Education Funding Policies Research Articles

Diseño colaborativo e implementación de herramientas digitales en educación como parte de programas a nivel nacional en un sistema educativo descentralizado

Una característica interesante de la política educativa finlandesa es el diseño colaborativo de estrategias nacionales y locales, programas de desarrollo y planes de estudio. La planificación de estrategias, programas y planes de estudio generalmente comienza con el reconocimiento de los desafíos y necesidades a nivel de aula, escuela y municipio. Posteriormente, estos programas se planifican a través de una asociación de colaboración entre el sindicato de docentes, el Ministerio de Educación, las universidades y los proveedores de educación, típicamente los municipios y varios otros interesados. Los objetivos generales se acuerdan por consenso y estos objetivos se discuten a nivel local, se modifican y se implementan en contextos locales. Después de acordar los objetivos, los recursos de los presupuestos estatales y municipales se ponen a disposición para la prueba piloto y la implementación de los objetivos. En este artículo se presentan y discuten en detalle tres programas y planes de estudio actuales. Los programas de desarrollo introducidos se diseñaron en el Foro de Educación Básica y en el Foro de Educación de Profesores de Finlandia. Además, se introduce y analiza la preparación del Plan de Estudios Básico Nacional para la Educación Básica. Finalmente, se analiza el uso de herramientas y entornos digitales en educación como parte de la preparación y ejecución de los programas y planes de estudio.

States and school finance

AbstractIn the US, the share of school district revenues that state and local governments provide for K‐12 has changed significantly over the last century. Historically, K‐12 education was highly decentralized and funded largely by property taxes of local governments. States played only a supporting role. Today, states, which obtain the biggest portion of tax revenues from income and sales taxes, play a large and increasing role in school funding. This paper uses a hybrid Tiebout model to analyze the impact of the education finance policy change in a general equilibrium framework.

Analysis of the Determinants of Public Education Expenditures in Bangladesh

This study based on the well-known theories of public policy analysis, economics, as well as public finance through empirically exploring and examining the determinants of public expenditure on education in Bangladesh. It is postulated, for the purpose of the research that education expenditures are determined by multidimensional factors. Economic-demographic, decision-making, political, and new institutionalism theories are therefore been studied, along with the concept of education. This research identified as well as computed education expenditure by types along with levels of education as per the distribution of government budget and the education system of Bangladesh. The results disclosed that education financing policy in Bangladesh is primarily determined by the previous year’s expenditures. Indirect tax also increased the total education expenditure as percentage of GDP. This is what in line of incrementalism theory and fiscal illusion or voting bias model suggests, respectively. Furthermore, total populations and government effectiveness has the positive impact of types as well as levels of education expenditures; implying that government of Bangladesh taken under consideration only certain factors and neglects to incorporate the importance of economic, governance and educational determinants while allocating education expenditures.

Graduate attributes: Social constructions and lived experience of university students in Ireland

Aim. This paper examines how dominant understandings of students in third-level education in Ireland are reflected in national policies, filtered through the official and aspirational texts issued by Irish colleges, and negotiated and contested by students. Specifically, we investigate the discrepancies between the perceived needs of students in third-level education as imagined in government policies and promoted by higher education institutions, and the lived realities of students who grapple with multiple challenges brought about by structural failures in housing and higher education funding policy.
 Methods. Through documentary analysis and primary qualitative data on student experiences, we examine how the imagined figure of the third-level student/graduate becomes imbued with the aspirations of multiple stakeholders: policymakers, academic institutions, and potential employers - in ways that conflict with the lived realities of students.
 Results. We find that students are caught between the ambitions and expectations of an education system that pushes them into higher education without the requisite and adequate supports.
 Conclusion. The ideal graduate is expected to embody the nation’s hope for future success as well as to uphold the alma mater’s reputation among employers. Couched in this rhetoric of the graduate as the beacon of hope, however, are deeper failings of a welfare state that is still battling the aftermath of recession. These failures are projected onto students, manifesting in a very real way in their minds and lives as they struggle to balance between institutional, family and personal expectations, the demands of daily life and future plans.

