Reports on rationales that states have used to support recent early childhood education (ECE) initiatives and describes how reform policies were made in 1971-73 in West Virginia, California, Georgia, New Mexico, and Ohio. Outlines background and initiation of reform, building of support for ECE, opposition, and resulting legislation. (Author/GC)

Discusses federal control of education, focusing on higher education. Concludes that there is no grand coordinated federal plot to control universities. Rather, "federal control is created by the actions of scores of agencies and hundreds of bureaucrats each tailoring alterations to fit their idiosyncratic view of education." (Author/JM)

Discusses: (1) the development of federal activism in education from 1964-72; (2) influences on activism during various administrations; (3) transformation of the federal role during the Reagan administration; and (4) determinants of the federal role in education (the president; political and economic conditions; racial, religious, and Federal…

Federal intent is conveyed to states and localities through a series of actions that include authorizing legislation, legislative history, formal legal framework, administrative decisions, and congressional oversight. Program implementation, in turn, requires states and localities to modify organizational structures, processes, and behavior.…

Reviews progress made toward educating handicapped children in the United States under Public Law 94-142. Describes how proposals by the Reagan Administration to reduce Federal involvement in education would place a heavy burden on individual States and would erode recent gains in educational opportunity for the handicapped. (GC)

Presents an overview of the federal role in the development of school desegregation policy, emphasizing the interactive nature of judicial, legislative, and executive involvement. Reviews the six articles in the theme issue. (FMW)

Hypothesizes that a student assignment plan, such as that approved for Boston (Massachusetts), can be an effective method of using school choice to achieve both educational quality and racial balance. Urges the federal government to increase funds for demonstration planning projects and comparative studies to test the plan's effectiveness. (FMW)

Reviews the background, intent, and provisions of the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA), a law designed to simplify and consolidate 30 Federal elementary and secondary education assistance programs. Asserts that significant deregulation will not occur under ECIA, and that the Act will create as many problems as it solves. (GC)

Describes a study which explored (1) early childhood educators' attitudes concerning early childhood education and educational policies, and (2) regional or subgroup differences in these attitudes. Concludes that (1) respondents believe in the value of early education outside the home, and (2) the major subgroup differentiation is between…

Reviews the negative impact of Reagan-era civil rights policies on housing and school desegregation. Suggests a coordinated federal policy approach that would overcome local political bias. (FMW)

Reviews the historical and political context of school reform, examining its problems and ambiguities as a policy and offering suggestions to minimize the risks of reform in urban schools. Concludes that state takeovers are detrimental because they do not address systemic problems in the affected school systems. Contains 51 references. (Author/SLD)

federal involvement in education is necessary because state and local agencies have not provided educational experiences that are adequate to meet the needs of special populations. A rational federal role should address equal opportunity, data collection/dissemination, research, support for improving local practices, human resources training, and…

Describes three broad areas of challenge for the development of national curriculum content standards: (1) tension between leadership and consensus; (2) tension between flexible and specific standards; and (3) tension between up-to-date dynamic standards and reasonable expectations for systemic change. Examining tradeoffs necessary will result in…

Uses previous implementation studies to investigate the process of local implementation of federal educational policy since 1965. Examines assumptions underlying federal educational policies; suggests different ways of thinking about the federal role in education; and maintains that effective implementation of federal educational programs requires…

Traces the development and missions of the federally sponsored Teacher Corps program. Discusses how persons functioned and what problems they confronted at local level implementation of the program. Suggests that major implementation problems of Teacher Corps stemmed from inability to restructure the program in accordance with modifications in its…