Provides a comprehensive picture of federal financial support for education, including both Department of Education programs and programs of other federal agencies. Categorizes support as on-budget support, off-budget support, and non-federal funds generated by federal programs. (SLD)

There's a wide discrepancy between the "state of the art" and the "state of practice" in education everywhere. Inadequate but continuing federal categorical programs are one example of this knowledge/practice gap. Recent Chapter 1 program revisions geared toward involving community agencies and making the total school program a…

The student loan default rate was 9.6% in 1996, a decline of 12.8% since the 1990 peak, saving the federal government $3 billion over six years. Since 1993 the Department of Education has barred 1065 institutions, mostly for-profit trade schools, from participating in federal student loan programs; institutions with a 40% default rate can lose…

A British government project funded open learning in public libraries. Early provision of open learning packs expanded into uses of information technology. The project demonstrated that supporting adult learning is a core service of the public library. (SK)

Two reports discuss 1998 bills affecting education programs, libraries and publishing. Acts include: Digital Millennium Copyright, Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension; Trademark Law Treaty Implementation; Children's Online Protection/Privacy Protection; Internet Tax Freedom; Next Generation Internet Research; Year 2000 Information/Readiness…

Discusses a controversial benchmark study by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1998 that supported a form of affirmative action for minority-owned small businesses, focusing on some of its questionable methodology and conclusions. Examines program specifics, the benchmark study, data collection and evaluation problems, and who is doing the…

Until the past few years, our nation's approach to designing federal programs for preschool-age children lacked coherence and paid little attention to what had worked (and not worked) in the past. In this article, the authors propose that credible information useful for designing effective programs will require the ongoing, systematic development…

In this column, Linton presents updates on congressional action in the House of Representatives on "The Second Chance Act," the anticipated Institute for Higher Education Policy report, and the reauthorization of the "Higher Education Act." He also highlights a resource being provided through the Office of Elementary and…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is, quite possibly, the most comprehensive and systemic education reform act passed by Congress in the last 40 years. Given only 17 states ever fully complied with NCLB's predecessor, the 1994 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is only proper that legislators, policymakers, and researchers are now asking…

This study examined the relationship between free-play choices and fine-motor skill in 4-year-old children attending Head Start. Children with poor fine-motor skill were matched for age and gender with children in the same classroom that exhibited good fine-motor skill. Each pair was observed during free-play sessions to examine the degree of…

Achieving full compliance with the accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation poses major challenges for most of the nation's states. Structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with ranking representatives from a number of so-called high-readiness states: California, Florida, New York, South Carolina,…

This article describes the step-by-step process Ross Elementary in Topeka, Kan., used to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. A simple process of using teamwork, setting specific measurable goals, and frequent monitoring of student progress toward these goals allowed Ross to significantly…

What are the characteristics of professional development that improve teaching practice? This report addresses this question, using data from the National Evaluation of the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. The Eisenhower program is part of the federal government's efforts to support education reform based on high standards. The success…

Purpose: This article investigates the extent to which government-subsidized affordable rental units available to low-income older persons are unequally and unfairly distributed throughout Florida's counties. Design and Methods: Primary data sources from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census were analyzed using…

Located at the crossroads of America, Kansas had long experience of interstate migrants. For many decades armies of workers had entered the state to pursue the harvest of a number of crops, or to pick up whatever work was available on their way west in pursuit of a more rewarding life. The U.S. population was highly mobile and migration played an…