U.S. educators and policymakers are concerned about the poor performance of the public schools, particularly schools that serve students from low-income families. Although education is primarily a state function, the federal government also has a longstanding interest in improving education for disadvantaged students, and it targets funding to…

This report reviews the dissemination of information on educational programs and information services through a combined literature synthesis focusing on the total dissemination context, configurations, and capacity of major agencies and networks of agencies in the United States. Relevant literature is reviewed as it relates to national and state…

This report synthesizes some of the most significant research findings on job training programs. It relates them to the decisions faced by states as they implement the Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Programs mandated by the Federal Family Support Act of 1988, which must be structured to meet the needs of recipients of Aid to…

Reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies is one objective of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS provides funding to states and organizations that provide abstinence-until-marriage education as one approach to address this objective. GAO was asked to describe the oversight of federally…

This review presents a summary of the research on displaced worker programs and implications and recommendations for practice that the research supports. Chapter I is an overview of the displaced worker problem. It considers the extent of worker displacement and job loss and summarizes future projections. Chapter II discusses existing programs for…

Federal and state educational indicator systems should include assessments of school context as well as of student outcomes. A review of the literature suggests that access to knowledge, pressure for achievement, and professional teaching conditions are the best general constructs to provide bases for school context indicators. (TJH)

This report provides a national overview of programs and practices relating to vocational education opportunities for older persons as reflected in current literature, a review of state plans, and a survey of state programmatic efforts. In addition to providing a basis for further project development efforts, the report is intended as a resource…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits of early childhood education (ECE) for children whose proficiency in English is limited. Specifically, the paper (1) defines the basic characteristics of limited English proficient (LEP) children; (2) discusses educational risk factors and preschool enrollments of LEP children; (3) presents the…

Twenty years after the War on Poverty was launched, dependency on public support remains widespread. Part 1 of this report summarizes current research concerning the following issues affecting welfare programs: (1) evaluating the economic effects of welfare; (2) dynamics of dependency; (3) welfare and work; (4) welfare and family structure; (5)…

This report describes the ways in which the funds for supplemental vocational assistance provided by Title II, Part A, section 204 of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) amendments of 1978 have been used to provide services for eligible CETA participants in Texas. Outlined first are the climate and the background of CETA/education…

The Office of Education commissioned the study to identify and explore various policies concerning the education of adults: (1) to define the need, for the entire population and selected sub-groups; (2) to describe the current response, at all levels; (3) to identify and analyze the differences between need and response; and (4) to identify and…

The UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities (CHCFC) has developed the School Readiness Critical Pathways (SRCPs) as an evidence-based conceptual model that links related outcomes and strategies. This helps to organize an array of broad and diffuse evidence regarding the strategies that produce school readiness outcomes for…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed the state and local coordination of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) services for TANF clients. Data were gathered though the following activities: (1) analysis of surveys of WIA officials in all 50 states that were conducted in 2001 and 2000; (2) visits…

A review, analysis, and synthesis of research in career education, which identifies emerging trends, program successes, and the overall relationship of career education to vocational and general education programs, is presented in this information analysis paper. Six major sections are included. Section 1 presents perspectives on the growth and…

Nontraditional students are the fastest-growing segment of the postsecondary population. About 41% of students are over 25, and nearly 12% are over 40. Previously, the bulk of financial aid went to traditional-age, usually full-time, students in degree programs. Today, however, the sheer numbers of nontraditional students, including distance…