In this article, Ajay Chaudry and Heather Sandstrom review research on child care and early education for children under age three. They describe the array of early care and education arrangements families use for infants and toddlers; how these patterns have changed in recent decades; and differences by family socioeconomic status, race, and…

Summer learning loss creates a permanent drag on the US education system. With the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) developed "Moving Summer Learning Forward: A Strategic Roadmap for Funding in Tough Times" to provide out-of-school time programs, school districts,…

The federal government's annual budget process was kick-started this year with a bold proposal that has implications for anyone who provides child care. But keeping child care front and center in Washington will take a lot of effort in 2010. On February 1, the Administration released the Budget Proposal for Federal Fiscal Year 2011. It calls for…

Amid a recession that's squeezing state budgets and pushing more families into poverty, teams of officials from 39 states gathered near Washington last week to explore ways to better meet the educational and health needs of young children. The Sept. 16-18 meeting, sponsored by the National Governors Association, came as the U.S. House of…

Findings from four studies reveal that: administrators enjoy the deregulation of Chapter 2 but are concerned about audits and evaluation; a wide variety of fund distribution formulas exists; expenditures were heavy for computers; and private school participation has increased. (MLF)

Describes the objectives and activities of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the purview of the Reagan administration's civil rights policy. Describes OCR methodologies designed to ensure enforcement of nondiscrimination requirements in state implementation of programs under federal block grants. (MJL)

Discusses the role of the national values of efficiency, choice, and equity in the adoption and implementation of the federal education block grant program and the negative effects on school desegregation. Urges policymakers to consider policy goals, and not just policy instruments, when considering future proposals. (FMW)

Federal education programs increase costs because they attach fewer strings to funds than state or local grants, and this is likely to lead to administrative empire-building. Bureaucracy tends pathologically as it grows to generate more work for itself independent of true administrative needs. Some policy implications are drawn. (MJL)

Five activities are proposed for a federal evaluation agenda for the 1980s: (1) measuring net impact of social program cost containment; (2) implementing and evaluating new social experiments; (3) examining appropriateness of current social programs; (4) testing alternatives to established programs; and (5) developing procedures to ensure…

A study of Chapter 2 first-year implementation in nine states found that administrators like the flexibility of the block grants. Problems remain concerning the participation of private school students, service to special populations, and the continued use of state advisory councils. (MLF)

Discusses limits and strengths of existing procedural protections for persons affected by the implementation of block grants. Identifies the areas in which State or Federal legislation is most needed to ensure that people are treated fairly and that resources are distributed efficiently. (Author/GC)

To maximize freedom from personal and political conflicts of interest, decentralized mechanisms of federal program evaluations are needed. Block grants mean that state legislatures and governors will become more responsible for oversight of funds. Three proposals are presented for helping the states deal with these increased evaluation…

Discusses federal and state initiatives to enhance child care quality and child care teachers' compensation. These initiatives have resulted from the passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant in 1990. (BB)

Analyzes the intentions and results of federal efforts to promote educational improvement over the past 25 years. Federal efforts are described in the following areas: block grant funding; requirements for local evaluation and planning; research, development, and evaluation; linkage; and targeted support for local improvement. (CT)

Characterizes federal support for education as a political process involving Congress, the president, special interest groups, program administrators, and the general public. Examines policy shifts from bipartisan congressional leadership in the late 1940s through John Kennedy's advocacy of federal aid and Ronald Reagan's endorsement of state and…