This theme issue focuses on the drastic revision of the Texas education code undertaken during the 1995 state legislative session. "Education Policy Reform: Key Points for Districts" (Albert Cortez, Mikki Symonds) outlines critical issues in the legislation that have an impact on educational quality: charter schools exempt from state…

Four studies examined financial and achievement issues in rural Ohio school districts. Based on both county population and location relative to a metropolitan statistical area, schools were assigned to five location categories: rural, semirural, rural/suburban, suburban, and urban. Study 1 examined financial characteristics of the 73 rural Ohio…

Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, the expectations for women's achievement have risen. This document presents a snapshot of the progress made toward gender equity in education and the barriers remaining. Females have increasingly enrolled in and completed college, obtained a greater number of graduate and professional degrees, participated in…

This theme issue newsletter includes five articles on the theme of the coordinated, efficient, and equitable use of funds in educational programming. "A Successful Coordination of Funds and Programs Approach: Four Dimensions of the School Restructuring Process" (Abelardo Villarreal, Oanh H. Maroney) examines the interrelatedness of four…

Public Law 81-874, enacted by Congress in 1950, allowed distribution of direct federal financial assistance to local public school districts serving children of parents who either lived or worked on tax-exempt federal property. The law, as subsequently amended, divides the affected children into Category A (students whose parents both reside on…

This report focuses on the fringe benefit element of total compensation for teachers in the Southeast. Study objectives include the following: (1) identifying teachers' fringe benefits in 12 Southeastern States; (2) examining the variation in fringe benefits within the region; (3) examining whether summer free time is a benefit or detriment; and…

This ERIC digest synthesizes research characterizing the economic climate in which rural schools operate and reports on the traditional strategies used to create greater economic support for rural school districts. The benefits of steady urban economic growth have not been shared, generally, by rural areas; this has led to inadequate financial…

Examines government policies in England and Australia toward nongovernment schools, compares forms of direct and indirect support which such schools and their pupils receive from public funds, and looks at ways in which state aid for nonstate schools has been justified and condemned. (JHZ)

Twenty percent of the children enrolled in rural and small-town schools are non-Caucasian, children of color. As in nonrural schools, rural schools have yet to close the achievement gap across various racial and economic subgroups of this diverse population. Overall, rural students perform as well as or better than their nonrural peers on…

Vermont's Act 60 received national attention not only because of the controversy surrounding the sharing pool (or recapture provision) but also because of its "potential for being the most equitable system in the country." For fiscal years 1998 to 2001, tax rates have become more equitable, and a direct relationship has appeared between…

This report describes Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's, Alliance Organizing Project (AOP), which organized parents and families of Philadelphia's public school students to become full partners in Philadelphia school reform. It is one of five case studies in the Indicators Project on Education Organizing, which identified eight indicators of the impact…

This theme issue focuses on equity in children's literature, public funding for private schools, women in educational fields, female dropouts, and the relationship between school violence and family and community violence. "Violence in Our Schools" (Bradley Scott) explores reasons for school violence (media violence, isolation from…

The South Australian State Department of Education, Training and Employment allocates funding to schools in much the way that the literature suggests is a generic basis for funding schools. This includes per school base funding, per student funding for all students, additional per student allocations based on year levels, and additional per…

This study examines the relationship between school consolidation and district transportation costs, effects on instructional expenditures, and institutional factors supporting consolidation. Data on actual student transportation costs across the United States indicate that despite widespread school and school district consolidation,…

Small schools offer many advantages and their numbers are increasing, but current funding practices often do not meet their needs. This digest suggests strategies that can help small public schools, particularly small rural schools, redress funding inequalities and get the resources they need. Three basic strategies for improving resources at…