This report addresses current economic conditions in rural America and offers recommendations about the role the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can play in providing rural development. The Task Force identifies issues for rural policy in the 1990's focusing on economic development. Current rural programs are described and…

This evaluation of the 1989-90 Resource Laboratory Program for Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) in Washington (District of Columbia) elementary and junior high schools found that the program improved participants' mathematics achievement, but did not have a significant effect on reading achievement. The program is funded under Chapter 1 of the…

This final report describes the federally funded Parents and Visually Impaired Infants (PAVII) Project, which served 28 families in the San Francisco, California, area. The report describes assessment and intervention materials that the project developed, field tested, and disseminated. It lists the infants' types of visual impairment and…

The purpose of this document is to share various approaches used by federal agencies to assess needs and measure training effectiveness. The emphasis in the descriptions is on the evaluation process rather than on the results. One program was evaluated by employing return-on-investment (ROI) data and using volunteer line personnel who conducted…

With 30 Federal agencies getting in the education act, it's the job of the Federal Interagency Committee on Education to bring them together. (Editor)

This volume, fourth in a series, is devoted to a study of the depression years of the 1930s, a crucial period in the history of the Hispanic land-grant-villages. It places northern New Mexico in a broad regional and national context, examining the major currents of social and political thought in American society that influenced Hispanic New Deal…

The Stafford Loan Program (formerly called the Guaranteed Student Loan Program) makes three kinds of student loans for postsecondary education: Stafford Loans, Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS), and Parents Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Stafford loans are low-interest loans based on financial need, while SLS and PLUS loans are not…

This report supplements the final evaluation of the State Dissemination Grants Program (SDGP), a major initiative within the mission of the National Institute of Education to assist state educational agencies in implementing, strengthening, and institutionalizing dissemination services that improve educational practice and equity. A substudy was…

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a benefit paid to workers who lose their jobs in industries that face increasing competition from imported goods. TAA is supposed to offset political pressures for protectionist legislation, and it has been justified on grounds of equity and efficiency as well. Research on TAA shows that it has failed to aid…

This policy manual is a guide for state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), parents, and other interested parties wishing to obtain funding for basic compensatory education programs operated by school districts under Part A of Chapter 1 of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by…

Changes that have recently taken place in the composition of the American family and the circumstances in which children and youth are now growing up are highlighted in this Congressional report. While this compilation of approximately 64 tables of data is not intended to be comprehensive, nor does it use every statistical series available, it…

The manual provides information on incentives for employers and businesses hiring persons with special needs in rural areas. A list of facts is presented to dispel common myths employers may have regarding workers with disabilities. Monetary incentive programs, including federal/state programs and programs for specific disabling conditions, are…

The Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (ACLD) position statement focuses on the development of a Regular Education/Special Education Initiative (RE/SEI). RE/SEI is defined as a system of integrated planning, delivery, and evaluation of the effects of services to all students. The program would incorporate management of…

This document contains administrative and public witness testimony and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing on the tax refund offset program. Descriptions of the child support enforcement program and of S. 150 (the Collection of Student Loans in Default Act of 1983) are presented. The testimony and prepared statements by…

A formative evaluation of a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, predoctoral project was conducted. The program, which was funded by the federal Minorities and Women's Program, was designed to increase the participation of minorities and women in educational research and development. The project, "Experimental Program for Opportunities in…