In the last twenty years, courts throughout the country have entertained claims relating to disparities in school funding. Early school finance suits sought to equalize "inputs" in terms of per pupil or overall expenditures. More recently, the advent of rigorous state accountability plans and the federal No Child Left Behind Act has…

The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP) is a collaboration of two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education to conduct research and development on accessible reading assessments for students with disabilities that affect reading. The goal of these projects is to produce research findings and assessment techniques that…

This report covers the activities of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) from October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2003. In addition to describing OCR's civil rights compliance program, the report demonstrates how OCR is able to make a real difference in the lives of students. 2004 marks a special year in America's…

This policy brief outlines how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) relates to high schools: (1) States must set adequate yearly progress (AYP) objectives (steadily increasing test scores and graduation rates) to ensure 100 percent of high school students achieve at proficient levels by spring 2014; (2) States must include high school graduation…

This hearing, the ninth in a series discussing issues related to the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, focuses on three programs: Aid for Institutional Development, or Title III; the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership Program; and the TRIO programs, which provide support services and scholarships for students, as…

This book of 10 papers presents a collaborative effort of professionals in several disciplines to analyze the impact of affirmative action in higher education. Emphasis is on how affirmative action can be constructed for the 21st century to protect individuals who have been discriminated against and excluded from higher education. The papers are:…

The National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium (NASDVTEC) supports enactment of legislation that is dedicated solely to vocational-technical education (VTE). NASDVTEC urges the 105th Congress to build on the existing foundation of a strong state role in VTE by drafting legislation that achieves the…

Information on the implementation of services for preschool children with special needs and their families is presented, based on current or previous surveys of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and eight outlying jurisdictions. The information is presented in tabular form and is organized into nine sections related to the Individuals with…

This report analyzes repayment patterns for federally supported student financial aid distributed through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP), which includes an income-contingent repayment (ICR) plan that ties borrowers' monthly payments to income, family size, and loan amount. This report analyzes 3 year usage of ICR in…

An evaluation was conducted of the Hawaii Food Stamp Employment and Training/Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program Conformance Demonstration, known as PRIDE (Positive Response in Developing Employment). The impact analysis examined client participation patterns, services, and employment outcomes. A pre-post/demonstration-comparison site…

As year 4 of a 7-year initiative to implement the School-to-Work (STW) Opportunities Act begins, 37 states have received implementation grants and 105 direct federally-funded and over 900 state-funded local partnerships exist. In 1997, technical assistance is available to any of the remaining 13 states ready for full-scale implementation. Notable…

This congressional report presents and examines the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act Amendments of 1997. The following items are included: text of the amendments; summary of three hearings held in preparation for amending the Perkins Act; statement of views of the Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding needed changes…

For program year 1996-97, 222,639 North Carolina (NC) 9th-12th graders were enrolled in Workforce Development Education (WDE). Twenty-five curriculum products were developed, 34 course blueprints were revised to reflect business/industry practices and state/national standards, and about 3,600 business/industry personnel participated in WDE…

During the 1920s, progressive women activists invented welfare to help mothers and their children survive when breadwinning fathers either died or abandoned their families. During the 1930s, the local mothers' pension programs of the Progressive Era became part of the emerging national welfare state, which was conceived to relieve poor single…

This document begins with a summary of the state and federal educational issues of access, finance, workforce and economic development, welfare reform, and administration. The legislative program follows, with further discussion on these issues. The district intends to increase access to education by providing more financial aid, eliminating…