This article reports how two prominent Democrats are demanding to know more about the problems identified in the implementation of the federal Reading First program, including whether criminal violations may have occurred and what Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings may have known about the problems while she was a White House aide. In the…

A profile of Title I and III reading program evaluators from data collected on a survey of 299 evaluators was made. The survey consisted of four sections: (1) The Evaluator--information on his educational background and training and on the programs with which he was connected; (2) Data Collection--information on the sorts of data the evaluator…

Discussed the Office of Education's new initiatives being added to its Right to Read Program in its continuing effort to eliminate illiteracy, assist those with severe reading problems, and prevent new cases of reading deficiencies from developing. (Author/RK)

Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 (Public Law 89-10) as amended, provides direct Federal assistance for the acquisition of school library resources, textbooks, and other instructional materials for the use of children and teachers in public and private elementary and secondary schools. Its purpose is to improve…

In common with many other people, librarians have been too prompt to assume that availability of books and materials will necessarily lead to their utilization. What has happened in all too many American communities is that libraries are intensively used by only a small portion of the population, while the vast majority are untouched by the…

Using the successful reading program of Kansas City, Missouri, as a basis for discussion, the author makes suggestions for future federal legislation and for administration of federally funded educational programs. The success of the Kansas City program is examined, and specific improvements are suggested. Recommendations for future Title I…

To complement the information gathered on middle school and high school literacy initiatives as reported in "Middle and High School Literacy across the Curriculum" (Task 1.2 Fast Response Project), the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL-SE) staff conducted a scan of the six southeast states to gather the following information…

This is the second of four appendixes to the Rand study "Federal Programs Supporting Education Change." This appendix deals primarily with Right-To-Read, a federally administered program that funds innovative reading projects in schools that have been nominated by their district. It also contains descriptions of some Elementary Secondary…

The New York City Board of Education under Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act has instituted a program of special corrective reading services for disadvantaged children in nonpublic schools. Under the program, the Board of Education through its Division of Funded Programs, Office of ESEA Title I Programs for the Non-public Schools,…

Federal programs in operation in Kentucky's Appalachian counties are briefly discussed. A computer-assisted instruction program (Title III/ESEA) serves as a supplement to regular instruction in 20 counties. Several Title I and Title III classroom reading and library programs provide instructional and supplementary activity, and teacher aide and…

This report is the third in a series that describes the first-year results of the Rand study (July 1973-July 1974). It summarizes the findings and policy implications resulting from 29 case studies of change-agent projects conducted by Rand staff members and consultants in 25 school districts during April and May 1974. The report also describes…

This brief examines how No Child Left Behind (NCLB) dollars flow from the federal government through states and districts and into the coffers of companies, mostly for-profit companies. The brief makes the case that the law enriches many private companies and individuals, especially those close to President George W. Bush and his family. The brief…

This second volume in the change-agent series reports the interim results of an exploratory statistical analysis of a survey of a nationwide sample of 293 change-agent projects funded by four federal demonstration programs--Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title III, Innovative Projects; ESEA Title VII, Bilingual Projects; Vocational…

This report reviews and synthesizes the findings of the survey and fieldwork as presented in Volumes II and III. In particular, it summarizes the evidence concerning the effects of federal change agent policy. Section 1 introduces the report. Section 2 describes the theoretical approach that served as the basis for data collection and analysis.…

Under the sponsorship of the U. S. Office of Education, Rand is conducting a several-year study of federally funded programs designed to introduce and spread innovative practices in public schools. These change agent programs normally offer temporary federal funding to school districts as "seed money" or "risk capital." If an…