Helping Students or Just Taking Their Cuts? How Prioritization of State Student Aid Programs Responds to Downturns in Higher Education Appropriations

Background/Context During downturns in state higher education support, state student aid becomes especially important for affordability because colleges react by increasing tuition, and other aid sources may not fully respond. From a policy perspective, states might be expected to protect aid support in response to fiscal stringency, yet this key relationship is understudied. We use social construction theory framing, hypothesizing that, because college students are positively construed as a “deserving” target population, policymakers prefer allocating benefits to them relative to institutional support, particularly in hard times. Purposes We seek to better understand the long-term shift in state higher education funding away from institutional support toward student aid, with particular interest in whether this trend accelerates during fiscal stringencies when tuition spikes increase the salience of students’ needs. Further, we aim to understand structural, political, and economic characteristics of states that prioritize student aid during downturns versus not. Research Design Across 50 states from 1980–2013, we identify periods of substantial downturn in higher education appropriations, observing 109 such cases. Within these state-specific downturns, we compare percentage changes in student aid funding versus institutional support, classifying budgetary responses into three priority categories: student aid, institutional support, or budgetary equity. We conduct a regression across 1,700 state-years to investigate whether the share of appropriations allocated to student aid differs in downturn versus non-downturn years and employ a random effects model to explore trends within states. We employ a logistic regression to estimate the relationship between student aid prioritization and state-level factors. Findings States prioritize funding for student aid in most downturns, fewer in the 1980s, but consistent at around 80% across more recent sub-periods (1990s, early 2000s, late 2000s–2010s), indicating considerable stability in this dimension of state higher education policy cultures. On average, states increase student aid's share of higher education appropriations more sharply during downturn years (2.6 percentage points higher aid share) than other years. States with more aid per student and a lower unemployment rate at downturn onset are more likely to prioritize aid. Magnitude of tuition increase during downturns was not a significant factor. Conclusions This study contributes to discussions about higher education affordability policies by illuminating both the relative resilience of student aid support in downturns and that the long-term increase in aid's share of higher education appropriations is more likely a reaction to tuition growth than an explicit “voucherization” of higher education finance policy.

The Cultivation of Indonesia’s Education Financing Policy in Disruption Era

This study is aimed at analyzing the development of education financing policy in Indonesia with the necessity of Indonesia’s people. The policy regarding to education financing has long been formulated in Indonesia. Nevertheless how about with its necessity with Indonesian people, it will be analysed trough this research. This research is using text analisis and it only analyzes the policy and law regarding to education financing based on the necessity of Indonesian people. Based on this research it was found that the regulation keeps growing in disruption era but it does not specifically regulate the existing problems in society.

Social representations of teachership based on students\u2019 and teachers\u2019 drawings of a typical teacher

This study examines social representations of teachership based on students’ and teachers’ drawings. Fifty-nine students and thirty-nine teachers in upper-secondary education in Finland participated in the research, drawing a picture of a typical teacher and commenting on their drawings verbally. The study focuses on what kinds of social representations of teachership the drawings suggest and how teachers’ and students’ social representations relate to each other and to Finnish education policy. The data were analyzed by content analysis. This study shows that teachers’ and students’ social representations of teachership differ from each other and also deviate from Finnish education policy to some extent. Furthermore, the results suggest that teachers do not pay sufficient attention to their visual nonverbal behavior, which might contribute to the formation of unfavorable social representations of teachers among students, influencing interaction and learning negatively.

The determinants of student loan take-up in England

Recent changes in higher education financing policies in England have led to more students funding their studies via two types of student loan—for tuition fees and/or for maintenance. Moreover, the average amount borrowed has been increasing. Yet not all students take out loans, and understanding the determinants of take-up is important, not least because those who can manage to study without borrowing enjoy significant advantages both during and after their studies. Using Next Steps, a unique dataset with data on both types of loan and rich information on students’ backgrounds and their attitudes to debt, we analyse loan take-up by type of loan. We estimate the strength of the association of loan take-up with each of students’ family income, indicators of family wealth (home ownership, private education, not living in a deprived area, social class), parental education, gender, ethnicity and debt aversion. Of these, only social class is found to have no independent effect. We find that these associations can differ according to the type of debt. We also find that, while students from some disadvantaged groups are less likely to take out maintenance loans, this association is accounted for by students living at home while studying, a prime mechanism for debt avoidance.

