Descriptions of four Title VII Academic Excellence projects focus on their efforts to promote limited-English-proficient (LEP) parents' involvement in schools and literacy. "Parents as Tutors" (Monica Sandoval) outlines the structure of the Brownsville (Texas) Independent School District's program to involve parents of children in…

A final report on the development and operation of a research training institute by Virginia State University in Petersburg is presented. Objectives of the federally-funded Research, Development, Dissemination, and Evaluation Center at the university include: to provide opportunities for women and minorities at the university to develop and/or…

This report, one of a series, analyzes states' decisions on how to use block grant funds. Under block grants, states obtained greater decision-making authority to set program priorities and determine the use of funds than they had under the prior categorical programs. At the same time, federal appropriations to states under block grants were…

A status report for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program (Basic Grant Program) for the 1976-1977 academic year is presented. Information is provided on: applicants for the 1976-1977 year; program trends for academic years 1973-1974 through 1976-1977; the number of Basic Grant recipients and nonqualifying applicants for 1976-1977 by…

One in every four families with children under the age of 18 is a single-parent family (up from 1 of every 10 in 1970). The vast majority of single-parent families are low-income families consisting of a mother (usually with relatively little formal education) and her young children. Many female single heads of households are either displaced…

This paper discusses ways that students can better be taught to think. It argues that poor/low-achieving students served by Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 could genuinely profit from instruction on thinking and that, for maximum impact, such instruction should be introduced as a course in itself, separate from…

This paper proposes a new emphasis on home-based parental involvement, one that takes a realistic approach to the roles accessible to parents of low-achieving children, given potential limitations on their skills and time. This approach is based on encouraging parents to use everyday activities in the home to develop in their children behavior and…

Data are presented on the recipients of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, a federally-funded program supporting specialist training at the graduate level. The information comes from two surveys, one of FLAS recipients who earned a Ph.D. between 1967 and 1979, and the second a sample of those who received FLAS fellowships…

Asbestos in school buildings continues to threaten the future health of children. Because of prolonged exposure while their metabolism and activity levels are relatively high and their cellular development is relatively rapid, children and adolescents have a lifetime risk of developing asbestos-related diseases--such as asbestosis, mesothelioma,…

This eighth semi-annual report issued by the United States Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) summarizes the activities and accomplishments of that office during a 6-month period ending March 31, 1984. A condensation of audits of Department of Education programs presents statistics on OIG activities and the allocation of…

To integrate findings concerning the influence of productive factors on student achievement and attitudes across various disciplines and ages, nine regression studies of National Assessment of Educational Progress samples containing a total of 15,802 students were quantitatively synthesized. Correlations and standardized regression weights for…

The changing achievement relationships among students, from elementary through high school, were investigated between their ages relative to their classmates and their ages at entry into first grade. A secondary analysis was performed on the data collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The sample involved Caucasian students…

This report provides background information on federal programs that have historically provided financial or material assistance to public, school, and college libraries. Programs and activities included are: (1) Federal Library Grant Programs; (2) Other Forms of Department of Education Activity Affecting Public Libraries; (3) Aid to College…

Small businesses have made a decisive contribution to the reconstruction and development of the German economy and society since World War II. The Federal Republic of Germany considers small-scale industry important and has granted tax relief and initiated a wide range of loan and guarantee programs for them. The Act against Restraints of…

Recognizing current changes in the labor force because of the increasing numbers of working mothers, this report examines the following options under which the government might provide dependent care assistance to federal employees: on-site care (setting up a dependent care facility at the employees' workplace); consortium care (several…