The Australian labor market in 1992 was characterized by (1) high unemployment; (2) variability across states; (3) long-term unemployment; (4) government focus on infrastructure projects; (5) emphasis on training; and (6) enterprise bargaining in industrial relations. (SK)

The career education movement of the 1970s was based on the premise of preparation for career success and motivation for educational success. What evidence exists of its effectiveness shows that it may be a workable formula to apply to today's demands for work-related educational reform. (SK)

The federal proposal for Job Training 2000 is criticized for ignoring 30 years of job training programs. It would shift responsibility among existing programs but would not provide needed resources to train more workers. (SK)

Discusses the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion that will conduct an in-depth study to make recommendations on how to ensure that all Head Start programs provide high-quality services. Examines legislation having an impact on Head Start programs, including efforts to reduce the federal budget. (TJQ)

America 2000 tries to advance both student achievement and educational freedom (through school choice). Its newly formulated learning standards and achievement tests could benefit children of all regions and backgrounds. America 2000 will strengthen all citizens' future by creating a national mechanism for quality control. (11 references) (MLH)

Examines history of discrimination within U.S. agricultural programs, specifically in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Compares USDA employment and grant allocations for Blacks and Whites since Civil Rights Act of 1964. Cites other examples of institutional discrimination in federal agriculture programs. Calls for development of policy…

For over 25 years, Title I and Chapter 1 programs have provided remedial services to children deficient in basic skills by instructing them separately. The most important future objectives for compensatory education are preventing early reading failure, enhancing regular classroom instruction, and improving assessment and accountability. (27…

Assessing results of grants programs is illustrated with evaluation activities of the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. Methods considered are ex-ante peer review of proposed work, ex-post peer review of completed work, publications-based methods, and "look-back" methods tracing contributions of past work and…

This article reports the results of policy research survey examining U.S. government strategies to obtain data on counts of children who are deaf-blind and the issues related to this effort and its outcomes. Problems frequently cited were varying definitions of deaf-blindness among states and lack of accurate data on etiology and severity. (JDD)

This paper critiques England's teacher in-service training program, called Grants for Education, Support and Training (GEST.) The paper notes that funding is only available for national priority areas and argues that the impact of this approach is leading to a lack of necessary training for special education teachers. (JDD)

An editorial and two articles on quality control in evaluation are presented. Topics covered include definition and assessment of evaluation quality and development of standards for judging quality. Programs inspections activities of the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services are discussed. (TJH)

After completing an audit of Chapter 1 allocations in five states, the U.S. Department of Education's inspector general suggested that authorizing legislation be amended to substitute some measure of membership for average daily attendance. States are also having trouble reporting current expenditures in conformance with the originally prescribed…

The article examines the partnership between the Canadian government and nonprofit organizations in delivering rehabilitation services to blind/visually impaired adults. Discussed are legislation, concessions to blind persons, services of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, special equipment, dog guide schools, consumer groups, and the…

Presents two opinions on the effect of growing federal student loan programs on college tuition: (1) that federal loans have more than tripled as a proportion of the total cost of attendance, while tuition rates have skyrocketed, indicating a connection; and (2) that no reliable evidence shows undergraduate tuition has risen to capture more…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act (1994) was designed to provide grants to states and local school districts aiming to help all students explore careers and create work-based-learning opportunities linked to academic course work. This article underlines the need for parent support and describes several districts' implementation efforts. (MLH)