FOLLOW THE MONEY. State governments appear to be sending more money higher education's way.

State appropriations for higher education rose almost across the board in the 2006-7 fiscal year, according to data compiled annually by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University.

Whether that will translate into additional sections of smaller classes or sufficient dry-erase markers in the smart classrooms remains to be seen. Phil Miller at Market Power has done additional research.

I poked around the Grapevine website and could not find any information whether the dollar figureson which the conclusions are based are nominal or real values. From what I read, I assume they are not inflation-adjusted figures.