The Secretary amends the regulations governing the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) in 34 CFR part 280. These amendments allow the MSAP to use an approach similar to that in section 75.200 for establishing selection criteria in grant competitions. Under this approach the MSAP has the flexibility to use selection criteria from its program…

Colleges and universities, like corporations and other nonprofit organizations, are subject to periodic fluctuations in the economy and public support. Thus, the question is not whether they will confront financial problems but rather when and how. This article describes how institutions and boards can detect budgets in crisis, provides principles…

Statewide about one-third of the funds that K-12 schools receive in 2007-08 are from categorical programs designated to serve specific purposes. School agencies receive varying amounts depending on district characteristics, the programs they choose to operate, and the proportion of the state's 6.3 million students that they serve. These tables…

"Torchlights in ESL: Five Community College Profiles" grows out of the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy's (CAAL's) recent two-year study of adult ESL service in community colleges. The five college programs at the heart of the study offer high quality ESL instruction and are considered exemplary. This publication is a supplement…

Can spiraling special education costs explain why educational achievement remained stagnant over the past three decades while real education spending more than doubled? Policy makers, education researchers, and school district officials often make this claim. Special education students--goes the argument--are draining resources away from regular…

The strength or weakness of a nation and advances in the material and spiritual civilization of society as a whole are, to a large extent, determined by the quantity and quality of personnel equipped with a higher education. Also, people's need for undergoing higher education increases as the national economy develops and standards of living in…

As states look for ways to hold school districts accountable for how they use big increases in K-12 funding, New York's experience may offer a test case in directing the flow of that new money. Under the state's ambitious "Contracts for Excellence" program, 55 of New York's 705 districts will share $430 million in extra aid this school…

This article talks about the "Pay-to-play" issue in some districts. State constitutions across the nation include guarantees of "free public education." Simply put, that means that school programs may not charge fees for participation. In this article, the authors examine the issue on whether extracurricular activities are integral parts of the…

The Texas Supreme Court has sent the Texas school finance case back to trial to consider the suitability, adequacy and equity of the Texas school finance system. From its filing in 1984, the Texas case has generally been seen as an "equity" case. The trial set for July 2004 is generally seen as an "adequacy" case. This article clarifies the…

"National CrossTalk" is a publication of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The National Center promotes public policies that enhance opportunities for quality education and training beyond high school. The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher…

The decisions rural elementary school principals make related to special education programming at their building sites are influenced by a variety of factors. This study employed a qualitative research methodology to investigate the perspectives of four rural elementary school principals concerning the decision-making processes they use as they…

The problem. Bradley, Danielson, & Hallahan (2002) suggested that research was needed to specify the impact of early identification and intervention on district costs, number of special education referrals, and the degree of intensity required to be effective. Horowitz (2007) stated that additional research was necessary in the study of students…

Performance funding in higher education ties state funding directly to institutional performance on specific indicators, such as rates of retention, graduation, and job placement. One of the great puzzles about performance funding is that it has been both popular and unstable. Between 1979 and 2007, 26 states enacted it, but 14 of those states…

Traces the development of faith-based postsecondary institutions in British Columbia, Canada, that offer programs of a duration that is equivalent to at least one semester of full-time study. The programs they offer are not restricted to religion, but all institutions bring an explicitly religious perspective to their curriculum. Institutions are…

As a charter school sponsor (authorizer), the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation submits an accountability report to the Ohio Department of Education at the end of November each year. The report includes profiles of each Fordham-sponsored school, as well as graphics comparing the achievement data of its schools, their home districts, and statewide…