This guide for institutions of higher education and other schools receiving funds under the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program details required and recommended procedures for the reconciliation process. The reconciliation process is explained to include cash management (the accounting for Direct Loan funds drawn down and disbursed to borrowers)…

This report gives an overview of the past and present domestic and international legal framework for database protection. It describes database industry practices in securing protection against unauthorized use and Copyright Office registration practices relating to databases. Finally, it discusses issues raised and concerns expressed in a series…

This publication offers a brief review of religion and school issues that emerged in U.S. courts in 1999. Included are prayer in public schools; teacher's free exercise rights limited by establishment clause; impermissible student lessons and activities; teaching of evolution/creation science; volunteer clergy counselors in the schools; aid to…

This document is intended to assist states in implementing the mediation requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 1997. These provisions include parent participation in collaborative decision-making and the right of parents to challenge decisions about their child's education program. Increased use of…

This bulletin answers questions concerning grading, graduation requirements, and awarding of diplomas to students with disabilities in Montana. Presented in a question-and-answer format, the guide is based upon letters from the Office of Special Education Programs and Office for Civil Rights concerning the interpretation of federal statutes.…

The Hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the U.S. Senate, held February 11, 1999, contains opening statements by Senators Jeffords, Hutchinson, Hagel, Sessions, Kennedy, Dodd, and Murray; prepared statements by educators, school board personnel, and a state representative; and additional material on education…

In October, 1998, Congress enacted the Child Online Protection Act and established the Commission on Online Child Protection (COPA) to study methods to help reduce access by minors to certain sexually explicit material, defined in the statute as harmful to minors. Congress directed the Commission to evaluate the accessibility, cost, and…

The appendices for the Commission on Child Online Protection (COPA) Report to Congress, October 20, 2000, include the following: Commission overview, which includes scope and timeline, original statute, amended statute, technologies and methods, and biographies of the commissioners; Commission finances; Commission meetings for the year 2000;…

This document reports on a congressional subcommittee's review of the federal role in education. The review included visits to 15 states and testimony from more than 225 principals, teachers, and other education stakeholders. The committee's purpose was to identify the steps that lead in the direction of either excellence or failure. The…

This report presents the results of a review of the government-university partnership in research and associated educational activities undertaken by a multi-agency task force under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), focusing on ways to strengthen this partnership. The task force solicited the views of…

This report from the United States Commission on Civil Rights focuses specifically on the efforts of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) to enforce Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment. The report evaluates and analyzes EEOC's regulations and policies…

This brochure describes the activities of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education. The OCR is a law-enforcement agency charged with upholding the federal civil-rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age in programs and activities that receive federal…

This packet of information consists of a cover letter, reporting requirements, general instructions, supplemental technical instructions, supplemental general information, and an information post card. The materials are provided to complete the 2000 Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Report, which is a survey administered by…

The question of whether Title IX is limited in scope to particular programs directly receiving federal financial aid or covers whole institutions or school systems that benefit from federal money provided to one of their programs is discussed. Recent University of Richmond litigation is analyzed. (MLW)

The federal government's role in educational policy is examined. Discussed are changes in the public's problems, needs, and attitudes, and changes in state and local government roles in school governance. The impact of the federal government on state educational policy is analyzed, and predictions are made for future federal educational policy.…