Recently Released Reports

Standard & Poor’s Launches New Website on State Education Systems
On Tuesday, March 29 the National Education Data Partnership launched SchoolMatters.com, a free website that provides detailed statistics on state public education systems, down to the individual school level. The partnership that operates the service includes Standard and Poor’s School Evaluation Services and the Council of Chief State School Officers and is funded by the Broad Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The statistics that the online database provides include:

    • District and state financial data: Spending allocations, revenue streams, staff compensation and long-term debt.
    • Student proficiency results: Statewide reading and math tests by grade, school, district and state.
    • Student demographics: Socio-economic and special language information at all levels.
    • Community demographics: Income levels, housing values, housing values, parental status and adult education attainment levels.
    • Standard & Poor’s ratios: Analysis that puts academic and financial data in a demographic context.

Link: SchoolMatters Website

  • CMS Releases Report on Health Care Spending
    On Thursday, February 23, 2005 during a forum on Medicare presented by Health Affairs and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a report on health care spending entitled Trends: U.S. Health Spending Projections 2004-2014. According to Congressional Quarterly, the report states that health care spending is expected to account for a larger portion of the economy’s resources over the next ten years, with the public sector footing a larger share of the cost. By 2014, healthcare spending will constitute 18.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), up from 15.3 percent in 2003.

    Click here for more information about the Medicare forum presented by Health Affairs and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and to view the webcast. For a copy of the CMS report, email Kevin Bradley.

  • CRS and CBO: The Budget Process
    With federal budget issues becoming increasingly critical to state finances, NASBO members may wish to have additional information about the federal budget process. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) published an overview of the budget process, including a discussion of the reconciliation process and a descriptive flow chart.

    Click here to view the report. To view the Congressional Budget Office’s list of relevant budget terms, please click here.

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