The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 means that, for the first time, the federal government has shifted substantial responsibility for maintaining a social safety net for the most vulnerable populations to the state governments. This guide summarizes the contents of the new law, identifies…

Vermont's Act 60 received national attention not only because of the controversy surrounding the sharing pool (or recapture provision) but also because of its "potential for being the most equitable system in the country." For fiscal years 1998 to 2001, tax rates have become more equitable, and a direct relationship has appeared between…

This report analyzes the effect of President George W. Bush's administration's budget proposal on federal discretionary grant-in-aid programs provided to state and local governments. These programs are projected to be cut by 6.9 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2002 and, by 2011, by 11.2 percent. The report provides data on proposed changes in spending…

Families undergo difficulties in trying to negotiate the labyrinth of early childhood services offered in Illinois. Because of the multiplicity of programs and scarce funding, many children and families do not receive the services they need. Coordination among programs and services is also limited. This paper offers background on how the…

This guide outlines strategies to be used by rural school districts when applying for grants in New York State. The first section addresses the impact of recent federal program reductions and restructuring that have significantly reduced overall federal spending on state education programs. Both federal and state governments are moving away from…

This paper provides 1- to 6-page fact sheets on 15 programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Each fact sheet provides information on program services and funding. The fact sheets cover the following programs: Youth Gang Drug Prevention, Refugee Assistance, Runaway and…

This report considers how local Title I administrators allocate time responsibilities, how burdensome and important they find the various Title I requirements, and what effects they expect the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act to have on paperwork and administrative burden. Data include mail questionnaires returned by a national sample…

This fact sheet compares statutory data collection and reporting provisions of the federal education block grant (chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981) with the nine other block grant programs funded in fiscal year 1986; data on statutory administrative cost limits are also provided. Each grant's legislation was…

This study was conducted (1) to determine the effects of the change, under Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA), from categorical grants to block grants in the District of Columbia, and (2) to compare these local effects with the findings of other nationwide studies. The first half of the paper is a review of reports…

This report to Congress details activities of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) during fiscal year (FY) 1986 and offers recommendations for continuing educational services for Indian youth. Part I includes an introduction to NACIE, identifies members, committees and staff and reviews its legislative history including…

When federally funded categorical programs for educational equity converge at the school level, difficulties such as resource competition tend to arise. This study addresses interference (categorical and core local program conflicts) and cross-subsidy (categorical fund misuse) problems at district, school, and classroom levels in terms of…

This assessment of the effectiveness of federal service mandates in addressing equal education goals considers the effects and policy implications of existing and theoretical mandate types. The service mandate is a legal requirement (not contingent upon federal financial aid) that states or districts provide educational services satisfying federal…

A number of basic questions exist about the nature of the federal system, about the role education plays in that system, and about how that role should be expressed in policy. This paper examines the doctrinal, functional, and strategic meanings of the term "federalism." The author argues, first, that there is no doctrinal support for…

Over 600 students were served by the Reading/Mathematics Lab Program of the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District. Students enrolled in the mathematics lab at all grade levels attained an increase in mean percentile rank from pre- to post-testing as measured by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills administered in October 1982 and again…

The Advisory Panel on Financing Elementary and Secondary Education appointed by President Reagan in 1982 developed recommendations regarding both the Federal role in education and the practical means for carrying out that role. To encourage accountability and educational quality, the panel urged giving locally selected authorities primary…