Background information is presented on the history and operation of educational research and development (R&D) centers supported by the National Institute of Education (NIE). The objective is to provide information for the four study groups that are assisting NIE in identifying missions for center competition. In addition, some lessons that…

Three papers and a sample outline of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) represent the work of the Monitoring and Improving Testing and Evaluation Innovations (MITEI) Project during 1988. The skeleton of a sample RFP outline for large-scale assessment was expanded to provide a checklist of the type of information that should be included in a RFP. The…

Information is provided about the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent federal agency that supports scholarship, research, education, and public programs in the humanities. The history, purposes, policies, and organization of NEH are briefly described, and two project topics that NEH is funding, are explained. The…

This Congressional report contains testimony concerning reauthorization of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act, which authorizes and provides funding for the various national volunteer antipoverty programs, including Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), the Service Learning Programs, and Special Volunteer Programs. Included among those persons…

The publication describes the process which created the Rural Virginia Development Foundation and the potential contribution it holds for the agricultural sector of Virginia's economy and for the state's rural communities. Following an introduction, Part II provides background, operating assumptions, and principal justification for the Foundation;…

Statistics describing the independent sector are incomplete and ambiguous. This is especially true in the area of services provided to youths between the ages of 16 and 24. According to Internal Revenue Service files, the independent sector consists of 821,000 organizations, including nonprofit organizations, churches, colleges and universities,…

The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an accrediting agency, may be an overlooked tool for establishing rationale and credibility for globalization of business courses. The 245 member institutions are bound by the agency's accrediting requirements, and many others are influenced by the standards set in those…

As part of a series of topic papers assessing federal laws and programs affecting persons with disabilities, this paper focuses on employment programs and initiatives. Described are (1) the transition model of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which emphasizes a solid educational foundation and adequate…

A guide to understanding the major environmental and procedural factors in planning state-level information systems is presented. Attention is directed to: assessment of the developmental environment (agency authority and role, institutional concerns), selection of a procedural approach to information-system planning, assessment of information…

Hearings concerning the activities of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) are presented. Attention is focused on a request for an exemption under federal priority for recovering money owed the Association in the event that it files for liquidation or reorganization in the future under the Bankruptcy Act. It is noted that two goals…

Family support services are systematic efforts to support natural, adoptive, or foster families who have a family member with a disability. Programs vary in the types of services offered, goals, and number of families served. The most promising approaches to family support provide services that are flexible and individualized, build on informal…

Findings are presented from a project which aimed to estimate the prevalence of developmental disabilities among Navajo children, aged 0-5 years, living in the Navajo Nation; determine what services they and their families require; and recommend policy and practice to assure that needed services are received. Section I provides a description of…

Demographic, social, and economic trends are pointing in the direction of increased work force participation for older adults. The four major forces responsible for change in work patterns are the changing work force, changing older people, economic forces, and social forces. These forces are mediated by social convention, especially the…

A discussion of the field of applied linguistics looks at traditional and organizational approaches to the discipline and compares them to actual applied linguistics activity. The focus of American and British organizations for applied linguistics and the stated emphases in the field are chronicled for the last several decades, including the…

This book describes various aspects of the historical development of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The first chapter, entitled "Origins," sketches the factors leading up to authorization of the BLS in June 1884. A chapter entitled "Carroll Wright: Setting the Course" discusses the views and contributions of the BLS's…