In the fifty years since Congress assumed the provision of financial assistance to schools in which students had "federal connection," such as American Indian students living on reservations or in public housing, this federal assistance came to be regarded as a replacement for state funding, not as supplemental funding. This study…

The acting director of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress, views state-by-state test scores as an opportunity for state officials to compare their states to states with similar characteristics. (MLF)

Contends that state-by-state comparisons of National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores will lead to simplistic conclusions and an increase in teaching-to-the-test curriculums. (MLF)

This article is a response to Wainer's comments on a research study representing the first major analysis of factors linked to state differences in Scholastic Aptitude Test performance. (JAZ)

It is suggested that some of the technology applied to state Scholastic Aptitude Test scores to measure states' educational performance (particularly use of a truncated Gaussian model) may make it possible to adjust National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores to make inferences about state educational progress possible. (SLD)

Declaring that a "national emergency" exists in American education, the author outlines "Action for Excellence" recommendations developed by the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth, of which he was chairman, and discusses accomplishments in educational reform in the state of North Carolina, where he is governor. (JBM)