Federal parks and monuments are numerous, widespread, and offer unique opportunities for funded research and employment for science undergraduates. Elements essential to quality undergraduate research, contacts, research needs, and funding are discussed, along with description of a successful undergraduate field research program in Missouri. (DH)

The substantial differences in program evaluation practices in Canada and the United States are discussed focussing on the historical context and the political and cultural environments. Program evaluation has developed in Canada to address the concerns of accountability of public funds in a context of economic restraint. (Author/BS)

Under the directorship of Holger Cahill, who drew upon John Dewey's principle of the universal communicability of art, the Federal Art Project of the Great Depression era gave all of the people the opportunity to study and enjoy art. Specific programs of the project are described. (RM)

Discusses Japanese endeavors to create a new generation of computers endowed with intelligence, and the U.S. and European responses to these endeavors. Major U.S. efforts have been through private industry and the Defense Advanced Research Agency, while the National Science Foundation has increased support for developing advanced scientific…

Describes establishment and operation of a National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored program: "Development in Science Education Involving NSF/Industry Cooperation for Science and Engineering Education Using Computers." Review process, issues involved, working with industry, and advantages/disadvantages of cooperative activities are…

A review essay focusing on two recent books, The Politics of Neglect: Urban Aid from Model Cities to Revenue Sharing, by Bernard J. Frieden and Marshall Kaplan (The MIT Press), and Between the Idea and the Reality: A Study in the Origin, Fate, and Legacy of the Model Cities Program, by Charles M. Haar (Little, Brown). (JM)

An ACE-sponsored task force investigated the impact of federal social and environmental programs on colleges and universities. Major findings are reviewed and implications discussed, such as: (1) the cost of federal regulation, (2) who pays the costs, (3) the right of higher education to special consideration, and (4) how higher education should…

The work of the National Institute of Education (NIE) is discussed by its director, who emphasizes that educational research, although a relatively new discipline modestly funded, can eventually make a difference in the quality of education. NIE-sponsored programs are reviewed. (Editor/LBH)

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 1998?1999 Kindergarten Cohort, the study examines two research questions: What are the effects of participation in the National School Lunch Program on changes in children?s behavior, test scores, and body weight? Do these effects differ by gender? To address issues of selection, we use…

This report concludes the main portion of MDRC's Project on Devolution and Urban Change, an eight-year effort to chart the course of welfare reform in four big urban counties: Los Angeles, Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Miami-Dade, and Philadelphia. The goal of the study was to find out whether federal welfare reform would lead to meaningful changes in…

In its 2001 performance and accountability report on the Department of Education, the General Accounting Office (GAO) identified challenges with student financial-aid programs, financial management, and other areas facing education. The information presented in this report is intended to help sustain congressional attention and a departmental…

Childhood and adolescent obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and are growing. The sedentary routines found in schools and in the home as well as the overexposure to unhealthy snacks and nonnutritional foods contribute to the pervasiveness of this disease that afflicts America's children. Obese children face…

This report describes the first phase of a 3-year longitudinal case study to investigate how 6 selected schools in New Zealand meet their year 11 students' needs through the subject choices offered them. The study is set against the background of the introduction of the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA), a new…

Noting that lead poisoning is a preventable disease, this report details a coordinated federal program to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the United States. The report describes how lead poisoning harms children, how pervasive lead poisoning is, and how lead paint hazards in housing could be eliminated in 10 years. Following information on…

The six sections of this brief provide the following information: (1) the types of public incentives available to employers for hiring and training of employees, including increasing economic activity and increasing labor market supply; (2) federally operated incentive programs (Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Employee…