Promoting Distributive Justice in Education and the Challenge of Unpredictability

This article examines how the existence of unpredictability should influence the quest to promote distributive justice in education. First, the article briefly discusses resource allocation in education finance policy and its relationships with existing philosophical theories of distributive justice. It then explains why unpredictability comes into play in education and how this endangers the achievements of distributive justice. It is argued that unpredictability poses a real challenge to enhancing educational justice. Second, the article examines the common policy conception that educational justice can best be promoted by reducing unpredictability through means of increased control. It is maintained that the costs of this solution exceed its benefits. Finally, the article offers alternative routes for dealing with unpredictability in educational resource allocations. It is argued that we have good reasons, both normative and practical, to embrace a new approach for furthering distributive justice in education that takes into account the complexity of the educational system.

Analiza sistema finansiranja visokog obrazovanja u Srbiji i EU

Lack of reliable information about the characteristics of higher education and scientific research funding system in Serbia suggests the complexity of this issue. Such a situation makes it impossible to conduct a sound evaluation of the existing system solutions and to implement new ones. The article emphasizes the significance of education economics and offers an overview of sources of financing in different education systems for covering expenditures of higher education institutions. In EU countries, higher education finance policies have changed in the recent years. Having those changes in mind, the authors of the article analyse the modern trends in higher education funding, new sources of finance and higher education institutions' perception of the complexity of new sources of finance. The authors also provide an overview of certain characteristics of financing models and other specificities of higher education funding systems in Serbia and EU countries.

Comparative Studies of Higher Education Financing Policies from Social Justice Perspective: the US, the UK, and Japan

Comparative Studies of Higher Education Financing Policies from Social Justice Perspective: the US, the UK, and Japan

Changing the heart and soul? Inequalities in Finland’s current pursuit of a narrow education policy

The Finnish educational system is well known for its excellent learning results, highly trained teachers and egalitarian values. However, when the political leanings of the government change, its policies are usually altered as well. In this policy report we give an account of the recent changes and current trends in Finnish education policy. We analyse the characteristics of the Sipilä Government’s current education policy since 2015 and compare it to the Nordic welfare-state ideals of universalism, equality and social justice which have traditionally been the key building blocks of the Finnish education system. The Government’s policy appears to be narrow-minded and ignorant of issues related to educational equality, stressing instead the importance of a flexible workforce and national competitiveness. We will reflect on the characteristics of Finnish education policy in light of the debate regarding academic capitalism and as part of an overarching trend of social inequality in Europe.

Tulevaisuuden kansalaisia rakentamassa

The concept of new literacies refers to new forms of literacy. The meaning of literacy is constantly changing as new technologies and new social practices emerge. To be literate in the future means being able to use a combination of new technologies and new social practices that have not yet appeared. This has important implications for education. In this paper, we analyse Finnish educational policy and strategy papers from 1998 to 2014 conducting textmining and traditional close reading. By means of lexical dispersion we separate three distinct time periods: before 2005, the years 2005–2010 and after 2010. By close reading and topic modeling, we examine the emergence of new literacies in our research material and how thisis related to the sociocultural contexts of each period of time.

Repayment burdens of mortgage-style student loans in China and steps toward income-contingent loans

Currently China is experiencing unprecedented growth in higher education enrolments, with this trend set to continue. Whether higher education financing policy is able to facilitate this expansion is a critical issue for both education outcomes and economic growth. Using cross-sectional earnings data from the Chinese Household Income Project we find that a significant proportion of low-income graduates have a high likelihood of experiencing financial difficulties with current loan arrangements, implying high levels of financial hardship, a reliance on family members to meet repayments in order to avoid difficulties, and for some, default. In contrast we show that a properly designed income-contingent loan scheme has the potential to significantly mitigate, even eliminate, these concerns without attendant high budgetary costs. Our findings have important policy implications for Chinese higher education financing.

