This report provides information on design and evaluation of workplace literacy programs (WLPs) to improve work force readiness and an overview of concepts about the nature, uses, and abuses of standardized tests in program evaluation and accountability. Chapter 1 takes a sociohistorical and sociopolitical perspective in discussing the knowledge…

The theoretical and socioeconomic context surrounding collaboration among government, schools, and the workplace, as well as cooperative education, is in keeping with a shift in the relationship between schools and the workplace. In this relationship, schools aim to meet the labor force demands of the workplace and to encourage youth in the…

Language minority children (those whose primary language is other than English) are significantly more likely than their non-minority peers to live in poverty, thereby qualifying for federal Head Start and bilingual education programs. An examination of the policies in these programs focuses on their area of overlap. It begins with an overview of…

This book presents essays inspired by an October, 1988, conference on recent changes in the relationship between public policy and higher education. The essays appear in five sections, the first of which, titled "Looking Backward: The Historical Context of Public Policy and Higher Education," serves as a retrospective and prospective examination…

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…

The second of 17 modules in a self-instructional course on student financial aid administration, this module offers novice financial aid administrators and other institutional personnel a systematic introduction to the management of federal financial aid programs authorized by the Higher Education Act Title IV. It traces the history of federal…

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…

A survey of state legislators was conducted to determine their views of what vocational education should be doing and how it could be improved as well as their perceptions about federal and state roles relative to vocational education. Findings were based on 45 percent of the sample of 209 members of the National Conference of State Legislatures…

The management of higher education in federal systems is discussed in two papers that resulted from a 10-day seminar in Australia. "The Changing Balance in Federal-State Responsibilities: Postsecondary Education in Australia and the United States" discusses the environmmnt of higher education, its overall structure, access and…

This guide to 24 government financial assistance programs describes and details the purpose, authorizing legislation, eligibility, method of operation, implications for English and foreign languages, funding, and addresses for current information for each source of assistance. Authorizing legislation for the programs discussed includes: (1) Higher…

The purpose of this report is to provide state-level policy makers with basic data about important alternatives to be considered as a state initiates or expands its early childhood programs. The report points out that several effective approaches could be implemented at substantially less cost than conventional classroom kindergartens and…

Between 1980 and 1986 federal support for education fell by 11 percent and number of disadvantaged students grew to 20 percent. In 1986 federal support for children had fallen to its lowest level in 20 years. Evaluates congressional turnaround that began to increase federal support. U.S. business leaders expressed concern over U.S. educational…

Discusses the significance of the shift in federal educational policies marked by the adoption of the block grant approach to federal aid in Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Reviews several general findings of case studies of the first year of Chapter 2 grant implementation. (PGD)

These papers are based on a 2002 seminar that examined the book "Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy" (James T. Patterson). "The Troubled Legacy of Brown v. Board" (James T. Patterson) highlights the impact of the case on the civil rights movement and school integration or desegregation…

The data in this report provide facts about the extent to which national, state, and local governments commit resources to educate youth. Current information is presented about public school enrollment and participation, employment and compensation of personnel, and finances, as reported by state education departments. The state-level data…