The history of American early education is one of changing roles and goals. As federal engagement in early childhood has shifted in response to social, political, and economic needs, few policy efforts have focused on long-term planning or coordination. The authors identify the appropriate roles of federal, state, and local governments and make 13…

While the economic downturn has appropriately become the top priority of policy makers, one element of the crisis has gone largely unnoticed: its impact on children and youth. Largely due to the economic and housing crises, many school districts across the country report increases in the number of homeless students in the classroom. "The Economic…

The Vice President's Task Force on Youth Unemployment conducted a policy review to determine the causes of youth unemployment, to study the Federal youth employment demonstration, and to determine policy options for addressing unemployment problems in the future. The review was conducted through analysis of current programs, interviews with young…

This report contains highlights from a seminar on integrated approaches to youths' health problems. Comments by these panelists are summarized: Renee Jenkins, Director of Adolescent Medicine, Howard University Hospital, and President of the Society for Adolescent Medicine; Vivian L. Smith, Deputy Director, Office for Substance Abuse Prevention…

A study explored the potential economic impacts of a large and successful national program of consumer education. Following a literature review, a qualitative analysis was performed on a wide range of topics. The topics pertained to information and the process of consumer choice, the role of advertising, consumer sovereignty and the supply system,…

Five case studies describe experiences in the resettlement of Indochinese refugees in Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Diego, California; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota; and Des Moines, Iowa. The case studies focus on local government and community attitudes toward the refugees; patterns of resettlement; and the nature and…

Based on 1996 testimony by Margaret Dunkle, director of the Institute of Educational Leadership (IEL) Policy Exchange, before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, this report calls for a rethinking of the federal role for children, youth, and families, encouraging the federal government to…

This publication contains ten papers designed to show relationships between job creation and vocational education. Information is presented regarding three areas: (1) national and state perspectives of job creation, (2) examples of how specific vocational education disciplines impact in the job creation process, and (3) case studies of job…

This paper presents an analysis of early factors influencing children's growth and development and makes recommendations for federal action to insure that all children are provided with the same basic opportunity to develop to their potential. The analysis of the situation includes discussions on: (1) the importance of circumstances during early…

The first National Drug Control Strategy set ambitious two and five-year performance based goals: (1) to lower the rate of drug use by 10 percent over 2 years among both youth and adults; and (2) to lower the rate by 25 percent over 5 years. The chapters in this updated version are keyed to the strategies three priorities: (1) Stopping Use Before…

The Clinton administration's Partnerships for Stronger Families initiative, through working meetings, site visits, and outreach efforts, aimed to promote an ongoing conversation between those working on the front lines of services for children and families and those crafting federal policy and legislation in Washington. The initiative was guided…