Examines shifts in federal student aid and research and development policies over two decades, and argues that policy changes have converged on public research universities, making them exemplars of Reagan economics marked by privatization, deregulation, and commercialization. Patterns of institutional resource allocation to departments are…

A small, well-regarded Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program that finances innovations in higher education has resisted a push by Congress to influence which institutions should receive grants. Its new round of awards includes only one of 11 institutions suggested by Congress. (MSE)

Analysis of trends in state funding for public higher education and for prisoner education finds that in the period 1977 to 1995, funding for correctional higher education increased, on average, twice as much as did support for public colleges. The trend is seen to hurt both minority students and the larger society. Data on funding changes in each…

This report describes the importance of redesigned high schools to engage full high school communities in the deliberate rethinking of virtually everything, ranging from how time is used, to how adults are deployed, even to the "places"where learning occurs. Essentially, redesigned high schools: (1) have high expectations for all…

This article breaks new ground in the debate on school finance and equality of per pupil school expenditures. We are able to merge school district data with the individual and family data of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). This allows us to examine both student and school district characteristics and to assess several measures of…

In 1997, Vermont passed Act 60, which reformed its education finance system to achieve greater equality of spending. The reform encouraged wealthy towns to reduce spending; it was politically unpopular and was replaced, in 2004, by Act 68. We analyze the spending incentives created by the two acts and estimate the effects the change will have on…

This paper deals with the policy parameters of establishing distance education networks in New Zealand. The current decentralized educational system is described, including the role of the state through the Ministry of Education, funding and resource allocations, and staffing. Discussion includes the contracting out to third parties for the…

The effects of state educational consolidation policies and decentralizing curriculum reform initiatives on small school districts in New York are examined in this paper, with a focus on identifying patterns of environmental "embeddedness" that may include or exclude small districts from state equalization aid. Methodology involved…

Designed to help state policymakers examine issues regarding the financing of adult learning and make decisions, this paper begins by outlining five positions on state financing: laissez faire, forced retrenchment, voluntary retrenchment, decentralized control of funding, and centralized control of funding. Collection of information on current…

This report describes a research study for the Ontario Ministry of Education that addresses the issues of policy, expenditure levels, and patterns of use related to textbooks, library books, and other classroom-based learning materials in Ontario schools. The research is based on a survey of public and Roman Catholic separate school boards…

The methodology of research and the technology of development in education have advanced beyond "curriculum development," as activities associated with that rubric are popularly practiced. These advances provide the experiential basis for five actionable conclusions: (1) Programmatic development of integrated resources for use by students,…

An author of the 1966 USOE report titled "Equality of Educational Opportunity" discusses some of the criticisms leveled against the study. The most serious charge is that the study attempted to do too much. By analyzing resource inputs and levels of achievement and by trying to analyze the effects of various inputs on achievement, the…

An analysis of Great Britain's higher education system, primarily between 1981 and 1994, considers the possible implication of demographic trends and how that pattern may change over the next 15 years. The purpose of the paper is to direct public attention to the issues and encourage debate rather than present discrete policy options. Planning…

Taken together, recent national education reports imply that public resources should be refocused toward students with acceptable in-school skills, technological head starts, and higher than average incomes. Implementation of such policies will result in further educational inequities, disenfranchisement, and discontent among disadvantaged groups.…

A major task of South Africa's new government in 1994 was to promote racial equity in the state education system. This paper evaluates progress toward this goal using three distinct concepts: equal treatment, equal educational opportunity, and educational adequacy. The authors find that the country has succeeded in establishing racial equity…