Since the early 1990s, Congress has supplemented the Department of Education's (Education) Impact Aid program by providing funds for the Department of Defense's (DOD) Impact Aid program to compensate school districts with a high number of military dependent students. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 required GAO to…

This brief presents information about the characteristics of the nation's Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and their students, as well as the HSIs' contributions to the educational attainment of the Latino population. The brief concludes by outlining some of the challenges faced by HSIs as they aim to meet their implied mission of serving…

California's grim economic environment has hit summer school programs hard, but all of the state's 30 largest school districts still managed to provide some summer classes for struggling students in 2011, according to an EdSource survey. The July 2011 telephone survey of California's 30 largest school districts, revealed the following three major…

Federal sponsorship of collaboration between academic institutions and industry is on the rise. Many government programs emphasize cooperation between universities and the commercial sector as a means to merge basic and applied research, promote economic development, and enhance knowledge dissemination. The intersection between academia and…

Almost daily, residents of Michigan read newspaper headlines announcing another school district laying off principals and teachers to address the ever-shrinking available funds from state government to fund public education. Schools are feeling the direct impact of the mix of financial tsunamis that have hit the Michigan economy. The state has…

Creating green schools often hinges on administrators. Principals, superintendents, and other school leaders have the authority and skill sets to make important, even if incremental, progress toward creating green learning environments. This article provides background and reference information that will help administrators with their initial…

This study considers the relationship between federal academic earmarks and state appropriations for higher education. Often referred to as "pork," federal academic earmarks are both controversial and understudied. Using a unique panel dataset which spans 1990-2006, this study conducts a panel analysis with two-way state and year-fixed effects. It…

Ambitious student-achievement targets turn up the heat, as winners of the $4 billion federal grant effort push to deliver. Winners of the $4 billion Race to the Top jackpot committed to grand goals in using the federal grants to raise student achievement, as measured by higher test scores, narrowed achievement gaps, and increased graduation and…

The author reports on House and Senate bills that take different stances toward funding formula-grant programs and Obama administration initiatives. Key education programs, including Title I grants for disadvantaged students and aid for special education, would get flat funding for the 2012 fiscal year under a measure approved Sept. 21 by the…

The growth over the last decade of the for-profit sector of higher education (also known as the proprietary sector) has been well documented. In 1999, for-profit colleges and universities enrolled approximately 629,000 students, or a little over 4 percent of the nation's 15.2 million students. By 2009, this sector had increased to 2.2 million…

In the fall of 2009, the President asked his President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to develop specific recommendations concerning the most important actions that the administration should take to ensure that the United States is a leader in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in the coming…

Becoming a teacher takes years of higher education and hard work. The financial and personal costs can be great. The good news is that there are more chances than ever for teachers-in-training and new teachers to reduce their financial burden. There are two main ways students can get financial aid: with loans and with grants. Many students take on…

The Head Start program, overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services and administered by the Office of Head Start, provides child development services primarily to low-income families and their children. Federal law allows up to 10 percent of enrolled families to have incomes above 130 percent of the poverty line--GAO (Government…

Disproportionate representation of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in special education has been a longstanding concern that the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) sought to address. The IDEA contains new requirements related to the provision of early intervening services designed to…

This report summarizes project results midyear during the 2009-2010 school year for Austin Independent School District's $17 million federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (ARRA IDEA) grant.