A study of the implementation of six major federal education policies in four urban school districts (Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; San Diego, California; and Dade County, Florida) generally supported a new theory of federalism. Research data were drawn from statistical reports and from interviews with over 150 persons at local,…

This longitudinal study investigated the loss of Education Consolidation Improvement Act Chapter 1 services and its effect on student achievement in Austin Independent School District schools desegregated by court order through school pairing or revision of school attendance boundaries. The achievement of two groups of kindergarten through third…

Federal education policy preferences of the Reagan Administration include both procedural and substantive elements. The overarching procedural policy is devolution--the transfer of the authority and responsibility for education policy and program development from the federal to state and local levels. Federal activities intended to advance…

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…

While the federal government has always been a junior partner to state and local agencies in financing and operating public schools, the impact of federal policies on schools continues to be a topic of debate by researchers, policymakers, and the public. This paper reviews the rapidly expanding but dispersed literature on federal involvement in…