Discusses government directives linking availability and dissemination of information resources and improved public access with results (strategic planning, goals/objectives, performance indicators, customer service, standards/plans) and other issues (funding and performance-based budgets, government and deficit reduction, and government…

Teaching is hard, no matter where someone teaches. But for teachers in schools beset by poverty who have to find ways to motivate, discipline, and (with any hope) educate students whose odds in life are stacked against them, teaching is extremely hard. It is not surprising, then, that any effort to place additional pressure on teachers, many of…

In times of budget shortfalls and ever increasing demand for transparency and accountability for use of tax dollars in the public sector, it is clear that the use and influence of performance measurement has increased. "Performance measurement" is a "fairly inclusive term that may refer to the routine measurement of program inputs,…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) focused attention on the academic achievement of more than 5 million students with limited English proficiency. Obtaining valid test results for these students is challenging, given their language barriers. This testimony describes: (1) the extent to which these students are meeting annual academic…

The federal journey into public education has followed a long and winding road. Most educators know that the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is simply the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which dates all the way back to 1965. In the years since its initial passage, the ESEA road has taken a number of…

The U.S. lacks a well defined Federal policy for rural education, as those in decision making positions traditionally have represented urban and suburban interests. Much of the blame lies with those of us who are concerned with rural education, for it is our responsibility to see that policy makers are aware of and interested in the unique…

In 1970, the Spanish Speaking Program was launched as the Sixteen-Point Program to increase the number of Hispanic employees in the Federal Service. It functioned as part of the government-wide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program. In 1973 the U.S. Civil Service Commission's Federal Personnel Manual required agencies to take specific actions…

Charter schools are public schools that are granted increased autonomy by states in exchange for meeting specified academic goals. State law determines who approves the formation of a charter school, often the board of education. As public schools, charter schools are subject to the performance requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA)…

The many ramifications of a voucher system of educational funding are probed. (CK)

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…

Government involvement--local, state, and federal--in higher education is discussed. Any institutional advancement program should include a government relations component designed to meet the institution's needs. Government relations officers must form the bloc of opinion leaders and potential voters that gives lobbyists their clout. (MLW)

Secretary of Education from 1988-90 under the Reagan and Bush Administrations describes efforts to establish national education performance goals and improve the academic performance of Hispanic Americans. Also discusses accountability, narrowing the achievement gap, balancing academic achievement with character education, and teacher education.…

Uses data from a multistate, multidistrict study of education reform conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) at the University of Pennsylvania to examine the roles of federal, state, and local governments in standards-based reform and how intergovernmental relationships have influenced education-reform policies and…

The Department of Education considers the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act reauthorization one of the critical education issues facing the 101st Congress. This area is of the highest priority because of the importance of vocational education to the rejuvenation of U.S. education; to the educational aspirations of the poor, disabled, and…

Results are presented of a General Accounting Office audit of the Student Loan Insurance Fund (SLIF) financial statements for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980. SLIF finances the Guaranteed Student Loan Program by reimbursing lenders and state guarantee agencies when students default on their loans. The fund, which is managed by the…