Today, 35 states use performance-based funding models tying appropriations directly to educational outcomes. Financial incentives should induce colleges to improve performance, but there are several well-documented reasons why this is unlikely to occur. We examine how two of the most robust performance funding states--Tennessee and Ohio--responded…

This report presents the findings from a rapid review of the evidence on how recent changes (2010 onwards) to the level of school funding in England have impacted on school spending and attainment. To do this the report appraises literature published from 2010 onwards that focuses on the following key questions: (1) What impact has school funding…

Over the past three decades, political candidates and elected policymakers have advanced a wide variety of publicly funded tuition-subsidy programs to improve college access and -affordability. These college-aid programs employ different subsidy instruments, target different types of students, draw from different funding sources, and come with…

Two distinct literature bases exist documenting the benefits of study aboard participation and state-adopted merit-aid policies. However, few, to date, have estimated the impact of merit-aid adoption on study abroad participation. Results from our study demonstrate the potential positive externality merit-aid policy adoption has on study abroad…

This article outlines the efforts toward racial equity undertaken at the system level in Basic Education for Adults (BEdA) programs in Washington state. These Title II Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs include both adult basic education and English language acquisition (ABE/ELA) students. The work focuses on the alignment of…

State policymakers recognize the economic imperative to ensure that education and training are connected to good jobs. Employers are seeking -- and are often struggling -- to hire appropriately skilled workers. For job seekers, the path to a good job with education beyond a high school diploma is certainly clearer than one without postsecondary…

Opponents of educational choice recycle the same false prophesies of doom without regard to the evidence or the size and scope of the proposals. Part I of this report assesses the validity of choice opponents' predictions that choice policies will lead to significant losses of district school funding and declining academic performance. Part II of…

Ensuring equitable access to high-quality early education for families from all racial, ethnic, and income backgrounds is a critical component for addressing systemic racism and inequality within the public education system. This study examined one piece of this issue by investigating access to public Montessori pre-K, as well as barriers that may…

This paper provides an overview of government policy on young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) across the four UK nations. The paper argues that policy in England on this topic is less well-developed and coherent than in the other UK nations, and that the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will serve to amplify the…

As the world seeks to build back better into a new era of green and equitable economic growth, tertiary education systems are at the heart of the big transformations required throughout economies and societies. Tertiary education is vital for the development of human capital and innovation. Strategic and effective investments in tertiary education…

Statistical analysis of existing databases across nearly 200 countries dealing with national/human development (2 databases) and literacy/education policy (4 databases) shows high correlation between literacy and national development. Correlations were highest between national literacy scores and human/national development. Correlations were…

David Longanecker wrote an article in "Change", "A Tale of Two Pities," that described the colliding perspectives of two communities--those who provide higher education and those who create and sustain the policy environment in which it functions. Each of these communities is committed to ensuring that Americans have broad…

This policy study traces the history of school finance in Colorado over four and a half decades and describes how the available levers of direct democracy in the state have led to a seemingly insurmountable political logjam that is restricting budgets for all essential government services. Precollegiate education is particularly affected as…

In this article, I report findings from an investigation into the politics and coordination of school fundraising in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Theoretically grounded in institutional ethnography and critical policy analysis, the study began from the standpoint of parents asked to give money to their…

As the cost of college has increased 12-fold over the past 30 years, state disinvestment in higher education has deepened. Today, learners are forced to make a tough choice: either forgo college at a time when getting a postsecondary credential matters more than ever, or join the ranks of 45 million Americans with student loan debt, who today…