Knowing and contacting your congressman is an important part of every educator's efforts to influence legislation and to be politically alert, writes the author, but also important is knowing how the federal agencies most closely related to education are organized and operate. He gives a bird's eye view here. (Editor)

The failure of supervisors to follow through with helpful interest and discussion has had a debilitating impact on too many Extension programs. The accountability aspect is explored using seven questions with which Extension professionals should be concerned. (ABM)

Discussed is educational program planning for gifted and talented students who are culturally different. Available from: Department of Special Education, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. (IM)

The U.S. Navy has developed a self-paced, computer managed instruction (CMI) system for the initial training of personnel. The success of the system has prompted further research to explore greater economies through the use of communication satellites to deliver CMI to trainees at sea. (Author/BD)

Describes the research and development funding as proposed in the 1978 federal budget submitted by President Ford on January 17, 1977. (SL)

In fiscal year 2004, the federal government made or guaranteed about $84 billion in loans for postsecondary education through two loan programs--the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and the Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP). Under FFELP, private lenders fund the loans and the government guarantees them a minimum yield and repayment…

Our analysis of California's state department of education's Request for Proposals (RFP) for a project to "Build Collaboration for Mental Health Services in California Schools" leads us to underscore both the opportunity presented by the proposed work and the potential for serious unintended negative consequences. This brief is designed…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" discusses national data on transition services available for children served within the state child mental health systems. These data are derived from information provided by…

Nearly two decades of research has taught some powerful lessons about how to design and implement meaningful and effective professional development for teachers. This newsletter examines the characteristics of high-quality professional development and offers some suggestions for improving its impact and effectiveness. For reform efforts centered…

In recent years, different researchers and research agencies, teacher associations, national education organizations, and the U.S. Department of Education have published lists of the characteristics of "effective professional development." This study analyzed 13 of the better known of these lists to determine if they were derived through similar…

This report presents findings from a recent evaluation of 51 school health education programs nationwide. All programs were currently functioning and ongoing, had been evaluated, and provided some evidence of effectiveness. Each program was designed to improve the short- or long-term health status of children and youth in a school-based or…

AmeriCorps is composed of three programs, State and National; National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC); and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). The focus of this report is on the AmeriCorps State/National program. Education-related activities have been a priority for AmeriCorps' parent organization, the National Corporation for Public…

Nearly 20 years ago a culturally relevant program was created on the island of Guam. Inspired by the Gheel, the Belgium colony's humanized treatment of the mentally ill, the program is based on the island's Spanish heritage and makes use of Roman Catholic ritual in communal assembly and in commemorating developmental attainments. Beginning as a…