In this report the authors use key outcome measures to summarize student performance within each higher education system; describe the degree of progress derived from system-level initiatives; and offer recommendations to address impediments and reduce demographic disparities. This report is a starting point for determining how everyone can…

The purpose of this paper is to promote clearer understanding of the graduation-rate debate by distilling the policy developments and controversy surrounding the measurement of these rates over the last decade. The paper concludes with a discussion of the move toward a federally mandated common metric for graduation rates. The No Child Left Behind…

Under the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965" ("ESEA"), as amended, schools that are served under Title I, Part A of the ESEA and that do not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years are identified for school improvement. If an identified Title I school does not make AYP while in that status,…

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…

This report summarizes data that address several aspects of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's Title I program. It includes information on districts, schools and students served, range of instructional and support services provided, Title I staffing patterns, and schools' progress toward meeting performance standards as reported in Title…

Colleges risk losing eligibility for government student loan programs, because of tightened loan-repayment requirements for participating institutions. Economic factors and some data-processing errors are blamed for high student default rates. Default rates are charted by state, lender, institution type, and guarantee agency. Colleges threatened…

This study examined student loan default rates at 98 of the 104 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. About 3 percent of all federal students loans made in fiscal year (FY) 1995 were made to students at HBCUs, a percentage that has remained steady from FY 1991 through FY 1995. For FY 1993, the average loan…

With the number of persons eligible to attend college under the GI Bill on the decline, the volume of Veterans Administration (VA) regulations and reporting requirements is increasing. A survey was conducted to determine the problems that colleges were experiencing with VA certification requirements as a background for discussion of solutions of…

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has undertaken a number of initiatives for the 6-month period ending September 30, 1996, to help Education Department managers identify and address issues whose successful resolution is critical to the department's fiscal and management integrity. This semiannual report highlights those activities, which are…

Health needs and health services in rural America are key issues directly related to education as well as community well-being. This report examines rural America's access to basic health care services and discusses options for congressional consideration. The focus is on trends in availability of primary and acute rural health care and on factors…

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) works to assist the Department of Education in ensuring the integrity of its operations and improving its programs. During the 6 months this report covers, OIG issued 60 audit and inspection reports and memoranda, and closed 104 investigations. More specifically, OIG investigated purchase-card abuse and…

In the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994, Congress directed the Government Accounting Office (GAO) to examine the use of private food establishments and caterers by schools participating in federal programs for school meals. In conducting its review, the GAO relied primarily on questionnaires returned by food authorities that had…

This report examines the facilitation of financing higher education in Hawaii. The report covers financial aid programs available to Hawaii college students, as well as prepaid and guaranteed tuition programs and college savings programs. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 focuses on threshold questions such as state constitutional…

The purposes of the national evaluation survey of the Indian Education Act (IEA) Title IV, Part A, projects were to evaluate the implementation of Part A objectives, conduct a feasibility study to determine evaluation criteria for future impact studies, and identify non-fiscal obstacles to Part A projects. Exhaustive preliminary research resulted…