"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Kline Introduces State and Local Funding Flexibility Act: Bill Would Allow States and School Districts to Move Money…

This paper critiques England's teacher in-service training program, called Grants for Education, Support and Training (GEST.) The paper notes that funding is only available for national priority areas and argues that the impact of this approach is leading to a lack of necessary training for special education teachers. (JDD)

Childhood and adolescent obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and are growing. The sedentary routines found in schools and in the home as well as the overexposure to unhealthy snacks and nonnutritional foods contribute to the pervasiveness of this disease that afflicts America's children. Obese children face…

This discussion of the progress made in the fields of technology and communications in India describes a number of government projects, leading manufacturers and industries, advances made in various areas, and the current status of information technologies in India. (CLB)

The Reagan administration's annual report to the Congress on international activities in the fields of science and technology (S&T) for fiscal year 1984 consists of three parts. The two chapters in part I (S&T in American diplomacy) examine S&T in American foreign policy and resources necessary for successful diplomacy. The two chapters in part II…

Reviews European attitudes toward information policy developments in West Germany, and describes recent activities undertaken by the German private sector, plans to reorganize the Society for Information and Documentation, and the federal government's specialized information program. The policies, structure, and activities of the Scientific and…

Asserts that policymakers and the general public should be well informed about economic and social issues. Contends that a statistical system in a democracy has a heavy responsibility to ensure that the data represent fact, not opinion. Discusses changes made in the Consumer Price Index to prevent it from becoming politicized. (CFR)

This paper advises Israel in its efforts to establish a single national high school for highly talented art students. The school's role should be to strengthen the nation's social fabric and political agenda, foster a questioning attitude about the roles of all art forms, and develop a new breed of leaders. (JDD)

In recent years, concern in the United States over continuing competitive advances by Japan in science and technology has increased. To respond to these concerns, several federal agencies and private sector organizations have increased efforts to monitor Japanese science and technology developments. This report describes and analyzes some of these…

Examines the role of scientific and technical information in national development in Nigeria and establishes a framework that could enhance the use of this information for development purposes. Factors such as national information policies, government support of research projects, and the role of international organizations in technology transfer…

Detailed statistical tables on federal funds for research and development (R&D) are provided in this document. Tables are organized into the following sections: research, development, and R&D plant; R&D--agency, character of work, and performer; total research--agency, performer, and field of science; basic research--agency, performer,…

This report briefly reviews the history of federal support of higher education in Canada and then turns, in Part II, to an overview of several factors which contribute to uncertainty over the future of federal support. It concentrates on mechanisms for federal support, and though it does not advocate a single funding option, it proposes several…

This report reviews projects funded during 1989 within the Children with Severe Disabilities (CWSD) component of the Australian Government Special Education Program. The review examined four aspects: (1) identification of those currently receiving services through CWSD funds; (2) description of the type of programs being funded; (3) the role of…

To explore options to establish Federal Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), a study reviewed Pennsylvania's Individual Learning Accounts, Cedar Company's Individual Learning Accounts, ITAs under the Workforce Investment Act, and the United Kingdom's Individual Learning Accounts. ITAs were defined as a base amount of resources--dollars or…

The Preparation for American Secondary Schools (PASS) program, added to the federal Overseas Refugee Training Program in 1985, was evaluated for its effectiveness in preparing Southeast Asian refugees for American education. The study compared the school performance of students with PASS training to that of students who did not receive PASS…