Illiteracy is a serious problem for older people, particularly for older minorities. Of the 23 million adults in the United States classified as functionally illiterate, 44 percent are over 50, and those 60 and over account for about one-third of the totally illiterate population. Being illiterate to whatever degree diminishes the employment…

This paper answers specific questions about present and future issues concerning the undereducation of Hispanic students. The following topics are covered: (1) the educational status of Hispanics; (2) the role of federal education programs--including Head Start, Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, Chapter 1, Pell Grants, and bilingual…

This document records the oral and written testimony of witnesses at a Congressional hearing about the growing gap between the skills of workers in the United States and the requirements of the workplace and what private industry and government can do about the situation. Witnesses included Senators, Representatives, officials from the Department…

From the mid-1960s until 1980, adolescent drug use rose sharply. Although use has declined somewhat since, adolescent cocaine use remains at peak levels, and crack presents a major threat. Treatment for compulsive drug or alcohol use is needed by 5 to 15 percent of the teenagers who experiment with drugs and alcohol. Drug abuse experts now believe…

This study analyses infant health data from the 332 poorest rural U.S. counties for the period 1975-1985. The study updates and expands a report released in 1986. The data show that, until 1980, rates of infant mortality and low birthweights (LBW) improved significantly, especially in rural areas. The trend toward better prenatal care in rural…

This document reports the oral and written testimony given by witnesses at a congressional hearing on Workforce 2000 (House Resolution 2235). Witnesses included educators, government education officials, business executives, teacher association representatives, and educational researchers. The witnesses considered the fact that, by the year 2000,…

Reviewing enrollment trends in federal, public, and tribally controlled schools, this report examines progress in the education of American Indian handicapped children since the passage in 1975 of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The first section provides numbers of Indian handicapped and gifted and talented children receiving…

As one of a series of topic papers assessing federal laws and programs affecting persons with disabilities, this paper reviews the issue of transportation services. In the area of urban mass transit, four relevant pieces of legislation and public transportation accessibility regulations are cited, and cost issues are explored. Paratransit systems,…

Between 1976 and 1982, teenagers improved their performance on citizenship/social studies items measuring political knowledge and attitudes--13-year-olds by nearly three percentage points and 17-year-olds by about two percentage points. Results for the various population groups indicated that improvements tended to be greater for lower achieving…

The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982 is a federally funded program for, and directed by, the states and provides that the governor of the state is the official recipient of JTPA funds. A study was conducted in Tennessee to identify and document a generalizable formula for determining eligible funds used to match JTPA expenditures to…

This report analyzes problems in a proposal, submitted by Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, for Federal legislation to convert the Existing Chapter 1 program of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, which provides remedial educational services to disadvantaged students, into a tuition voucher program. The report, which is…

Papers contained in the volume, apart from the introduction and final chapter, were prepared for a 1979 conference on "Research and Public Service with the Rural Elderly," held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Western Gerontological Society. Developed with an intent toward building a stronger emphasis on research and public…

Detailed statistical tables on federal funds for research and development (R&D) activities are provided in this document. Tables are organized into the following sections: research, development, and R&D plant; R&D- agency, character of work, and performer; total research- agency, performer, and field of science; basic research- agency,…

In an effort to identify some of the positive accomplishments resulting from President Reagan's American Indian Policy statement on January 24, 1983, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services initiated an interdepartmental information exchange composed of federal and Indian tribal accomplishments made in…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) should be a guiding force in science education and in building public understanding of science and technology transfer issues. The nation's community, junior, and technical colleges, which now enroll 52% of all Americans who go to college for the first time, are eager to work with the NSF to further these…