Evaluation must take into account both executive and legislative politics and their interactions. A five-part continuum evaluation process is suggested for the development of a policy question and its translation into knowledge that is credible, timely, responsive, and usable. Evaluators have a major responsibility in this process. (Author/JAZ)

Provides information and observations on student governance in Chinese higher education, obtained through an interview with the Deputy General of the All-China Students' Federation, a federal body of student unions at universities, colleges, and secondary schools throughout China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. (Author/NB)

Secretary of Education William J Bennett's use of for-profit schools as a metaphor for all student-loan collection problems threatens to reduce the financial options for low-income, educational at-risk youth. More grant aid is a better solution than additional barriers to student eligibility. (MSE)

Provides an updated review of the history, incidence and characteristics of pediatric AIDS. Discusses the national response to and programs for pediatric AIDS. Points out issues of pediatric AIDS which need to be addressed, and looks at federal efforts to support children and families affected by the disease. (RWB)

Researchers, economists, and campus administrators who have followed federal student aid programs worry that businesses have turned the Guaranteed Student Loan Program into a lucrative industry that doesn't always have the students' interest in mind, and a congressional study group is also concerned about aspects of the program. (MSE)

Net impact estimates of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs vary widely and can be explained by the different evaluation methodologies used. Estimates are sensitive to the inclusion of recently unemployed persons in the comparison sample and assumptions about the time of decision to enroll in CETA. (GDC)

This article analyzes a type of microcomputer program that can process a set of: (1) prior cases or incidents; (2) predictive criteria for separating the cases into two or more categories, and (3) relations between each prior case and criterion in order to arrive at an accurate decision rule. (Author/BS)

Discusses major characteristics of the Reagan Administration's proposal to make National Direct Student Loan repayments contingent on borrowers' income. Summarizes alternative repayment schemes and legislative action to conduct an income-contingent demonstration project for 1987 through 1991. The proposal shifts loan program costs to students and…

Discusses potential impact of budget cuts on these agencies: Department of Defense; Department of Energy; National Institutes of Health; National Science Foundation; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Department of Agriculture; Department of the Interior; Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric…

Postsecondary institutions should participate much more in the federal initiative, through their usual functions of teaching, research, and service. Activities could include involving college students in adult literacy education through demonstration programs, tutoring, and student volunteerism. (MSE)

Evaluation synthesis, a meta-evaluation method developed by the General Accounting Office to improve evaluation utilization by legislators, is described. It is designed to: (1) focus on the information needs and priorities of legislators, and (2) ensure continuous communication between sponsor and evaluator. The strengths and limitations of this…

The education evaluation efforts of the federal government are discussed, focusing on the question of their effectiveness in informing the policymaking process. Successful evaluation criteria are outlined. An evaluation must provide useful information to policymakers to be a success. (DWH)

Describes the philosophical and political underpinnings of the Freedmen's Bureau, a Federal agency created after the Civil War to assist and protect freed Southern slaves. Argues that, despite some positive results, it exemplified the nation's ambivalence toward a free black community and only contributed to the further entrenchment of racial…

Describes the methods and results of the transfer of the SCAN bibliographic database, sponsored by the Administration on Aging (AoA) to the private sector American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) when Congress repealed authority for AoA. Steps involved in the establishment of a bibliographic database are outlined. Four sources are given.…

Based on interviews with Reagan administration officials and informed observers, this analysis chronicles changes in federal education policy since 1981 and summarizes the current positions of the administration, Congress, and the professional associations. The next two years are seen as crucial to the future direction of federal education policy.…