If you want to get a sense of how bad state and local budgets are, there’s not a better resource out there right now than this article on Stateline.org. Among the things you’ll learn:
This is truly the worst recession in 50 years. State and local tax collections fell at rates unseen in the modern era. [...]
States will be glad to see the in large infusion of federal funds into K-12 education. But will they help districts balance their budgets without major teacher layoffs? Most of the reductions in state and local resources are unrestricted funds resulting from reductions in local property tax revenues or state general support for schools. All [...]
The New York Times reported today that an unexpectedly steep rise in federal tax revenues is driving down projected future budget deficits. If this trend continues, it will have real implications for education funding, because the same economic phenonmena will drive up state tax revenues, particularly in states with federal-style progressive income taxes. States [...]
The association of State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) has a new report showing how per-student state and local financial support for higher education declined in real dollar terms from $7,121 in 2001 to $5,833 in 2005.
This is an important issue to keep track of. In the realm of public fiscal priorities, higher education is [...]
In this new Education Sector report, co-authors Erin Dillon and Robin V. Smiles discuss the growing problem of students defaulting on their student loans. Based on the experiences of a small group of Texas HBCUs and a new statistical analysis of cohort default rates, they argue that institutions play a significant role in helping students avoid default./a>
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
In this Education Sector report, Policy Analyst Chad Aldeman calls for a new approach to high school accountability. He argues that the best way to measure whether students are prepared for college or a career is by looking at what actually happens when students arrive at their intended destination.
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.