Discusses the breadth of the problem of adult functional illiteracy and the components of the National Adult Literacy Project, a National Institute of Education program to identify model programs, develop literacy materials, and involve college work-study students in tutoring illiterate adults. (SK)

Analyzes patterns of federal funding allocations to school districts, categorizing districts by their relative concentrations of poverty populations, relative property wealth, and relative degree of urbanization. Discusses some implications of these analyses for federal policy. (Author/JG)

The Regional Education Program, as specified in Section 625 of Title VI of P.L. 93-380, awards grants or contracts to institutions of higher education, vocational and technical institutions, and other appropriate nonprofit educational agencies to enable these institutions to provide post secondary level handicapped students with special programing…

The Bureau of Education for the Handicapped's Recruitment and Information Program provides parents and other interested individuals with information on the educational needs of handicapped children through such activities as the National Information Center for the Handicapped ("Closer Look"), pamphlets on various subjects, and media…

This report is a followup to an initiative to establish a central website to collect data from States on the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast Programs. A central website could be used by researchers and program administrators to compare and analyze data across State and local areas for participation trends in local school district…

The purpose of this hearing was to examine the federal role in improving the effectiveness and coordination of sixty-nine Federal programs that are designed to help parents help their young children with child care and early education. Opening statements were delivered by Subcommittee Chairman Senator Lamar Alexander, Tennessee; Ranking Member…

This publication provides a non-technical summary of the Department of Education's discretionary grants process and the laws and regulations that govern it. It was written for readers who have received an award, or are simply interested in knowing more about the Department's discretionary grants process. It describes how grant programs are…

States are using federal and state dollars to expand child care assistance for low-income families. Nevertheless, persistent gaps in child care supply continue, particularly among specific populations. State expansion of child care funding has slowed, and most states face major fiscal crises. Many states have moved to all- or majority-voucher…

The Food Stamp Program (FSP) provides millions of Americans with the means to purchase food for a nutritious diet. This report presents characteristics of food stamp households nationwide in fiscal year 2001. Information on household characteristics comes from FSP household data collected by the federal Food and Nutrition Service for quality…

On October 26, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a budget reconciliation bill that includes provisions to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This bill provides only $500 million in new child care funding over five years, despite estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) staff that keeping…

Talent Search, which began operating in 1967, is one of the oldest of the federal programs designed to complement and encourage participation in the federal aid program for postsecondary education. At the time this report was prepared, 360 Talent Search projects throughout the country served about 320,000 participants. This report presents…

The Office of National Drug Control Policy put together this guide to give administrators at institutions of higher education a basic understanding of illegal drug use among the college population and to urge their support in ridding campuses of this threat. People start using drugs for many reasons including peer pressure, thrills, or in search…

A small federal program piloting tax credit bonds to support school construction, the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB), has existed since 1997--providing evidence of how tax credit bonds could work. This paper analyzes the results of QZABs to date in order to inform policymakers, advance the debate over federal school construction aid, and…

This reference guide describes programs authorized and funded under federal law as well as individual competitions made possible by these programs. Programs are listed under broad topical headings that include: academic improvement and demonstration programs, adult education, assessment, bilingual-ESL, child care, civics, corrections education,…

Certain state or not-for-profit agencies guarantee payment to banks and other lending institutions if students fail to repay loans obtained through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. The 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act authorize the Secretary of Education to enter into voluntary flexible agreements (VFAs) with individual…