Per-pupil property valuation extremes among Colorado school districts are as varied as the landscape. A foundation plan levels funding disparities for school operations, but financing of major capital outlay projects still depends on local property taxation. Funds are needed to finance classroom technologies and Internet connections. (MLH)

This paper is one of four individual case study reports presenting the qualitative findings from a five-year investigation of the impact of accountability reform on students with disabilities in four states, eight districts, and twenty schools. This case study report presents qualitative data collected over a four-year period--2001-2004--from…

This paper is one of four individual case study reports presenting the qualitative findings from a five-year investigation of the impact of accountability reform on students with disabilities in four states, eight districts, and twenty schools. This case study report presents qualitative data collected over a four-year period--2001-2004--from…

Across OECD countries, governments are seeking policies to make education more effective while searching for additional resources to meet the increasing demand for education. The 2008 edition of "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries' performance. It provides a rich,…

This paper provides a glimpse of the current picture of education in rural Scotland. Scotland has many small schools, and not all of these are in geographically isolated areas. Although Scotland's population has decreased in the past 20 years, the decline has been mostly in urban areas. Remote areas are becoming more cosmopolitan as highly…

The 1954 Supreme Court decision in the case of "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" provided the legal basis for equal educational opportunity. More than 40 years after the decision, equal opportunity, equal access, and affirmative action remain issues of intense debate. This book offers essays by 23 prominent voices in…

This document presents arguments to counter nine criticisms, or "lies," most frequently leveled at school choice. The criticisms include the following: (1) the undermining America argument: Choice will destroy the American public school tradition; (2) the creaming argument: Choice will leave the poor behind in the worst schools; (3) the…

The Educational Priorities Panel undertook a study to find out how funds are distributed among community school districts in New York (New York) and how resources are distributed to individual schools within the system. For the first time, in 1992, the New York City Board of Education published detailed budgets for the 32 community school…

A recent court case, Sheff vs. O'Neill has centered Connecticut's attention on the fact that its public schools are largely segregated by race/ethnicity (80% of the state's minority student population are clustered in 18 of 166 school districts while 140 others are more than 90% white). This paper discusses financing the cost of higher standards…

A literature review examines research and reports on school and school district size as they relate to educational quality and finance. Sections cover: (1) research on the relationships of size to course offerings, teacher qualifications, student achievement, student behavior, student participation, and school climate; (2) state level reports…

During the 1990s, Kentucky has undergone an extensive educational renaissance guided by three milestones: enactment of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA); creation of the nation's first Workforce Development Cabinet; and development of the Kentucky Strategic Plan for Higher Education in Kentucky. This report to President Bush describes…

The RAND Institute on Education and Training has undertaken an analysis of Federal policy options to improve education in low-income areas. Volumes I and II, separately published, have assessed the current Chapter I program and presented a strategy for reformulating the program with commentaries by invited contributors. This volume assesses…

This issue summarizes Marshall S. Smith and Jennifer O'Day's "Systemic School Reform," an analytic essay discussing research into the effectiveness of current education policies and policy system development in numerous states. The essay proposes a design for a systemic state structure that supports school-site improvement efforts and is…

To examine equity issues involving proposed Federal income tax credits for private school tuition, the author uses data from the Bureau of the Census and other governmental sources to estimate the effects of tuition tax credit (TTC) plans. After discussing equity and educational policy, he compares would-be TTC recipients--private school families…

Texas public school finance is undergoing reform in response to a state Supreme Court decision in Edgewood I.S.D. v. Kirby, that declared the school finance system in violation of the "efficient clause" of the state constitution. State aid has declined since 1984 due to state revenue constraints, reform mandates largely funded from local…