This essay outlines the federal role through Congress, the executive branch, and the judiciary in increasing equality of educational opportunity in the United States. Special emphasis is placed on government efforts of the 1960s and 1970s. (CT)

Government funding and the authority for applied research, development, and dissemination should be decentralized across program operations, not consolidated into the educational research and improvement unit. (CP)

Repeal of the Hatch Act would worsen inflation and make effective controls over government much more difficult to achieve. Repeal of the Hatch Act would serve the interests of no one except those who seek to gain increasing political power at the expense of the general public. (Author/IRT)

Reviews three roles of the federal government that are accepted as essential tasks of federal leadership: (1) leadership in the process of democratization, (2) employment, and (3) readiness to rely on vocational education in periods of emergency. Suggests improving vocational education by rethinking the federal role. (LRA)

A study panel recommended new ways for the U.S. government to define the poverty threshold, including measures of adequate food, clothing, and shelter for a family of four, with regular updating procedures and an equivalence scale to adjust the threshold for other family types. (SK)

Replies to several authors who critiqued an article on scientific culture and educational research, reiterating the original article's core argument that harnessing the epistemological and methodological diversity of the field to advance its common goals is difficult but essential work. Encourages further debate on the issues addressed in the…

Examines examples of "information lockdown" by the federal government, including Executive Order 13233 issued by President George W. Bush. Considers the underlying rationale for the lockdown, its policy implications for academics and others who seek regular access to public-sector information, and its threat to democratic society. Includes a…

Provides an overview of the powers of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and examines control of government publications and changes in publication policies during the Reagan administration. The effects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 and Circular A-130, "The Management of Federal Information Resources," are also…

The federal government has responded to criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act by giving states greater flexibility in how to comply. Analysts worry that the law's purpose is being lost along the way. Since U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that she would take a "common sense" approach to carrying out the No…

It has become part of the conventional wisdom that a decidedly left-wing slant influences what students are taught at elite colleges and universities in America, chiefly at Ivy League institutions. This perception has been common at least since the congressional investigations in the late 1940s into Communist Party activities in the United States,…

The constitutional history of America, France and Britain, as well as monolithic organizations past and present, shows that human beings cleave to single rule--that we tend to develop quasi-royal dynasties, from Livia and Augustus to Bill and Hillary Clinton. Monarchy is not quaint; it is universal. Nevertheless, it is most surprising that there…

After September 11, 2001, the Bush administration initiated large-scale electronic surveillance within the United States to gather intelligence to protect citizens from terrorists. Media commentary, public reaction, and classroom practices regarding this program have tended toward either-or positions: either for presidential power and national…

Described in terms of their objectives and their continuing validity and responsiveness to current developments, the United States information policies presented in this paper form the principles upon which the United States generally approaches international information policy issues. Various aspects of U.S. information policy which are discussed…

The author states that postsecondary institutions must implement their own minimum academic progress requirements to avoid a potentially punitive legislative requirement. Various General Accounting Office reports concerned with student progress statistics are quoted. (CT)

This comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of microfilm and optical disc as archival storage mediums discusses recent investigations of their longevity, accessibility of stored information, and costs. It is concluded that microfilm is the most practical and longest-lasting conversion medium, although optical disc may provide quicker…