Schools are a reflection of culture and national character and should transmit these ideas through the teaching of history and government. Generally considered "civic" instruction, this subject is sorely neglected--an opinion shared by both sides of the partisan divide. A new initiative called Educating for American Democracy (EAD) wants…

Mexico's implementation of mandatory teacher assessments in 2013 was part of a group of federal reforms aimed at enhancing the quality of state-run education. The reforms elicited strong opposition from key stakeholders. Building on the idea that policy capacities are the set of capabilities necessary to perform policy functions, we examine the…

The chronic underfunding of early care and education (ECE) is compromising the well-being of educators and the children they teach and threatening the economic security of millions of families in the United States. The current ECE system demands large contributions from the parents of young children, both through payments for ECE services and…

The federal government and the states each invested more than $70 billion in higher education-related spending programs, excluding loans, in academic year 2014, the latest year for which data are available. But that figure, as substantial as it is, does not paint a full picture of federal and state investments in higher education. It excludes the…

This report is part of a series of reports that provides information on the structure, function, finances, taxation, employment, and pension systems of the United States' approximately 90,000 state and local governments. This report presents data on state and local government employment and payroll based on information collected by the 2013 Annual…

Low-income children tend to be concentrated in low-income school districts, and these children often attend schools that receive far fewer resources per pupil despite their greater need. Since education is primarily a state responsibility, more than 90 percent of school funding comes from state and local sources, and the federal government…

Sponsored by the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP), the second edition of this groundbreaking handbook assembles in one place the existing research-based knowledge in education finance and policy, with particular attention to elementary and secondary education. Chapters from the first edition have been fully updated and revised…

The persistence of the Great Recession provides us with the opportunity to engage in a long overdue conversation about public investments in America's children. Less than ten percent of the Fiscal Year 2010 federal budget of $3.603 trillion is allocated to children and youth. This percentage is likely to decline in the next decade if current laws…

The data presented in this combined report--"Rankings & Estimates"--provide facts about the extent to which local, state, and national governments commit resources to public education. As one might expect in a nation as diverse as the United States--with respect to economics, geography, and politics--the level of commitment to…

The major purpose of these hearings was to assess the reasons for the increase in the poverty rate, from 11.4 percent in 1978 to 15 percent in 1983. Topics examined included (1) the relation of the increase to the recession, demographic trends, budget reductions, and the 10-year decline in the real level of public assistance benefits; (2) the…

Tax and expenditure limitations will accelerate the rate of the slowdown in state and local government growth and may increase both the interdependence of governmental units and the centralization of the system at the state level. Journal availability: see EA 511 898. (Author/IRT)

This report examines trends in income distribution from the late 1970s to the late 1990s in the 50 states. It is based on before-tax income for families from the Census Bureau's March Current Population Survey public use files. All figures are expressed in 1997 dollars and adjusted for inflation. The paper examines the long term trend from the…

Uses public opinion polls to show that rural Americans, like the rest of the country, prefer less government in general but do not support cuts in specific programs. Finds rural Americans less supportive of government spending, particularly mass transportation, welfare, and public health; more supportive of sales taxes; more changeable. (LFL)

Responding to a need expressed by New Mexico American Indian tribal leaders, this document defines and clarifies the status of reservations vis a vis the state's legal authority to impose tax. Divided into two major sections dealing with a current orientation to tax laws and the legal background upon which they are founded, this document also…

THE REPORT WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE MAJOR SECTIONS--(1) THE PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY CURVE WAS USED TO DEMONSTRATE THE PROBLEM OF RESOURCE ALLOCATION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS, (2) STATE AND LOCAL REVENUES WERE EXAMINED IN TERMS OF FISCAL CAPACITY AND TAX EFFORT, AND (3) EXPENDITURES ON SELECTED FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT IN OKLAHOMA WERE…