Reforming school finance systems to support performance standards entails estimating the cost of an adequate education. Cost of adequacy (COA) studies have been done in more than 30 states. Recently Eric Hanushek challenged the legitimacy of COA research, calling it alchemy and pseudoscience. The objectives of this study are to present reliability…

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, school districts that receive federal Title 1 education funds and have a "school in need of improvement--year two" must implement supplemental educational services (SES). Such districts must allocate a portion of their Title 1 funds to free tutoring for low-income students. Providers may be…

The purpose of the United States Department of Education's (the Department) FY 2013 "Agency Financial Report" (AFR) is to assist Congress, the President, and the American people to assess the Department's stewardship over resources with which it is entrusted. This annual report is required by legislation and complies with the…

In April 2005, Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal filed the first lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In this essay, Attorney General Blumenthal presents Connecticut's reasons for legally challenging NCLB. He argues that prior to ratification of the act, Connecticut had been…

"Kids' Share 2008," a second annual report, looks comprehensively at trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children. This report updates the previous year's report, "Kids' Share 2007," adding in actual (rather than projected) budget numbers for 2007 and projections of spending within the children's budget against other federal…

On February 29, 2008, Gov. Bobby Jindal presented the Louisiana Legislature with a proposed budget allocating $10 million for a school choice initiative that would enable parents in New Orleans to send their children to the school of their choice, including private schools, with state-funded scholarships. Leaders of the public school establishment…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Two Roads Diverged in a Hearing Room: Congressional Hearing on the Federal Education Budget Previews Two Possible…

Education should be a top priority of the Federal Government and as such should receive much more Federal financial support. (RA)

Proposed cuts in federal funding for vocational education mean that vocational educators must make their presence felt in state capitals and show a willingness to improve programs. The best possible system would prepare every student for work, hold students to higher standards, and give all students the opportunity for post-high school education.…

In the midst of the global recession, how have national governments viewed the role of higher education in their evolving strategies for economic recovery? Demand for higher education generally goes up during economic downturns. Which nations have proactively protected funding for their universities and colleges to help maintain access, to help…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Setting the Stage for New High Schools": Alliance, National League of Cities Cohost Capitol Hill Briefing…

Concludes that the federal government currently lacks an information system that is broad enough and detailed enough to facilitate the processes of policy development and program coordination. (Author/AM)

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Congress Moves Forward with Budget Plan for FY 2008: House and Senate Spending Blueprints Include Significant…

The Australian higher education system has experienced significant changes since the mid-1980s. Notable are introduction of an income-contingent loan (the Higher Education Contribution Scheme) for "government" funded places; changing from aid to trade with respect to international students, including introduction of full fees for such…

The United States Department of Education's "Annual Performance Report" (APR) for fiscal year (FY) 2009 provides detailed information on how the outcomes of the strategic performance measures identified in its "FY 2007-2012 Strategic Plan" and updated in the "Fiscal Year 2008 Performance and Accountability Report"…