Governance Based on Cost Analysis: Unit Cost Analysis for Vocational Schools

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Losing the elite: Caribbean educational policy responses to the emigration of skilled labor

The Caribbean ranks second only to Africa as the region with the highest levels of skilled emigration, which is defined as the outward migration of people holding a bachelor’s degree or extensive/equivalent experience in a given field. Based on the cost of educating their citizens, there are strong arguments supporting the view that skilled emigration comes at significant economic and social cost, especially to small island developing states of the Caribbean. This paper, therefore, explores how the emigration of skilled labor from the CARICOM Caribbean impacts education policy nationally and regionally. Drawing on data collected through questionnaires and document analysis, the research unearths four dominant educational policy responses to skilled emigration: bonding and compulsory service at the national level; regional cooperation on the movement of skilled labor through CARICOM’s Single Market and Economy (CSME); market based approaches to educating skilled professionals; and education funding policy. The paper also analyses the efficacy of each of these four policy responses and their implications. Ultimately, these policy responses coalesce to highlight the national and regional complexities of educational policy-making under globalization, and the limitations of Caribbean national and regional educational policies aimed at controlling skilled emigration in the context of globalization’s market forces.

Paying for financial expertise: privatization policies and shifting state responsibilities in the school facilities industry

In an era of expanding global educational privatization and shifting policies on how to fund educational facilities in many states in the US, this study engages the lenses of critical policy analysis and fiscal sociology to examine educational privatization in the school facilities industry in California. Employing critical policy document analysis to examine approximately 40 primary and secondary source documents including propositions, bills, government and education codes, facilities reports, and state public debt data, this paper addresses the following research question: How have education finance policies shaped the system of school district facilities financing over time, specifically with regard to the field of private actors involved in the school facilities industry? This paper examines the historical policy context for privatization in school district facilities financing, evaluating how policies have evolved, been implemented, and affected stakeholders over time in the broader neoliberal context. Findings indicate that policies promoting privatization in education finance impact school districts’ abilities to provide equitable facilities to their students. Also, the complex and intermittent process of financing school facilities has facilitated the rise of specialized private actors in the school facilities industry that has now organized to engage in private-sector policy setting.

Special Education Financing and ADHD Medications: A Bitter Pill to Swallow

AbstractAccurate diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is difficult because the major symptoms, inattentiveness and hyperactivity, can be exhibited by any child. This study finds evidence of systematic differences in diagnosis and treatment of ADHD due to third party financial incentives. In some states, due to the financing mechanism for special education, schools face a financial incentive to facilitate the identification of children with ADHD. Using variation in special education funding policies across states, we find that children living in states with financial incentives are about 15 percent more likely to report having ADHD and are about 22 percent more likely to be taking medication for ADHD. We provide support that these findings are causal by leveraging variation from two states that implemented policy changes during the time period studied.

The Impact of Providing Vision Screening and Free Eyeglasses on Academic Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Title I Elementary Schools in Florida.

More than 20 percent of all school-aged children in the United States have vision problems, and low-income and minority children are disproportionately likely to have unmet vision care needs. Vision screening is common in U.S. schools, but it remains an open question whether screening alone is sufficient to improve student outcomes. We implemented a multi-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of vision screening, and of vision screening accompanied by eye exams and eyeglasses, provided by a non-profit organization to Title I elementary schools in three large central Florida school districts. We find that providing additional/enhanced screening alone is generally insufficient to improve student achievement in math and reading. In contrast, providing screening along with free eye exams and free eyeglasses to students with vision problems improved student achievement as measured by standardized test scores. We find, averaging over all students (including those without vision problems), that this more comprehensive intervention increased the probability of passing the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Tests (FCATs) in reading and math by approximately 2.0 percentage points. We also present evidence that indicates that this impact fades out over time, indicating that follow-up actions after the intervention may be necessary to sustain these estimated achievement gains.

When Does My Future Begin? Student Debt and Intragenerational Mobility

Higher education financing policy largely assumes that college graduates enjoy equal opportunities for economic mobility regardless of how they finance their degrees. To examine this contention, this study uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 to compare the time it takes to move up the economic ladder for young adult college graduates who acquired student debt and those who did not. Findings reveal that those who acquired student debt take longer to reach the midpoint of the net worth distribution than those who did not acquire student debt. In fact, even after controlling for key demographic differences, acquiring $10,000 in student loans—only one-third of the average student debt load—is associated with an 18% decrease in the rate of achieving median net worth. Additionally, student debt may be associated with a slower rate of reaching median income; here, an additional $10,000 in student loans is associated with a 9% decrease in the rate of achieving median income, although graphical evidence suggests these differences do not emerge until about age 35. These findings reveal inequities in current education financing policy.