Examines the potential for inconsistent resource allocation decisions to be made at different administrative levels of school districts and schools. Uses data from 654 New York school districts to show internal variation across districts in how teacher resources are distributed and evidence of inconsistency at levels of decision making. (SLD)

Summarizes findings of a study of resource equity in the Chicago Public Schools. Despite a reform emphasis on increasing school funding equity, success was mixed. The distribution of base funding for K-12 education is horizontally equitable to some degree. Equity diminishes as various special and categorical funds are included. As schools gain…

Uses panel data on 1982 to 1996 state appropriations to examine the sensitivity of results from the legislative-demand model to changes in statistical methodology employed. Signs and significant levels of variables used in this model vary widely when least-squares and fixed-effects methods are used. Expected relationships between state…

Shows how California State University at Fullerton improved classroom allocation and scheduling efficiency while responding to student enrollment increases and campus renovation. Steps discussed include conducting facilities audits, assessing the scheduling process, allocating smaller rooms, and studying scheduling and foot traffic patterns. (GR)

Florida state officials promoted the lottery as a successful revenue-producing source for public education. Yet, increases in lottery revenues (even when combined with increased student fees and other revenues) were insufficient to offset significant declines in state allocations to community colleges after the lottery was introduced and reached…

Using longitudinal comparison data, shows that including socioeconomic status as a production function creates serious statistical problems that mask the significance of other school inputs (teacher education and experience, teacher salary, teacher-pupil ratio, and expenditure per pupil). Recommends corrective methodologies. (Contains 35…

Each month, "American School & University" provides a mix of thought-provoking features, how-to-articles, industry reports, exclusive surveys, new sections, insightful columns, new product introductions and case histories to assist education officials in better performing their jobs. This March 2005 issue includes the following:…

Guided by clear planning principles, and under the custodial care of a governance council, the model strategic planning process at Carroll Community College is evidence-driven, connected to budget decisions, and continuously refreshed.

The project life cycle, a well-established concept in project management literature and education, is used to highlight the dynamic requirements placed on a typical project manager. As a project moves through the selection, planning, execution, and termination phases, the project manager and team are faced with different, vying areas of…

This article describes the nature and utility of fiscal analysis in evaluating complex community interventions. Using New York University's evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Urban Health Initiative as an example, the authors describe issues arising in defining and operationalizing constructs for fiscal analysis. The approachs…

Adequacy is a derived concept whose origins in the school finance literature probably stem from San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973), a landmark federal case. Although there is often a recycling of definitions, 3 decades later, there is still little consensus on how to operationalize that concept. The purpose of this article…

This review draws on William Massy's recent book--"Honoring the Trust: Quality and Cost Containment in Higher Education" (Anker Publishing, 2003)--to establish the case for change and to suggest some of the tools to better manage institutions. Also included are two disparate resources to help reach that goal--resources that are used by…

This paper discusses results from an evaluation of the UK-based Communities that Care programme. This "risk and protective" programme was set up in 1997 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation with a central aim of exploring if such an approach could be successful in the UK context. Communities that Care puts into operation the "risk…

New Zealand's special funding system allows state schools a greater level of independence in managing their property compared to most other countries. Schools receive a fixed budget as an entitlement from the three "pots" of the educational property funding structure. The government's unique use of accrual accounting together with a new…

Two critical concerns with the rapid and ongoing expansion of charter schools are that they will segregate students and reduce the per-pupil resources available to conventional public schools. The contradictory prior evidence on such questions is based on potentially misleading cross-sectional comparisons. This study provides new evidence on these…