Research Spotlight

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Looking back to 2015, when the Higher Education Partnership asked the Education Policy Center to perform this study to encourage, inform, train, and involve university leaders in
statewide initiatives designed to make Alabama a better state by delivering a message
that makes them aware of the economic, cultural, and social contributions of
Alabama’s 14 public, four-year universities.

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Building a better Alabama, Deep South, and Nation

The Education Policy Center is the oldest center or institute at The University of Alabama, established in 1924. Through its ongoing research and programs, it seeks to assist the College of Education in fulfilling its mission to improve the quality of life for all Alabamians through expanding access and success, strengthening equity, and advancing economic and community development.

Since 2005, we have published...

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61
​Issue Briefs

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29
​Juried Articles

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3
​Government Evaluations

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Journal of Education Finance, Winter 2023 Edition

For over three decades the Journal of Education Finance has been recognized as one of the leading journals in the field of the financing of public schools. Each issue brings original research and analysis on issues such as educational fiscal reform, judicial intervention in finance, adequacy and equity of public school funding, school/social agency linkages, taxation, factors affecting employment and salaries, and the economics of human capital development.

This special edition of the journal of education finance, authored by EPC Staff and Fellows, looks at problems plaguing higher ed like inadequate/disproportionate funding streams and miscommunication and perceptions among state higher ed leaders. 

Find Volume 48, Number 3, Winter 2023 edition here.

Educating the Top 100 Percent

Educating the Top 100 Percent assesses the decline of higher education funding and offers ambitious policy recommendations to restore the possibility of accessible, affordable education for all.

Stephen G. Katsinas, Nathaniel J. Bray, and Martha J. Kanter probe the complex interplay of federal, state, and local policies and illustrate how government actions have, over time, contributed to the long-term slide of US educational attainment. Declining federal and state funding of public higher education has forced institutions to revise their financial models, passing costs directly through to students, to the detriment of prospective students—and the nation. Experts in education policy, the authors point out how the unintended consequences of today's funding model deny an ever-increasing portion of the population important educational and professional opportunities.

Educating the Top 100 Percent demonstrates how stable, sustainable funding policies can scaffold a better public higher education system for all.

Find Educating the Top 100 Percent available for purchase here.

Our Latest Research

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Alabama's Prime-Age Employment Gap: Addressing Persistent Poverty in the Black Belt

A precursor to the 2024 Black Belt series, this issue brief refreshes a previous issue brief on labor force participation in Alabama, as well as introduces the prime-age employment gap (PAEG) metric, looking at the difference (or gap) between the national and Black Belt employment rates of the populations between 25 and 54 years old. 

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​The Black Belt 2022:
​Issue Brief Compilation

A series of issue briefs aimed to advocate for and lift up Alabama's Black Belt. This series examines the causes and effects of a variety of policy issues in the region, including COVID-19, STEM in K-12 education, educational attainment and community college transfers, poverty & housing, infrastructure, and profiles of community leaders throughout the Black Belt.

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Profiles of Community Leaders in the Black Belt

This final edition in the Black Belt 2022 series aims to highlight the good work of leaders in various roles who are on the ground and already making a difference in their Black Belt communities.

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