It has become increasingly difficult to succeed in the U.S. workforce with only a high school diploma. While 75% of the middle-class workforce had only a high school education in the 1970s, that percentage dropped to below 40% by 2007. An estimated two-thirds of all jobs in 2020 will require some postsecondary training, up from just a quarter of…

As part of the activities establishing the National Institute of Education, a Planning Unit evolved to obtain advice from experts on the objectives, activities, and organizational structure of the new organization. The Planning Unit studies include this paper which traces the nature and evolution of Federal program development in education…