There is growing unease about suspension and expulsion of children at the preschool level. Preschoolers are expelled at three times the rate of K-12 students (Gilliam, 2005). Boys--particularly African-American boys--comprise a disproportionate number of these cases, a fact that has caused concern among parents, policymakers, and advocates alike.…

The demand for workers (employers, self-employed people and employees) having research training extends beyond the researcher workforce itself and is increasing. The research workforce is not uniform but segmented according to disciplines and the economic and sectoral contexts in which researchers work. The growth of cross-disciplinary and…

Discusses the shift of responsibility for public schooling back to the states and localities and the fact that block grants have become an integral part of national policy. Explains the effect of the cut in federal funds on the nation's schools. (JOW)

Reports on major bills passed by the houses of Congress, designed to cut federal funding and also to streamline delivery systems for child care and related services. In addition, discusses the Clinton administration's proposed budget for Federal Year 1996, which calls for increased funding for child care. (AA)

The impact of and justification for using federal grants to carry out national policies in education is explored in this document. The paper opens by noting that the locally-made decisions typical of our federal system of government do not always take into account such national interests as those in increasing equality of opportunity, providing…

Reviews national interests in education and considers the effectiveness of different forms of federal grants in addressing those interests. Concludes that providing equalization aid is the only appropriate purpose for block grants since such grants do not encourage state and local agencies to concern themselves with national priorities. (PGD)

Predicting the federal government's role in education in the 1980s requires being aware of existing patterns and trends, noting their interaction with likely federal policy changes, and assessing the possible outcomes of this interaction. The existing patterns, or "historical givens," include trends in educational economics and…

The need for a new approach to federal support of education by reducing the number of narrow categorical aid programs is developed through a case study of the 1976 Ford Administration proposal for a consolidated block grant of 24 separate authorities. The merits of block grant funding are examined both in terms of the administration-sponsored bill…

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 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…

The fiscal impacts and redistribution effects of the recently enacted (1981) federal education block grant on 525 elementary and secondary school districts in Michigan were examined using a quasi-experimental time-series design and multiple regression and analysis of covariance techniques. Implications of changes in federal policy are discussed.…

Over 30 professional evaluators in five state departments of education and 5 large school districts were interviewed periodically over a 10-month period in 1982 to find out how the Education Consolidation Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA) was affecting program evaluation activities. Preliminary findings on the impact of ECIA Chapter 1 (compensatory…

Fifteen papers commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education's School Finance Project are contained in this volume. The papers examine the changing dimensions of the federal-state partnership in education. The volume is organized into four sections. The first section is devoted to state educational policy concerns, including various state…

Policymakers must review the accomplishments of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), problems associated with suggestions for its reform, and incremental reforms to the program that are required and possible. Despite the fact that research generally attests to CETA's success, the system suffers from a poor public image.…