When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was drafted and signed into law, little attention was paid to the unique challenges that exist in the nation's high schools and what is best known about how to improve them. As a result, the law emerged with provisions that often neglect, or that are even at odds with, the needs of America's…

This research brief summarizes a report by Laura E. Hill and Joseph M. Hayes, "Out-of-School Immigrant Youth" (2007, 134 pp.) [ED496282]. In that report, the authors paint a detailed portrait of a little-noticed immigrant population group, mainly from Mexico and Central America, who are not receiving any kind of education or schooling.…

The Adult Education Program Study (AEPS) was conducted to provide comprehensive information about federally funded adult education programs and the skills of participants enrolled in those programs. The study had two primary goals. The first was to gather and disseminate information about the programs that constitute the adult education system in…

The "Rehabilitation Act of 1973," as amended (the act), provides the legislative basis for programs and activities that assist individuals with disabilities in the pursuit of gainful employment, independence, self-sufficiency and full integration into community life. This report is intended to provide a description of accomplishments and…

The Pell grant program is the largest federal program for college students, with support to over three million students at more than 6000 institutions. A prominent question in public debate is whether Pell grants tend to be appropriated by universities through increases in tuition--consistent with what is known as the Bennett hypothesis. Based on…

In recent years, a number of analyses assessments used in different countries have appeared. Analyses emerging from international comparisons such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have focused on what might be termed "cross-sectional" comparisons;…

Outside work can complement what goes on in the classroom in ways that benefit both the community and students. Of course, AQ readers may have heard of tendentious programs and faculty ideologues, who channel student enthusiasm into partisan activism. Still, statistical survey analysis presented here by Mary Prentice suggests that participation in…

Social workers in academic and agency settings have the opportunity to do funded research using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R03 small grant mechanism designed for discrete, clearly defined projects that can be completed within a 1- to 2-year time period with limited funding. This article describes the R03 mechanism and provides a guide…

The purpose of this report is to provide an annual overview of activities funded under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA"), Part D (National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities), subparts 2 and 3 (P.L. 108-446). "IDEA", Part D, includes programs that support personnel…

This study examines the similarities and differences between the US and India in their approaches toward gifted education programs. Beginning with a look at the evolution of gifted education in America and the subsequent programs created under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Program, American efforts to promote gifted education…

To better understand how school principals can provide instructional leadership appropriate for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities, the study described in this report examined how principals of successful schools translated information to teachers on designing accessible standards-based instruction for ELLs with disabilities. The…

A growing body of empirical evidence shows that some financial aid programs increase college enrollment. Puzzlingly, there is little compelling evidence that Pell Grants and Stafford Loans, the primary federal student aid programs, are effective in achieving this goal. In this paper, we provide an in-depth review of this evidence, which taken as a…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires states and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to define and determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting the goal of 100 percent academic proficiency. To address tribes' needs for cultural preservation, NCLBA allows tribal groups to…

Although the federal government dedicated nearly $40 billion to funding student loans in 2006, only 60 percent of potential students from low-income families attend college, compared with 90 percent from high-income families. This paper argues that enrollment rates are lower than they could be because potential students undervalue loan subsidies,…

Every four years, the presidential election campaign unfolds, and the position of the candidates on education is predictable: They are in favor of it. Something else is easy to predict: In every presidential campaign, hot-button issues--some important and some infuriatingly not--suck up most of the oxygen, and the hoped-for focus on education…