National reports have raised concerns about the physical accessibility of public school facilities for people with disabilities. These facilities serve important roles as schools, voting locations, and emergency shelters, among other things. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine the physical accessibility of public school…

Betsy DeVos, the new U.S. Secretary of Education, has a reform agenda to advance school choice. Her track record includes enabling charter school growth in Michigan at taxpayers' expense with little oversight or accountability. Although an effective advocate, DeVos represents a broader policy movement to privatize American education, much of it…

Today's education landscape, including how students experience school, can reflect pervasive educational inequities. Past federal administrations and congresses, recognizing their critical role in addressing inequality, often acted to address disparities and violations of students' civil rights that had been left unresolved by states and…

The end of World War II heralded an era of urban disinvestment in the United States. While some cities began to rebound in the 1990s with population and economic growth, others--including large cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Louis as well as many smaller cities and towns--did not, and have continued to decline. As these communities…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) ESEA on the Way?: Harkin Eyes Next Month for Possible Committee Action on ESEA Reauthorization; (2)…

This document explores the interaction between the Title I legal framework and selected state and local compensatory education programs (SCE). Specifically, it is concerned with: (a) whether the language of the Title I legal framework setting forth the basic local educational agencies (LEA) program requirements applicable to SCE programs is…

This paper examines the history of sponsored research and industrial relationships at the University of Michigan. For the purposes of this paper, sponsored research is defined as research performed by the university that is funded by an outside constituent. Although this paper covers events from the start of the twentieth century, it concentrates…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Bush Budget Proposes Spending Freeze for U.S. Department of Education: Title I, Striving Readers, Statewide Data…

These hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs focused on the Food Stamp Programs problems in Detroit, Michigan. Testimony was heard from such witnesses as the following: Coleman Young, Mayor of the City of Detroit; Eleanor Josatis, Chairwoman; Mayor-Common Council's Task Force on Hunger and Malnutrition; Muriel…

Drastic reform of the nation's public education system is called for in this paper. It is argued that technological advances and social changes in the past quarter century have given schools a new role and purpose, particularly with regard to the education of blacks. Specific changes which have been implemented in the Michigan Public Schools are…

In 1988, the Michigan Community Coordinated Child Care (4C) Association was established to help develop a statewide child care policy and to provide support to a network of 13 local and regional 4C agencies. One of the association's first major tasks was to describe the state of child care and related services in Michigan and to make…