This article reviews the historical context in which Canadian legislation and policy for children with special needs has evolved. The potential for the rights of students with special needs in light of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is outlined. The role of the Federal and Provincial governments in legislation and policy vis-à-vis…

Race to the Top (RTT) is a first-of-its kind $4.35 billion competitive grant program designed to spur state-level education innovation to boost student achievement, close achievement gaps, and prepare students for college and careers. Originally authorized in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, RTT encourages states to develop…

Locally controlled public schools are one of the cornerstones of our nation's democracy, yet many schools are not preparing students for success. Far too many students are not graduating, and many of those who do graduate are woefully unprepared for college or a meaningful career. Successfully initiating and sustaining meaningful improvements in…

Overview of federal collection of health statistics highlights federal budgets; the National Center for Health Statistics (role, periodicity report); vital statistics (surveys of physicians, hospitals, nursing homes); household surveys (National Health Interview Survey); and proposed reorganization of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of…

The "Condition of Education" is an annual statistical report about education in the United States. This review describes and comments on the publication's data selection data presentation, prose interpretation, and the quality of the statistics. Options for improving the publication are discussed. (BW)

Provides an overview of adoption statistics and describes data available regarding adoption arrangements and the characteristics of parents who relinquish children, of children who are adopted or in substitute care, and of adults who seek to adopt. Recommends the establishment of a national data collection system for adoption statistics.…

As required by Public Law 100-146, states must submit to the Administration on Developmental Disabilities data concerning services to persons with developmental disabilities. This paper reviews relevant literature to establish a theoretical framework, definitions, and suggestions for extent, scope, eligibility requirements, and measures of…

This paper examined the history and current issues in the evaluation of the education of Native students. Although public schools are the principal providers of services to Native students, most programs receive the greater part of their funding from the Federal Government and are subject to federal evaluation. Previous federal evaluation efforts…

Discusses a study conducted by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) which examined the federally funded research system and the role of data for decision making in research policy. Highlights include data needs; research expenditures and personnel; the research process; measuring the outcomes of research; and the research evaluation process.…

This report presents the results of a federally mandated study done to determine the best means of identifying, locating, and counting homeless children and youth, for the purpose of facilitating their successful participation in school and other educational activities. Several alternative approaches to obtaining consistent national estimates of…

In 1989 and 1990 the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to standing committees in the U.S. Congress identified and explored issues for consideration in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and Title IV programs. Through 18 months of information gathering the Committee uncovered three problem areas. The first problem is…

The 'rural' definitions applied by the Federal Government, especially by two data-gathering agencies, the Bureau of the Census and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), emphasize different dimensions of the concept, and delineate the rural-urban continuum in different ways. This report discusses the inconsistency of curent "rural"…

This report concerns the governance of the structure of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), especially the law and the role of the Assessment Policy Committee (APC). The major sources of evidence include interviews with APC members and National Institute of Education (NIE) staff, minutes of APC meetings and historical documents…

Twelve federal migrant programs currently provide over $600 million annually to assist migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families. Four programs (the Migrant Education Program, Migrant Head Start, Migrant Health, and job training and ancillary services under the Job Training Partnership Act) account for 90 percent of federal migrant…

This report updates the National Strategic Research Plan of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and reports progress made from 1991 through 1993 as required by the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-553) which established the Institute. An executive summary…