In experimental evaluations of health and social programs, the role of dosage is rarely explored because researchers cannot usually randomize individuals to experience varying dosage levels. Instead, such evaluations reveal the average effects of exposure to an intervention, although program exposure may vary widely. This article compares three…

For over a decade, the National Science Foundation's Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program has funded researchers and educators to build an understanding of best practices, contexts, and processes contributing to K-12 students' motivation and participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics…

This article sheds light on the availability and characteristics of international scholarship programs that are sponsored by national and federal governments worldwide and that are intended to promote student mobility. Utilizing descriptive and cluster analyses, the article produces a framework for organizing the population of these programs. The…

In 1998, President Clinton signed the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Implemented in 2000, WIA replaced the Job Partnership Training Act (JTPA) as the primary federal job training program. Congress viewed WIA as a way to end "business as usual" in the workforce investment system. WIA aimed to transform the employment and training…

This article offers an analysis of the origins, evolution, and impact of the Obama administration's Race to the Top (RTTT) competitive grant program and places it in the broader context of the debate over the No Child Left Behind Act and the shifting intergovernmental relations around education. RTTT is fundamentally about two things: creating…

This article discusses the kinds of instructional activities that young children need to develop basic language and literacy skills based on recent research and program evaluations. This includes approaches to develop alphabetic understanding, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language. Activities and materials from the Pre-kindergarten…

The U.S. Office of Consumers' Education, which existed for almost seven years, disbursing in excess of $18 million for grants and contracts in support of consumer education activities, is examined. Program successes and program problems are discussed. (Author/CT)

Until the past few years, our nation's approach to designing federal programs for preschool-age children lacked coherence and paid little attention to what had worked (and not worked) in the past. In this article, the authors propose that credible information useful for designing effective programs will require the ongoing, systematic development…

Gifted education suffers from poor financing, fears of elitism, and problems in student identification. Appropriate definitions, selection procedures, and instructional techniques now exist for gifted education. It is time to make a commitment to these students who, contrary to popular belief, cannot ordinarily develop to their full potential…

Student financial aid analysts are suggesting the federal government establish a government-run loan bank or trust fund to eliminate the need for lender involvement in the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, but congressional aides think that dismantling the existing program is unlikely. (MSE)

Investigates the management perspectives and the reported practices, priorities, and activities of all federally funded adult basic education programs in New York City. The views of the directors of the funded community-based organizations and those of the managers of the local education agency's program are compared. Recommendations for policy…

Researchers, economists, and campus administrators who have followed federal student aid programs worry that businesses have turned the Guaranteed Student Loan Program into a lucrative industry that doesn't always have the students' interest in mind, and a congressional study group is also concerned about aspects of the program. (MSE)

This study examined whether the structural attributes of a formal mentoring program and/or certain demographic characteristics of participants in the program influence protege satisfaction. Proteges, employed in a traditionally male occupation, were sampled from a federal agency's mentoring program. According to policy, the agency attempted to…

This article describes two employment and training programs for older people funded by the government of the United States and carried out by a variety of agencies: the Senior Community Services Employment Program and the Job Training Partnership Act. The examples demonstrate the ability of older adults to learn new skills and perform new jobs.…

The United States Department of Energy's Schools and Hospitals Program has been popular among schools. The necessity of locating nonfederal resources to achieve energy management warrants (1) developing a strategy of evaluation among schools and (2) market research and analysis. (CJH)