Increased attention to proposed federal early childhood education (ECE) legislation has sparked a debate on what the future holds for state-funded ECE systems. This brief explores how the goal of universal preschool is being shaped by the federal agenda and examines state programs in various stages of development. President Obama's Preschool for…

This handbook is designed to assist school board members and school administrators in dealing with school management issues and problems. The first chapter provides a historical review of public school finance. The next three chapters deal with the source of public education funding, the general nature of local taxing authority, and the manner in…

This article discusses several relatively new issues involved in current debates over education finance policies, notes the research related to them, and summarizes the areas for which additional research is needed. The areas discussed are the impacts of school finance reform, school district financial behavior, the impact of school finance reform…

This study of the fiscal, legal, and political dimensions of reform in American school finance responds to the challenge of San Antonio Independent School District vs. Rodriguez. The book focuses specifically on the State of Texas and the way in which injustices were analyzed for the landmark Rodriguez case. The book goes on to describe the role…

The justifications for substantial additional federal funding which were persuasive toward the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are even more compelling today as cutbacks in educational services occur across the nation. Since 1971 there have been widespread changes in state systems of school finance as a result of…

This document outlines the issues of importance to higher education that face the 102nd Congress of the United States Government of which three have paramount importance: (1) securing adequate funding of student assistance programs; (2) assuring tax policies which provide maximum incentives to enlarge the nation's technical and professional skills…

After being placed on the back burner during the 1980s, school finance is again a major issue. In the 1970s, reliance on property taxes created school district disparities because of unequal tax bases. Legislative reforms enacted between 1971 and 1985 had the following characteristics: school finance formulas were revamped; the state role in…

The Nation Conference on School Finance, originated by the National Education Association in 1957, has been sponsored since 1972 by the National Educational Finance Project, the Institute for Educational Finance of the University of Florida, and Phi Delta Kappa. A continuing goal of the conference has been to provide a forum for the expression of…

Argues that recent federal education legislation will not eliminate unequal funding, school performance inequities, and student achievement gaps that have persisted in the poorest school districts. Asserts that adequate, equitable, and targeted human and financial resources and standards are necessary, and that the slight increases in federal…

This document provides background information intended to help in the formulation of educational finance policy at the national level. The first chapter discusses variations in spending within and between states since the 1930s; causes for inequitable and inefficient revenue raising and resource allocation; and differences between states in…

The Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981 is intended to provide opportunities for states and local governments to have more control of their educational programs and to deregulate the administration of federal programs. Introduced at a time when state funding and revenue systems are in flux and severely depleted, it presents…