This commentary on the demonstration programs of the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program discusses their role in inducing educational change, their usefulness in illustrating new ideas, their broadening of the definition of the gifted student, their ability to change participating teachers' perspective, and their…

This section includes three articles that discuss programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities, including a listing of state humanities councils; the Council on Library Resources; and the U.S. Department of Education Library Programs, including the Higher Education Act and the Library Services and Construction Act. (LRW)

During 1992-93, an upstate New York district saved a million dollars while improving services for special needs students. The district saved tuition costs by reclaiming 80 disabled children formerly placed in outside programs. By carefully reviewing students' learning difficulties, staff lowered the number of students classified as educationally…

This paper reviews the evolution and the accomplishments of federal education policy in early childhood for children with disabilities. The review covers the period from 1968 to 1990, including the development of the Handicapped Children's Early Education Program, the Early Childhood Research Institutes, and Part H of Public Law 99-457.…

A proposed change in federal student loan policy from providing loans through lending institutions to providing loans directly to students is of enormous importance to higher education, with major implications for colleges and universities. There are powerful arguments pro and con. Institutions must ensure they and policymakers understand the…

It is argued that direct lending by the federal government to the student, characterized by direct financing, delivery, and communication, is a form of financial aid more cost effective than current programs such as the federal Guaranteed Student Loans. Direct loans can be better administered by the federal government, and protection against fraud…

Reviews education and training aspects of Clinton proposals and recommends funding of prenatal care, Head Start, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); parenting training for WIC, Head Start, and welfare recipient parents; revival of career education; expansion of cooperative education and tech prep; assessment of national standards and…

Colleges risk losing eligibility for government student loan programs, because of tightened loan-repayment requirements for participating institutions. Economic factors and some data-processing errors are blamed for high student default rates. Default rates are charted by state, lender, institution type, and guarantee agency. Colleges threatened…

Four studies found serious problems with components of the federal Medicaid program's survey process for evaluating intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded--surveys did not discriminate between certified and noncertified units, direct-care staff behavior was very reactive to the survey's presence, and service providers had divergent…

The Clinton Administration's job training proposal should not be used to create new bureaucracy. Rather, college-level industrial technology and vocational programs are well suited to undertake the training needed by businesses and workers. (SK)

The impact of Student Support Services (SSS), a large federal program to help disadvantaged students complete college, on retention in college was studied with approximately 2,800 SSS participants and similar nonparticipants. SSS had a positive impact for the three measures of retention used, but the impact varied with services used and student…

Analyzes the expanding federal role in K-12 education after the mid-1960s. Provides a brief historical overview of Title I and Head Start and discusses some of the major evaluations of these programs. Contains 111 references. (SLD)

Contains three articles discussing programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities, furnishing a list of state humanities councils; Institute of Museum and Library Services Library Programs; and U.S. Department of Education Discretionary Library Programs, fiscal year 1997, highlighting the Higher Education Act and the Library Research and…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors a range of programs to fund innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Focuses on NSF's expectations for project evaluation beginning with a definition of evaluation and a discussion of why evaluation is needed. Also describes planning, formative, and summative evaluation stages and concludes…

To address disabled students' troubling outcomes, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services identified school-to-work transition as a major priority. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that transition services be part of secondary students' IEPs. Principals' and parents'…