States experiencing taxpayer revolts among homeowners are tempted to reduce reliance on the property tax to fund schools. But a more targeted approach can provide property tax relief and improve state funding for public education. This policy focus report includes a comprehensive review of recent research on both property tax and school funding, and summarizes case studies of seven states-- California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. The majority of these states are heavily reliant on property tax revenues to fund schools. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the report recommends addressing property taxes and school funding separately.
Improving public schools through performance-based funding Spurred by court rulings requiring states to increase public-school funding, the United States now spends more per student on K-12 education than almost any other country. Yet American students still achieve less than their foreign counterparts, their performance has been flat for decades, millions of them are failing, and poor and minority students remain far behind their more advantaged peers. In this book, Eric Hanushek and Alfred Lindseth trace the history of reform efforts and conclude that the principal focus of both courts and legislatures on ever-increasing funding has done little to improve student achievement. Instead, Hanushek and Lindseth propose a new approach: a performance-based system that directly links funding to success in raising student achievement. This system would empower and motivate educators to make better, more cost-effective decisions about how to run their schools, ultimately leading to improved student performance. Hanushek and Lindseth have been important participants in the school funding debate for three decades. Here, they draw on their experience, as well as the best available research and data, to show why improving schools will require overhauling the way financing, incentives, and accountability work in public education.
Leading Schools Financially: A practical anthology to school finance is an anthology about the important and timely issue of money and schools. Virtually everything a school touches is connected to school finance. If the reader is involved in schools, this is a vital informational and resource book. Even those not directly connected with schools have a huge involvement through taxes and the education of our future generation. School finance is not a spectator sport. It requires participatory governance with the involvement of all citizens. Leading Schools Financially informs the reader from the perspective of three school finance practitioners about organizations, budgets, governance, personnel, human relations, facilities, culture, ethical leadership, labor relations, tools of the trade and equity. Don't sit on the sideline. Get involved and learn more about an important component of our nation, state and community that not only educate our children but also consumes approximately 50% of state and local budgets.
This volume summarizes a range of scientific perspectives on the important goal of achieving high educational standards for all students. Based on a conference held at the request of the U.S. Department of Education, it addresses three questions: What progress has been made in advancing the education of minority and disadvantaged students since the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision nearly 50 years ago? What does research say about the reasons of successes and failures? What are some of the strategies and practices that hold the promise of producing continued improvements? The volume draws on the conclusions of a number of important recent NRC reports, including How People Learn, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Eager to Learn, and From Neurons to Neighborhoods, among others. It includes an overview of the conference presentations and discussions, the perspectives of the two co-moderators, and a set of background papers on more detailed issues.
The Law and Business of Litigation Finance considers the international development of the law and practice of high value litigation and arbitration funding. It is an essential guide for those who provide or seek such funding, as well as for anyone who wishes to understand the litigation funding process and to avoid pitfalls. It answers questions such as: - How do litigation funders raise capital and how do they spend it? - What are their corporate and financial structures? - What type of cases do they invest in and what are their returns? - What are the key legal issues relating to litigation funding? The Law and Business of Litigation Finance assists various parties, including: - Those who do not have the resources or risk appetite to proceed in litigation or arbitration without financial support - Law firms who are interested in a significant business development opportunity, and fairer outcome for litigants - Insolvent estates, whose biggest assets are their potential claims - Judges, arbitrators and other neutral parties in funded dispute resolution cases - Regulators, legislators and policymakers in the fields of legal and financial services - Investors who seek high risk, high return opportunities The book is edited by one of the most accomplished litigation funders in the international market and has contributions from leading experts drawn from legal practice, financiers and academia. The focus is on the UK and the US, the two main centres for the international litigation funding industry, with reference to Australia, New Zealand and other select jurisdictions. As the first book on litigation finance to take an international, and particularly transatlantic, perspective, this is a must-have guide for all lawyers, commercial court judges, legal policy makers, regulators, investors, and academics in these jurisdictions.
Cost of Capital in Litigation addresses cost of capital issues in litigation and discusses major decisions, highlighting how to avoid errors that have often been made by experts. The book helps the attorney and valuation expert understand the decisions within the context of the theory of cost of capital and includes a chapter on cross-examining experts on cost of capital issues. Throughout, there are citation to relevant material and cross-reference to Cost of Capital: Applications and Examples, Fourth Edition.
A master story-teller, Dr. Jose A. Cardenas, offers us an insider's view of the 28-year history of school finance in Texas. Dr. Cardenas is the founder & director emeritus of IDRA & is the only person who has been actively involved in the entire school finance reform effort since the early days of the RODRIGUEZ VS. SAN ANTONIO ISD litigation when he was superintendent of the Edgewood Independent School District. More than a history, this book provides a blueprint for persons interested in bringing about future reform in schools & other social institutions. Beginning with a description of the Texas system in 1950, the account covers court cases, legislation, & advocacy efforts & concludes with the status & future of school finance reform. Personal vignettes sprinkled throughout offer glimpses of those special untold moments that impacted history. Much of this volume - including the myths of school finance & lessons learned - relate to reform efforts in other states as well. Dr. James A. Kelly, president of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, provides a foreword, "Fighting the Good Fight," describing Dr. Cardenas as a trailblazer & pioneer. (ISBN 1-878550-63-2; 1997; 387 pages; hardback) Distributed exclusively by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA); 210-684-8180; FAX: 210-684-5389; E-mail: [email protected]; URL: www.idra.org.
The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.