since the last successful reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Since then, student loan debt and the accumulation patterns based on race have become a pressing issue to address in U.S. society. Purpose: Student debt is one of the key issues on the federal higher education policy agenda. The…

When state budgets are tight, Pell Grants can indirectly give states more financial flexibility to support the success of innovative state and local ideas. Conversely, cuts to Pell, or the failure to maintain current provisions such as tying the value of it to inflation, can have lasting negative impacts on the success of state postsecondary…

It is the nation's collective responsibility--including the federal government's--to ensure that all young people have equal access to a high-quality, world-class education. This goal has never been more important than in today's fast-growing knowledge economy that is coupled with increasing rates of poverty as more and more families are left…

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the most difficult semester in generations on college campuses across the United States. With that semester now wrapping up, public colleges and universities are facing costs that already dwarf the $7.6 billion in federal stimulus funds that are on their way to these institutions. Absent dramatic new action from…

Education is a major factor in economic development in Jordan. Although the country lacks many natural resources, it has invested heavily in its human resources through the provision of quality education. While there is still room for improvement and growth, the country has reached notable milestones in economic development even though it is…

In 1776, Adam Smith wrote, "the expense of the institutions for education… is… beneficial to the whole society, and may, therefore, without injustice, be defrayed by the general contribution of the whole society," in the "Wealth of Nations." Since then, economists and policymakers have argued that the social returns to higher…

Broadly conceptualized, federal-state partnerships refer to collaborations between the federal government and states to create or implement policy. In the higher education policy arena, such partnerships have the potential to transform how higher education is funded and regulated, making college more affordable and more accessible to a larger…

The development of the Regional Guidelines on Innovative Financing Mechanisms and Partnerships for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) was a joint initiative of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Early Childhood Care Education…

Module A of the OECD Higher Education Policy Survey (HEPS) 2022 elicited information on policies to promote digitalisation of higher education in OECD member and accession countries. In total, 30 jurisdictions responded, providing comparative information on various areas of digitalisation policy, from regulation and governance to financial and…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "The Census Effect." Contents include: (1) The 2020 Census is Here -- Schools…