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School Finance

Commentary
College in America Could Be Changed Forever
COVID-19 is threatening to upend the models that both public and private higher education depend on in the United States. As universities consider whether to postpone in-person classes until next year, many parents and students may be questioning the value of a traditional higher education.
Jul 7, 2020
Research Brief
Supporting Summer Programs: Navigating Federal, State, and Local Program Support Opportunities
This research brief summarizes how policy environment affects school districts' attempts to scale and sustain quality summer programs.
May 12, 2020
Report
Getting Support for Summer Learning: How Federal, State, City, and District Policies Affect Summer Learning Programs
The authors consider how policy environments affect school districts' attempts to scale and sustain quality summer programs. This report, the sixth in a series, is intended to help program leaders navigate local, state, and federal policy contexts.
Apr 13, 2020
Research Brief
Financial Aid Can Help Low-Income Students Finish Two-Year College Programs
In Wisconsin, a state-funded grant helped the lowest-income college students meet living expenses and supported degree completion. A grant of $1,100 made graduation 9 percent more likely for students enrolled at technical colleges.
Mar 30, 2020
Commentary
Income Share Agreements: What's Risky, What's Promising, and What We Still Need to Know
While policymakers debate options to address college affordability and the nation's mounting student loan debt, an alternative education financing model has been gaining ground in a handful of schools and state legislatures: the income share agreement. While terms vary from institution to institution, they are all based on the same premise: The more income a graduate makes, the more they will pay back.
Jun 5, 2019
Testimony
Five Options for Long-Term Sustainability of Pennsylvania's State System Universities
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education faces significant challenges to its long-term sustainability, including population shifts and limited state funding. There are options to address these issues and avoid closures, but major structural changes will be needed.
Apr 25, 2018
Report
Sustaining Pennsylvania's State System Universities
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is facing considerable challenges, such as demographic shifts, limited state funding, and strong competition. Options are available to address the system's long-term sustainability and viability, but major changes would be needed.
Apr 25, 2018
Commentary
Is College Worth the Expense? Yes, It Is
Many American students struggle with the soaring cost of higher education. And for many college students, debt can have severe negative implications. But on balance, the benefits of a college degree appear to outweigh the costs.
May 22, 2017
Research Brief
Building Blocks for Expanding High-Quality Preschool
Cincinnati is seeking to expand preschool programs to more children. A number of approaches would likely provide returns on investment, but it is important to ensure programs are high-quality.
Dec 12, 2016
Report
Cost Analysis of an Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program In-School Model Site
This report analyzes the costs to implement the Children's Aid Society's Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program in-school model for one year for 880 students at one school district in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Aug 30, 2016
Commentary
The High Cost of Free College
Tuition subsidies may encourage institutions to raise tuition, since the government would foot the bill. One possible solution: develop and implement policies that encourage greater productivity from higher education institutions.
Aug 1, 2016
Commentary
Reframing the 'Free College' Debate
Free college may make for a terrific sound bite on the campaign trail, but it rings hollow. Framing the future of college as a debate about whether it should be free is a lost opportunity to discuss what's really wrong with higher education in America—and a missed chance to help young Americans regain lost competitiveness in the workforce.
Apr 14, 2016
News Release
High-Quality, Full-Scale Preschool Programs Boost School Readiness and Produce Sustained Benefits
The investment in high-quality preschool programs may be paid back through improved outcomes during the school-age years and beyond. In addition to school readiness, they produce long-term benefits like lower rates of special education use, reduced grade repetition, and higher high school graduation rates.
Mar 11, 2016
Report
High-Quality, Full-Scale Preschool Programs Boost School Readiness and Produce Sustained Benefits
The investment in high-quality preschool may be paid back through improved outcomes during the school-age years and beyond. In addition to school readiness, they produce long-term benefits like lower rates of special education use, reduced grade repetition, and higher high school graduation rates.
Mar 11, 2016
Commentary
The Shared Savings Model: An Innovative Way to Attack Rapidly Rising College Costs
The challenge facing policymakers is how to lessen the college cost pressure felt by families while incentivizing institutions to innovate to reduce cost and improve quality. What if cost savings from increased productivity were quantified and a portion returned to institutions?
Oct 22, 2015
Commentary
Cost of College in the United States
For middle- to lower-income families in the U.S., in particular, the costs associated with attending a four-year university are becoming nearly impossible to bear. More and more students are ending up with significant debt after graduating from college, putting financial pressure on them at the outset of their professional careers.
Jan 16, 2015
Commentary
College Ratings and Affordable Education
There are reasons to believe American students from the middle- and lower-income tiers aren't making affordable college choices. Can a new ratings system help them make better, more affordable decisions?
Dec 24, 2014
Commentary
Are Youth Putting Off Marriage Because of Their Student Loan Debt?
Women with higher loan balances may be less likely to get married than their peers with lower or no loan balances. But as time goes on, young adults adjust to their post-college financial situation and eventually get promotions, earn raises, obtain other assets, and get married.
Jun 26, 2014
Commentary
Making Colleges More Affordable
President Obama has released a plan to make colleges more affordable for the middle class. The plan calls for linking federal student aid to college performance, capping student loans at 10% of income, and incentivizing innovative instructional approaches to cut costs and improve quality.
Aug 26, 2013
Commentary
Preserving Access and Quality in an Era of Rising University Tuition Fees
State financing of higher education is under stress as countries all over the world struggle with fiscal pressures. Researchers review a number of cost-sharing policies that can be adopted and how they may affect access to and the quality of education.
Sep 28, 2012