In this article, the author talks about the resignation of New York State's commissioner of education David Steiner, and how it will affect the state's Race to the Top. He contends that Steiner was savvy enough to understand the importance of Race to the Top and able enough to turn the state's education energies toward it. The "Washington…

The authors express reservations about additional federal funding for the National Science Foundation, including new funding for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education programs, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. For more than 50 years, American political, business, military, and academic leaders…

Recommendations to increase the relevance of information, improve the communication of information, and increase user responsiveness to information are presented. Recommendations include the following: (1) the Department of Education (ED) should institute a flexible planning system for evaluations of federal education programs; (2) congressional…

The ten papers in this collection commissioned by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory take positions and speculate about particular obstacles which collaboratives and intermediaries face in working toward the improvement of educational practice and equity through regional approaches. The papers discuss (1) the essential characteristics…

This report describes the organization, planning, and procedures for two seminars which examined alternative approaches to the achievement of two goals: increasing equity and improving educational practices. The seminars had as their major purposes the study and analysis of interorganizational collaboration as it enhances these goals, and the…

Beginning with statements indicating the serious inadequacy of America's science education, the author describes a National Science Foundation program to recruit principals to support science education improvement and to conduct inservice training in science education for their teachers. (JM)

This article considers the proposed federal Youth Education and Employment Initiative which targets federal funds to those high schools with the lowest achievement and highest poverty levels, to help build work experience programs and to upgrade student skills. New Jersey Education Association recommendations on secondary curriculum improvement…

Fifteen papers commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education's School Finance Project are contained in this volume. The papers examine the changing dimensions of the federal-state partnership in education. The volume is organized into four sections. The first section is devoted to state educational policy concerns, including various state…

The report of the 25-member National Advisory Council on Rural Development, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, defines rural needs and sets forth strategies for rural development in the 1980's. A review of the decade between 1970 and 1980 discusses rapid economic growth of rural areas, social progress, and changes in public service, and…

A former MDTA and CETA project coordinator describes the goals and frustrations accrued during several years' field experience with funded programs. He recommends a redirection of CETA back toward a vocational and occupational training emphasis. This would serve to enlarge the skills and competencies of those covered by the program. (CT)

This document is a committee report on H.R. 5087, a bill to improve veterans' education assistance programs, which the committee recommended unanimously to approve as amended. Some of the major provisions of the bill are the following: (1) change the requirements that military personnel complete high school equivalency degree requirements before…

The most serious problem with the current work force preparation system is that many employment and training programs operate today to serve roughly the same people. Instead, these programs should be coordinated better to lower costs in the face of lowered funding. The General Accounting Office reports that about 125 federal programs do…

Discusses the growth in Social Security Administration (SSA) disability programs and suggests that one means of assisting SSA beneficiaries to reduce dependence is for the SSA to directly or indirectly fund competitive employment initiatives focusing on vocational rehabilitation for individuals who are currently served in nonremunerative day…

The aim of this paper is to indicate how Project Follow Through can contribute to a better-integrated and rationalized federal programming strategy. The first section identifies areas in which federal programs have consistently succeeded or failed and presents reasons why those outcomes are probably the inevitable results of the policy tools that…

The Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program (JOBS) is an ambitious federal effort at welfare reform but the federal government has given local operators little direction on how to run it. JOBS can be improved using existing evaluations and analyses of administrative data. Reform depends mostly on capable local administration. (JOW)