Almost two years into the federal Race to the Top program, states are spending their shares of the $4 billion prize at a snail's pace--a reflection of the challenges the 12 winners face as they try to get ambitious education improvement plans off the ground. Through the end of March, the 11 states and the District of Columbia had spent just 14…

The author reports on the federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 in which President Barack Obama singled out education as an area crucial to the country's economic future. He called for bolstering programs he deems critical to his vision for a renewed Elementary and Secondary Education Act and proposed new ones in research, early-childhood…

More than a dozen education programs--including high-profile efforts focused on literacy, teaching, and learning--face the prospect of a permanent federal funding loss after they were chopped from a stopgap spending measure signed into law by President Barack Obama last week. The temporary spending law, intended to keep the government running…

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives appear determined to make deep cuts to education and related programs in the temporary spending bill that would keep the federal government operating for the rest of the fiscal year, even as President Barack Obama seeks a modest funding boost next year. That sets up a fiscal face-off in the…

The United States has provided generations of its residents with the prospect of advancing themselves through education and hard work, and U.S. leaders have the opportunity to make sure this continues for generations to come. To do so, they must handle the national deficit in a decisive, thoughtful manner, ensuring a prosperous future for the…

Federal officials plan to overhaul the reporting requirements for higher education-based teacher preparation in favor of leaner, outcome-based indicators of program quality, according to plans outlined in the president's fiscal 2012 budget request. To bolster the overhaul, the budget also proposes a $185 million new formula grant program, dubbed…

An evaluation is given of the performance of the 96th Congress on child-related federal programs. (JD)

Presents an overview of the fiscal year 1980 budget for science education programs of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Broad goals of the NSF science education programs and budget highlights are also discussed. (HM)

Argues that the present structure of federal programs for elementary and secondary education is unwieldy and does too little to promote access and quality. Several broad directions for reform are outlined, including coordination at the local school level, but the idea of major program consolidation is rejected. (Author/DB)

Presents the testimony of Donald McCurdy, president of NSTA, to the subcommittee on science, research, and technology of the U.S. House of Representatives concerning the budget proposed by President Reagan, which if adopted, would end any involvement of NSF in the science education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. (Author/SK)

Describes tentative federal budget cuts affecting science education in the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and the specific areas these budget cuts will affect. (DS)

Wise use of Department of Education program evaluation funds is considered. The following current principal evaluation areas are discussed: (1) compensatory education; (2) bilingual education; (3) postsecondary education; (4) vocational education; (5) early childhood education; (6) drug education; (7) dropout prevention; (8) special education and…