Colleges risk losing eligibility for government student loan programs, because of tightened loan-repayment requirements for participating institutions. Economic factors and some data-processing errors are blamed for high student default rates. Default rates are charted by state, lender, institution type, and guarantee agency. Colleges threatened…

Four studies found serious problems with components of the federal Medicaid program's survey process for evaluating intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded--surveys did not discriminate between certified and noncertified units, direct-care staff behavior was very reactive to the survey's presence, and service providers had divergent…

The Clinton Administration's job training proposal should not be used to create new bureaucracy. Rather, college-level industrial technology and vocational programs are well suited to undertake the training needed by businesses and workers. (SK)

The impact of Student Support Services (SSS), a large federal program to help disadvantaged students complete college, on retention in college was studied with approximately 2,800 SSS participants and similar nonparticipants. SSS had a positive impact for the three measures of retention used, but the impact varied with services used and student…

Analyzes the expanding federal role in K-12 education after the mid-1960s. Provides a brief historical overview of Title I and Head Start and discusses some of the major evaluations of these programs. Contains 111 references. (SLD)

Contains three articles discussing programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities, furnishing a list of state humanities councils; Institute of Museum and Library Services Library Programs; and U.S. Department of Education Discretionary Library Programs, fiscal year 1997, highlighting the Higher Education Act and the Library Research and…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors a range of programs to fund innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Focuses on NSF's expectations for project evaluation beginning with a definition of evaluation and a discussion of why evaluation is needed. Also describes planning, formative, and summative evaluation stages and concludes…

To address disabled students' troubling outcomes, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services identified school-to-work transition as a major priority. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that transition services be part of secondary students' IEPs. Principals' and parents'…

This article provides an overview of several funding sources for assistive technology devices, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Medicaid, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act Amendments of 1987, vocational rehabilitation services, and private insurance. Suggestions for making successful claims…

The object of fiscal equity is shifting from dollars per student to things that districts can purchase (people, materials, services) and/or the test scores (product) students can achieve. School finance litigation is moving away from equity and toward adequacy. States' political processes determine degree of equity. (MLH)

Describes past and present federal programs to prevent hunger, poor nutrition, and poor health. Presents evidence suggesting a link between nutrition and cognitive functioning, later ability to earn a living, and mortality. Maintains that nutrition is a vital component of any welfare reform and economic development strategy. Presents evidence of…

Describes increases in federal aid that affect: (1) the rural telecommunications infrastructure, access to the Internet for rural schools and libraries, and distance learning and telemedicine programs; (2) nonmetropolitan airports and other transportation; and (3) water treatment and wastewater facilities in rural, American Indian, and Alaska…

Describes racial and ethnic demographic changes in the United States, created in part by high rates of immigration; their impact on the size and composition of elementary and secondary schools; and the budget implications for school districts. (PKP)

Studies by Tufts University's Center on Hunger and Poverty show conclusive links between nutrition and children's cognitive development. Cognitive defects can result from complex interactions between malnutrition and "environmental insults" that come from living in poverty. Poor nutrition has longterm consequences. Print and web…

Discusses the need for semantic research in digital libraries to help overcome interoperability problems. Highlights include federal initiatives; semantic analysis; knowledge representations; human-computer interactions and information visualization; and the University of Illinois DLI (Digital Libraries Initiative) project through partnership with…