As an early Common Core booster, Michael Petrilli had hoped that by now--10 years after most states adopted the standards--the nation's schools would have logged tangible improvements in teaching and learning that resulted in higher student achievement. In this article, Petrilli reviews what Common Core is and discusses the work ahead that is…

Education standards do not flop spectacularly. Their failure gives rise to nothing like the black-and-white films of early aeronautical experiments: no missiles exploding on launch pads or planes tumbling from the sky. But 10 years after 46 of the 50 states adopted the Common Core standards, the lack of evidence that they have improved student…

The Common Core State Standards, released in 2010, were rapidly adopted by more than 40 states. Champions maintained that these rigorous standards would transform American education, but the initiative went on to encounter a bumpy path. A decade on, what are we to make of this ambitious effort? What kind of impact, if any, has it had on the…

While many have focused on the program's positive impact on academic achievement, a recent Department of Education evaluation also studied how the program has affected students' educational experiences in other ways, including school safety and school climate. Past evaluations have reported that school safety was an important reason why families…

Despite growing evidence of the success of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program (DCOSP), its future beyond 2009-2010 remains uncertain. This spring, Congress included legislative language in the Omnibus Appropriations Act requiring that the DCOSP be reauthorized by Congress and authorized by the D.C. City Council before receiving new federal…

Findings from a study of Project Head Start prompt the authors to conclude that social research has little or no effect on social policy. Empirical evidence that Head Start does not have a lasting effect on participants' academic skills has in no way affected federal support for the program. (Author/WD)

A longitudinal study of 551 Cincinnati public school students indicates that early childhood programs do have long-term educational benefits. (Author/WD)

The impact of federal funding on preservice and inservice teacher education must be measured by the quality and degree of improvement in teaching and learning and by the progress made in the total enterprise of education. (JOW)

Taking issue with the preceding article by Caruso and Detterman, the author contends that research can be one of many respected voices in the political process. According to him, recent research on the effects of early education has played a crucial role in policy decisions about Project Head Start. (Author/WD)

Public vocational education is described and the strengths and weaknesses of the program are examined. Alternative roles of the federal government are discussed and recommendations are made for increasing the effectiveness of vocational education. Federal support is viewed as being essential for program improvement of vocational education. (Author)

It is estimated that 35% of women veterans of World War II used some part of the benefits of the GI Bill, compared to 41% of men. Social factors (expectations and role perceptions), lack of knowledge of eligibility, and some discriminatory provisions may have kept women from taking greater advantage. (MSE)

This paper suggests that Congress could increase funding for special education to the full funding recommended in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by transferring funds from ineffective and low-priority programs in the labor, health, and education appropriations legislation. More than 30 programs are specifically listed as ones that…

Discusses effects of federal educational funding on procedural changes, structural changes, personnel opportunities, and student access at local levels since 1965. Suggests that federal programs have had the most pervasive impact on minority group education and that impacts have been greater than the percentage of federal dollars allocated to…

Reveals that 250,000 refugee children have entered U.S. schools since 1975 and that a significant proportion attend Catholic schools. Provides information on the Transition Program for Refugee Children, suggests ways Catholic schools can obtain TPRC funding, summarizes reports on the program's effectiveness, and lists state coordinators for…

This testimony focuses on the reauthorization of the health professions education programs authorized under titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act. It argues that the effectiveness of these programs--which are designed to increase the number of health professionals, improve their distribution in locations that have a shortage of…