Identifies and interprets several problems that beset environmental education (EE) and the Office of Environmental Education (OEE). Areas addressed include Public Law 91-516 (Environmental Education Act) and the OEE, problems related to implementing the act, funding, misinterpretation of the act's intent, the act's identity, and the status of EE…

This briefing report presents preliminary results of a review of the effects of the 1980 foster care reforms. Particular attention was given to federal incentives for reform built into the requirements for the states' receipt of additional funds under the Child Welfare Services grants program. A total of 116 studies, reviews, and commentaries were…

This document presents a report on teenage pregnancy. A letter to Senator John Chafee, who requested information on teenage pregnancy, gives major findings about the extent of the problem and describes the four procedures used to obtain the information: (1) an analysis of main features of two Congressional bills to amend the Aid to Families with…

The purpose of this report is to review the actions of the United States Office of Education (OE) in the administration and operation of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the 1978 Education Amendments. The report describes the changes Congress mandated OE to implement and examines OE's response to these specific…

The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health solicited public comment from stakeholders in the mental health community on various topics related to the Commissions mission. The goal was to gain a better understanding of the publics experiences with, concerns about, and hopes for the mental health care system. More than twelve hundred…

The Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 require that every state not qualifying for a waiver appoint a commission to look at the success of the state's child support enforcement program in securing support and parental involvement for all children needing such services, whether they were eligible for public assistance or not. This…

Asbestos, a mineral known to cause cancer in humans, is present in an unknown number of schools where it may be hazardous to the health of students and employees. Although the Federal Government has programs designed to address the asbestos situation, it has not determined in what specific circumstances asbestos is a hazard. Therefore, State and…

Analysis of data pertaining to the nature, scope, and effectiveness of business involvement in employment and training programs reveals that private sector experiments in employment and training, such as the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) Title VII and the Skill Training Improvement Program (STIP), have produced results superior…

A liberal interpretation of Section 151 of Public Law 93-380, to implement effective local evaluation of Title I programs, is supported. Weaknesses are cited: (1) nationwide impact data, (2) unsound aggregation of Title I achievement gains, and (3) lack of consideration of alternative evaluation methods. (MH)

During its 8-year history, the federal Adult Education for the Homeless Program (AEH) pioneered new methods of service to adults in need and benefited over 320,000 homeless adults and families. Despite an evaluation that documented program success, funding was rescinded from the 1995 federal budget and never reinstated. AEH programs developed the…

Due to the efforts of mental health consumer and advocacy organizations, there now exists a legislated community-based mental health policy for the treatment of children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders and their families. But the implementation of this policy has not met the intended legislative standards. Accordingly, this…

This advisory report investigates the possible simplification of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and considers the issue of federal direct lending. The evaluation indicates that complexity in the FFELP is due to multiple, overlapping loan programs with conflicting terms and conditions. Nonstandard policies, procedures, forms, and…

This Advisory Committee's final report presents study activities, findings, and recommendations for the simplification of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Analysis showed that the current FFELP program structure and operations are needlessly complex and require major reform. An interim report providing recommendations for the…

This document reports briefly on the status of vocational education in West Virginia during 1987-88, as reported by the West Virginia State Council on Vocational Education. It summarizes the duties of the council, presents an overview of the number of students enrolled and the number of vocational programs in the state, and commends exemplary…

These 24 essays look at what is wrong with federal employment training efforts and offer ideas for building a more effective system. A preface describes "The Governance of Federal Employment and Training Efforts" (Halperin). An "Introduction" (Zuckerman) discusses the sources of these essays that explore the implications of…