The centerpiece of former Governor Elliot Spitzer's education reform agenda was a set of performance agreements between the state and designated needy school districts. Known as Contracts for Excellence, or C4E, these agreements would eventually be linked to over a quarter of the new state aid proposed in the governor's first budget. C4E districts…

Introducing this paper is a discussion of the trend during the 1960s and 1970s toward greater state and federal involvement both in financing and in developing programs for special pupil populations. The authors then summarize, as of the 1980 fiscal year, the state and federal roles in programs for the handicapped and in bilingual and compensatory…

Argues that local involvement is critical to the effective implementation of federal and state interests; that major effort is required of institutions seeking to secure mandates to implement federal and state interests; and that institutions should participate in shaping those interests. Presents a four-step process for mobilizing institutional…

Federal, State, and private entities combined efforts and deliberately created this country's dual racial system of higher education. This dual system is characterized by distinctions in the racial composition of students and faculty, and by more salient and inequitable distinctions in patterns of funding, growth, and development. Black colleges…

This volume analyzes government policies for helping students pay for education beyond high school and was developed as a result of an October 1994 gathering of policymakers, analysts, and practitioners convened to review federal student assistance and to consider policy alternatives for the Clinton Administration. Chapter 1, "A Fifty-Year…

This document contains two papers about past and present implications for rehabilitation given at a national conference on the needs of the nonwhite disabled population. In the paper "Rehabilitation for the Nonwhite Disabled: A Formidable Challenge," E. Anderson states that blacks are overrepresented among the handicapped in America. Through…

It is most difficult to believe that the American economy can soon return to the stable growth rates that were enjoyed from 1958 to 1973. Factors that contribute to a slow-growth economy include changes in the age of the average citizen, pressures for larger expenditures for armaments, pricefixing by oligopolies, rising raw materials prices,…

To provide an array of perspectives about policies needed to serve the growing number of children of immigrant families in the U.S., experts across various organizations and backgrounds were asked to respond to this question: "How should policymakers, advocates, stakeholders, and practitioners respond strategically and proactively to demographic…

Partly because of the rise of block grants, federal distribution mechanisms raise the issues of federal control and distributional equity in elementary-secondary grant programs. Data--drawn from such major programs as aid for education of the disadvantaged, aid for education of the handicapped, vocational education, and bilingual education--were…

Recommendations for state and federal policies on need-based student assistance are presented in this position paper from the Education Commission of the States. Student assistance is viewed as one of the most effective ways of meeting state and national goals for expanding access and choice in postsecondary education. The importance of effective…

A survey of the states was conducted, focusing on coordination of services and financing for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. On average, states reported using some 21 different sources to support the service delivery system, with each of the 44 funding sources listed being used by at least one state for at least 1…

Several problems have been identified in the administration of student financial aid programs in California, including high default rates in the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program, a significant decrease in the number of eligible students receiving financial aid, workload increases in program administration, and unmet needs for financial aid…

The paper reviews the Reagan administration's efforts to convert human services financing to a block grant approach and describes the response of the United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCPA). The Budget Reconciliation Act and its impact on funding for such services as developmental disabilities, vocational rehabilitation, and Title XX Social…

The impending devolution of program responsibility from the federal government to states and localities will probably increase their responsibility for designing and funding strategies for services to children and families. This paper presents state-by-state profiles of patterns of spending for education and other key health, welfare, and social…

This paper explores the range of ways in which school districts are using Title I funds for early education through kindergarten and examines how the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has impacted those investments. It also makes recommendations for local education agencies (LEAs) interested in creating Title I-funded early education…