This letter is submitted to comment on the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) proposed revisions to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), as published in the September 23, 2011, Federal Register. Overall, the Data Quality Campaign believes the proposed changes strike a sensible balance: they…

Across the United States, school districts are working to turnaround their lowest performing schools in order to meet the requirements of Adequate Yearly Progress mandated by the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001. These failing schools are facing district, state, and federal sanctions of closure, takeover, or restructuring. A new…

The Secretary amends title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations to establish regulations for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program. The TEACH Grant program is a non-need-based grant program that provides up to $4,000 per year to students who are enrolled in an eligible program and who agree to…

On June 23, 2008, final regulations were published in the "Federal Register" to establish regulations for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program. That document inadvertently included several minor technical errors. This document corrects the final regulations. These corrections are effective July…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the federal stimulus package, will over the next two years provide all states with federal funding to support early learning opportunities for 3- and 4-year-olds. This investment clearly reflects Washington's acknowledgement of the link between high-quality early education and the nation's…

The U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Duncan are set on a "moon-shot" goal to get America on track and to return to being number one in the world in high school and college graduation rates, school readiness, academic achievement, college matriculation and retention, and completion rates. The "Obama Effect" and the American Recovery and…

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

The U.S. Department of Education is conducting several activities to address privacy and security issues related to education data. Earlier this year a contractor for the Department convened a group of privacy and security experts and produced a report with recommendations to the Department on ways they can address emerging challenges in…

In April 2007, Federal No Child Left Behind regulations were finalized that provided states with additional flexibility for assessing some students with disabilities. The regulations allowed states to offer another assessment option, alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). States are not required to have…

How can indigenous evaluators implement culturally competent models in First Nations communities while ensuring that government grant evaluation requirements are met? Through describing the challenges in one tribal community in the United States, this article will discuss how American Indian/Alaska Native substance abuse prevention programs are…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires states and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to define and determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting the goal of 100 percent academic proficiency. To address tribes' needs for cultural preservation, NCLBA allows tribal groups to…

The commitment of the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, in the U.S. Department of Justice, to the enforcement of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is described. Recent federal initiatives under this act to advance the rights of disabled people in terms of employment, the rights of handicapped infants, and the enforcement of…

Criticizes the federal regulations that encourage waste and cheating in the school lunch program. (IRT)

Identifies issue areas in which President Reagan either has or does not have widespread public support. Suggests, for example, that attempts by the Reagan administration to reestablish school prayer, pass strict anti-pornography laws, outlaw the teaching of evolution, or end funding of sex education programs would result in a series of fruitless…

Agencies and departments of the federal government may find that they own property that they no longer require. This may occur because of a change in their program requirements, a reduction in their operations or the relocation of programs to other sites. These properties are reported to the General Services Administration as excess. Military…