Context: Patients in rural areas may use less medical care than those living in urban areas. This could be due to differences in travel distance and time and a utilization of a different mix of generalists and specialists for their care. Purpose: To compare the travel times, distances, and physician specialty mix of all Medicare patients living in…

This meta-analysis offers decision-makers research-based guidance for intervening with adolescent struggling readers. The authors outline major implications for practice: (1) Adolescence is not too late to intervene. Interventions do benefit older students; (2) Older students with reading difficulties benefit from interventions focused at both the…

This study focuses on flexibility provisions in the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) provision of NCLB. Specifically, it addresses REAP Flex, a program that allows rural districts additional control over how to spend portions of their federal funding. REAP Flex is part of a series of NCLB flexibility initiatives aimed at rural schools.…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) focused attention on the academic achievement of more than 5 million students with limited English proficiency. Obtaining valid test results for these students is challenging, given their language barriers. This testimony describes: (1) the extent to which these students are meeting annual academic…

"The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about and from public and private organizations about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) New Online Tool Simplifies Financial Aid Process; (2) Rigor in K-6:…

A descriptive study was made of the roles of training and federal programs in helping youths gain employment in selected high-wage occupations that do not require a four-year college degree. Interviews conducted with federal agency officials and industry representatives found little hard data but elicited officials' views on this issue. The study…

Among the most important funding resources for states and localities are the programs authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Amendments to the ESEA enacted in 1994 make it easier for states and school districts to use ESEA resources to augment, expand, and support state and local reforms that will help move every child…

Fiscal year 1995 marks the first year during which an independent audit was conducted of the U.S. Department of Education's financial statements. This first annual accountability report describes the department's history, current mission, priorities, and progress. It highlights the department's program and fiscal accomplishments and describes…

Approximately one in four schools in the United States today is a private school. This handbook was designed to inform representatives of children enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools of the resources available to them through federal education programs. The handbook also provides useful materials to public school officials who…

This paper requests comments by January 21, 1997 concerning a new application process for students applying for federal financial aid and a listing of need analysis issues concerning student aid to be considered as part of the reauthorization process for the Higher Education Act. Several possible viewpoints concerning need analysis and delivery…

This report discusses the amount and kinds of Department of Defense (DoD) interactive courseware (ICW) programs that are candidates for transfer to the private sector. Candidates for transfer were identified through an analysis of the Defense Instructional Technology Information System (DITIS). Out of 4,644 ICW programs that have been reported to…

This report, written for the Americans for Indian Opportunity "Ambassador Program," addresses the need to research the detrimental effects of the guardianship program on Native Americans. The guardianship program was established by the United States government during the early 1900s to protect monies that Indians received from mineral…

Discussion of national language policy concerning adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education examines conditions in American demographics and adult education, looks at kinds of policy required to meet predicted educational needs, and encourages ESL educators to become involved in the policy formation process. The first section discusses…

The conference served as a platform for presenting and discussing the National Science Foundation (NSF) action plan to increase the participation of minorities in the scientific and technological workforce. A broad group of issues related to conference objectives was discussed in a national videoconference. More than 300 students from elementary…

This paper examines changes in federal policy that have encouraged economic development by American Indian tribes, and presents examples from New Mexico. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 guaranteed federal provision of education and other services to the tribes, but the newly reorganized tribal governments were regulated almost exclusively by…