Pension plan officials may invest on the basis of perceived social benefits provided they have examined a broad range of investments and have found selections having those socially desirable features among a broad class of otherwise suitable and equally desirable investment opportunities meeting the economic objectives of the plan. (Author/IRT)

Document librarians and the Government Printing Office (GPO) micropublishing program may well prove to be responsible for raising microforms up from their low status in libraries. Librarians must continue the dialogue with micropublishers, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, the GPO, and library users. (Author/CMV)

Addresses two issues from Feuer, Towne, and Shavelson's article, which examined scientific culture and educational research. Agrees that legislative mandates that give preference particular methodological approaches would be ill-informed and misdirected, recommending a mandate for rigorous peer review of federally funded work combined with funding…

Compares spending proposed by Bush Administration's tax cuts with ways funds might be invested for education and child care costs. Raises concerns regarding funding cuts or changes in Head Start, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Asserts that as states cut educational/child care…

Uses reading-guide pyramid based on U.S. Department of Agriculture's food-guide pyramid to develop argument that new federal guidelines for scientific-based research will result in an unbalanced, phonics-rich approach to reading instruction. Argues for a balanced approach that includes comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and phonics. (PKP)

A framework for analyzing the federal government's responsibility for higher education finance is defined and used to describe how the government now carries out its responsibility. Evidence of shifts in financing patterns in recent years is reviewed, and the context for decision-making about the federal role is examined. (MSE)

Reviews discussions of the need for a national information policy and explores some of the complex issues involved in policy formation. The differences between national and federal information policy are identified, the role of scientific and technical information is discussed, and strategies for creating a national information policy are…

Congress substituted direct federal loans for federal guarantee of private loans for postsecondary education. Budget savings were overestimated because credit risks, recognition of administrative costs, and increases in administrative and borrowing costs were ignored. Savings could have been achieved by reducing returns to private lenders and…

Presents an interview with Emerson J. Elliott, Commissioner of Education Statistics, on the subject of leadership, government service, and the relationship between research and statistics. Some principles of leadership that are distinctive to the federal bureaucracy are addressed. (GR)

The contributions of Senator J. William Fulbright to public policy in the United States are examined, focusing on a lifetime of public service and the global view that he brought to American policy formation. Cultural tolerance and international cooperation are seen as the major themes dominating his public life. Excerpts of personal comments of a…

Explores why the United States Nuclear Waste Program has been unable to find a volunteer state to host either a nuclear waste repository or monitored retrieval storage facility. Discusses the Department of Energy's plans for Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a repository and state and tribal responses to the plan. (21 references) (MCO)

Asserts that suspension by the Federal Communications Commission of the Fairness Doctrine (which required broadcasters to air controversy and air it fairly) has not led to greater amounts of controversial programing. Argues that cancellation of the rule may in fact have limited the airing of controversy. (SG)

The practices of the Overlap Group, a group of colleges that pools information to arrive at common financial-aid packages for applicants, are examined and a Justice Department inquiry is discussed. An antitrust analysis and some possible conclusions by the Justice Department or reviewing court are offered. (MSE)

Discusses administration proposals to expand federal support for local public education, especially for urban schools . The initiatives include subsidizing the hiring of more teachers, encouraging grade retention, and providing more money for construction. Also examines the importance of school quality in metropolitan location decisions. (JOW)

Because the U.S. government is empowered to seize land and resources and "recognize" Indian nations, various tribes are attempting to prove before white courts their existence over time as a stable, distinct people. Certain "leftist" projects are trying to "recontextualize" racial identity more broadly and devise…