The Coordinator for the Coalition for Block Grant Compliance in Detroit and Executive Director of the Michigan Committee on Law and Housing discusses his organization's involvement in the federal community development block grant programs and the need for other individuals and citizen organizations to become so involved. (JM)

Secretary of Education William Bennett's speech challenging colleges to curb rising costs and suggesting that federal policy for student aid will soon be linked to school cost containment is presented. (MSE)

This article describes the rapidly deteriorating conditions of innercity schools as a result of reductions in federal expenditures for public education during the Reagan Administration. It is argued that "excellence," in the Reagan agenda, has become a code word for retreat from equity. (TE)

Describes the Department of Energy's Institutional Conservation Program (ICP) that can provide federal funding to school administrators for help in gaining control over excessive energy costs. (MD)

A 1983 questionnaire completed by 169 members of the Rural Education Association asked for opinions about 28 recommendations for federal rural education policy published by the Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education in 1980. Generally, responses favored the recommendations but indicated uncertainty and lack of information regarding their…

Reviews factors affecting perceptions of change in the federal support of education, noting reasons for changes and actual effects of changes. Discusses the future of the federal role, and considers developments in seven major federal programs. (PGD)

Current nationwide efforts to improve education call for new information for policymakers in testing and evaluation. Recent state and national evaluation activities, including the Department of Education's project to establish statistical indicators for education, are discussed. Guidelines are given for developing reasonable and appropriate…

Surveys the consequences of the United States Supreme Court's recent ruling that public school teachers may not be sent into private schools to provide compensatory services to children under Chapter 1. Reviews alternative responses currently under discussion. (PGD)

Summarizes legislation enacted by the 98th Congress and predicts that past programs that sought equity will largely remain intact. New programs will be those that encourage excellence. (MLF)

The Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA), which replaced the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, significantly changed the federal government's role in education. The ECIA is part of a program to consolidate and simplify federal programs, cut federal spending, and transfer power to state and local governments. Fiscal,…

Federal education programs increase costs because they attach fewer strings to funds than state or local grants, and this is likely to lead to administrative empire-building. Bureaucracy tends pathologically as it grows to generate more work for itself independent of true administrative needs. Some policy implications are drawn. (MJL)

Outlines how the "cult of efficiency" and the "cult of deficiency" emphasize weakness and have affected American education. Points out that a new "cult of proficiency" emphasizing strengths, not weaknesses, is needed. (MD)

President Ford discusses budget proposals for education, the complexity of federal education programs, and the alarming trend toward citizen apathy about the workings of government. He calls for renewed emphasis on the teaching of social values and the strengths of democracy. (Editor)

A Federally sponsored Small Business Institute in the College of Education at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana Campus was established to provide community college business instructors with opportunities to work on a continuing basis as consultants to small businesses. (Author/EA)

It is unclear what kinds of bilingual programs schools will be mandated to provide and the sources of funding are also unclear. (Author/IRT)