A study of nine federally funded Special Alternative Instructional Programs for language-minority students in which English was the primary language of instruction showed that the incorporation of students' native languages in instruction need not be an all-or-nothing phenomenon. The complexities of using students' native languages in schooling…

Describes the practice of federal evaluation of research impact through three approaches: retrospective methods; qualitative methods, including peer review; and quantitative methods. Recommended areas for study in federal research impact assessment are suggested, including predictive reliability, comparative studies, time and cost estimates,…

The federal Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES) has been opposed by civil liberties advocates and the computer industry. The author argues that the standard does not threaten privacy as long as its use remains voluntary, alternative forms of encryption are allowed, and the power of government to intercept transmission is kept in check. (20…

Describes and explores the District Education Agent program, a community-based program proposed by the Subcommittee on Select Education of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is comparable to the agricultural extension service. Ways in which it might incorporate new technological capabilities are suggested. (12 references) (DB)

A top aide to Vice President Gore has been chosen to lead the U.S. Department of Education's effort to modernize delivery of financial aid to students and colleges. His office is the first federal government entity to be run as a "performance-based organization." Some fear he may politicize the office that lawmakers specified be led by a…

Public support for improving public schools over seeking alternatives remains high (70%). Opposition to private contracting is growing. Fully 79% of public-school parents think schools effectively prepare students for the labor market; 72% want higher promotion standards. Inadequate discipline, violence, and scanty funding remain top problems.…

Responding to a report on the Clinical Research Training Program of the National Institutes of Health, the author finds that the low applicant rate among dental students is due less to lack of interest in the program or its emphasis on research but more to a program structure modeled on a medical school rather than a dental school curriculum. (MSE)

Discusses the increasing demand for digital reference services from government Web sites via email, and describes a partnership between the Government Printing Office and the federal depository library at the University of Illinois at Chicago to create electronic access to the Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN). (Author/LRW)

Examines the interplay between the federal Title I schoolwide program and the first 2 years of a systemwide reform, Children Achieving, in high-poverty, urban Philadelphia schools. In spite of intense institutional competition and contention at the district level, there were major efforts to facilitate policy coordination at different levels of…

Explores the Johnson administration's most provocative innovation, the Community Action Program (CAP), and how its philosophy of "maximum feasible participation" furthered tribal self-determination. Examines the long-term impacts of CAPs and other Office of Economic Opportunity initiatives related to Head Start, Rough Rock Demonstration…

Reviews three reports, available from the George Lucas Educational Foundation (www.glef.org), on the use of technology in schools: "E-Learning: Putting A World-Class Education at the Fingertips of Children"; "The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice"; and "The Future of Children: Children and Computer Technology."…

When Jackson State University officials and their collaborators assembled a proposal for a $12 million social and behavioral research center to combat terrorism, they hoped Federal officials would give a nod of approval to what they believed was a high-value concept. The proposal, Featuring the predominantly White Mississippi State University as…

The "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act has failed to provide funds and programs envisioned by President George W. Bush. The Act's key tenets promised improved student learning and professional development for teachers, but changes in national priorities have prevented congress from meeting state requests for assistance. Schools are…

Purpose: Preschoolers with language impairment have difficulties with both literal and inferential language, both of which are critical to later reading comprehension. Because these children are known to be at risk for later reading comprehension difficulties, it is important to design and test interventions that foster both literal and…

Early Head Start, a federal program begun in 1995 for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, was evaluated through a randomized trial of 3,001 families in 17 programs. Interviews with primary caregivers, child assessments, and observations of parent-child interactions were completed when children were 3 years old.…