Describes the newly proposed federal agency called the National Institute for the Environment (NIE). Discusses the history of the NIE concept; NIE goals; proposed NIE activities involving environmental research, assessment, information, and education and training; and ways in which environmental educators can assist the NIE effort. (MDH)

Explores possibilities of inner-city networking, and provides a description of the federal government's Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP). The authors also enumerate the challenges faced by inner-city communities establishing such networks and describes TIIAP-funded programs meeting those challenges that…

Systemic (top-down) educational reforms will remain limited unless they improve every teacher's methods and materials. Comprehensive or whole-school reform "scales up" effective schools until many more schools meet state and national standards. The federally funded Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration program provides a supportive…

Provides an extensive state-level and local-level analysis of the distribution of the federal government's financial aid to elementary and secondary schools, especially from the U.S. Department of Education. (PKP)

Examines use of the Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) work incentive available for persons with disabilities receiving Supplemental Security Income. PASS program data are analyzed for demographic factors, disability status, occupational goals, and requested items and services. Findings indicate few transition-age students used PASSes and that…

This article poses three scenarios for national personnel preparation initiatives that would parallel the structure of the former Deans' Grants: a national initiative on the intersection of disability and diversity, a national initiative on school-university partnerships and disability, and a national initiative on service learning and disability.…

Title I, concerned with providing equal learning opportunities for disadvantaged students, is the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act's centerpiece and has been institutionalized in U.S. schools. Recent reauthorizations have allowed local districts and schools to determine which type of program will best serve students' needs. (18…

In the current context of standards-based reform and heightened accountability for school performance, state education agencies (SEAs) have an important, but not yet well-articulated, role to play in local school improvement efforts. This article starts to articulate such a role by examining the variety of approaches and strategies used by 7 SEAs…

The author maintains that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 brands good schools with "failing" labels, places the heaviest burdens on states that were already striving to meet challenging education goals, imposes inflexible rules, and fails to make good on promises to pay for programs that would help struggling schools meet the…

Purpose: This study examines whether the relationship between making familial wealth transfers and becoming a Medicaid recipient sheds light on the current debate about Medicaid estate planning, whereby some elders transfer their assets to their families to qualify for Medicaid. Design and Methods: Using the Health and Retirement Study, we tracked…

President Bush's proposal to almost double the amount of money the federal government spends on abstinence education to $273 million in fiscal 2005 has raised the stakes in the battle over what to teach children and adolescents about sex. Only a small percentage of Americans believe abstinence-only programs are the best form of sex education for…

At a time when many states are poised to roll out new standardized tests to evaluate English-language proficiency in unprecedented depth, California is balking at carrying out a federal requirement to test the literacy of young children who are learning English. Recently, the California board of education decided to ask the U.S. Department of…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires states to ensure that all students make adequate yearly progress in achieving proficiency in English language arts and math. This study examines how six diverse schools have responded to the challenge of educating their students in math, particularly students with disabilities and other…

This report from the Washington State Department of Early Learning (DEL) describes some of the Department's work since it's creation in July 2006. Among other achievements, the Department has laid a strong foundation for raising the quality of child care and the state's preschool program, strengthened both the safety in and the reach of early…

The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), a strategic initiative founded by the Association of Research Libraries, is a catalyst for promoting a scholarly communication environment that is more open, financially tenable, and supportive of the current research and information needs of academe. Established in response to…