The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (Public Law 99-457) creates incentives for states to serve all handicapped children three through five years of age and provides a new discretionary program to meet the needs of handicapped infants and toddlers and their families. (MLF)

A school administrator, who became minority staff director for the United States Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities, forecasts that early childhood programs will achieve funding at the expense of the block grants of Chapter 2. (MLF)

The United States Secretary of Education explains how the Goals 2000 Act provides a framework for encouraging systemic education reform under the leadership of state and local education agencies. Discusses the nature of the federal government's role in education, its constitutional origins, and its development and expansion. (295 references) (MLF)

Discusses consequences of European unification in the Federal Republic of Germany. Focuses on the relationships between the European Community, the federal government of Germany, and the German states. Suggests that the German states are aware of their responsibility to give education and culture a European dimension. (NL)

Argues that a complete and accurate understanding of constitutional history and constitutional law requires the study of state constitutions. Maintains that state constitutions contain a coherent political theory that is, in important respects, at variance with the concept of federalism. (CFR)

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, has become a symbol of all things good and bad in education. While the basic concepts of the legislation--accountability for results, research-based education programs, increased parental options, and expanded local control and…

Character education's history in the United States goes back to the beginning of public schools. The emphasis and profile has waxed and waned, frequently with political trends. The current standards-based environment poses particular threats and challenges to character education. In spite of these pressures, character education continues and - by…

This document records the oral and written testimony of persons who testified at a hearing on how vocational rehabilitation for persons with disabilities, particularly severe disabilities, can be improved. Witnesses included directors of federal and state rehabilitation services departments, and officials of rehabilitation provider organizations…

This study identified federal programs designed to assist people with disabilities, with a special emphasis on programs promoting employment. The study focused on the extent to which information, eligibility, and services were coordinated under these programs and the efficiency of federal programs in promoting employment among people with…

The history of social policy efforts to remediate racial discrimination can be traced to the post-Civil War period. This paper examines the tortuous course that affirmative action has traveled. It discusses the historical, philosophical, and constitutional issues surrounding the topic of civil rights, starting with the first antidiscrimination…

This paper examines whether the existence of national education goals implies a new federal role in school finance. Disparities across the 50 states in terms of fiscal capacity and tax effort, education spending, and several measures of educational outcomes are analyzed. The next section summarizes a study of variables that predict states with…

Both the current immigration debate and immigration itself have changed in recent years and require changes in thinking about immigration and the architecture of U.S. immigration laws. In California, which receives about a third of all immigrants, voters and state leaders have shifted from viewing immigration as a net benefit to focusing on the…

The National Education Goals, Goals 2000, were signed into law by President Clinton in 1994. From 1989 to 1994 the goals existed in a symbolic context with minimal funding to support them. An unpredictable series of events sustained the National Education Goals through a period of potential obscurity to enactment. The goals appear to be unique in…

In the Hawkins-Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to conduct a study of methods used to allocate federal elementary and secondary education grants among the states. This document, the final report on that study, assesses grant distribution funding…

This paper reviews the legislative provisions of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and identifies issues related to national service which may affect teacher education programs and their graduates. In the context of the proposal, national service is defined as domestic, civilian work in local communities, compensated with…