This literature review suggests that student aid is an effective mechanism for promoting equal educational opportunity and that the erosion in federal grant dollars has influenced an erosion in minority group access to higher education. Research findings on equal opportunity components including access, choice of school, persistence, choice of…

Compares constant dollar spending on research with constant dollar spending on libraries 1960-1995. Evaluation of the indirect cost policy by which library costs are reimbursed as a function of science grant management suggests it has failed to promote cost-effective research. Evaluation of the impact of various information technologies finds…

A survey of 197 pharmacy school faculty members found the faculty evaluation criteria deemed most important in promotion and tenure decisions included refereed publications, extramural funding, the department head's evaluation, and invited scholarly presentations. Respondents expressed a desire to have more importance placed on other aspects of…

Celebrates 30 years of programs and projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Profiles 11 funded projects from the 1960s through the 1990s. These include the Talking about Books program, Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Ken Burns's documentaries, and The Library of America. (MJP)

Describes a pilot program at the Highland Primary School Library (Illinois) to maintain or increase reading motivation and skills for kindergarten through third grade students over the 1999 summer vacation. Discusses grant funds; pretest posttest procedures; parental involvement; technology use; and students without access to the public library.…

Presents a history of federal government involvement in public education. Discusses programs for the deaf and blind, land grant colleges, and rural schools; and technology-related programs, including the E-rate program, children's television programs, and the Star School Program. Emphasizes the government role needed to ensure access to the…

There can be little doubt that there is wide variation in the rigor and quality of state standards and assessments. Moreover, it is clear that the vast majority of states have set their academic achievement bar far lower than federal standards, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Since No Child Left Behind (NCLB)…

In the fall of 1996, the Arkansas Archeological Survey and the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville received a $180,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Teaching With Technology program. The goal of this grant initiative was to encourage creation of content-rich, computer-based materials…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This April 16, 2004 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Shimmering with Stories" (Biemiller, Lawrence); (2) "Cultures…

The Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the centerpiece of the Clinton administration's education reform program, provides a fascinating case study of the challenges facing an activist administration in trying to craft federal legislation that can provide national direction and leadership in a highly decentralized education system. Goals 2000…

Over the last century, Americans have formed a social contract with higher education through the development of and changes to student financial aid programs. These federal, state, and institutional programs are the manifestation of the value we place on who should and who does pay the costs of higher education. Grants versus loans and low-income…

This is a study of high schools and their districts receiving Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) grants that have used those grants to support implementation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) model. Over a 4-year period 10 such high schools in 5 districts have been examined to determine if schoolwide or district-wide…

Since its inception in 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), has directed billions of federal dollars toward low-income students. Title I, Part A of NCLB is designed to equalize educational opportunities and resources for disadvantaged children. This analysis examines whether the current…

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared his intention to open health centers in 500 elementary schools across the state, which would bring the total number of such school-based clinics to 646. This initiative builds on California's 30-year history of using the school setting to increase access to care for children, improve clinical outcomes,…

The Reading First program was designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade develop stronger reading skills. This report examines the implementation of the Reading First program, including: (1) changes that have occurred to reading instruction; (2) criteria states have used to award sub-grants to districts, and the difficulties, if…