Federal assistance helps students and families pay for postsecondary education through several policy tools--grant and loan programs authorized by title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and more recently enacted tax preferences. In fiscal year 2004, about $14 billion in grants and $56 billion in loans were made under title IV while…

This biweekly newsletter contains news and information about school improvement in the United States, designed expressly for parents and families. This issue highlights federal student loan interest rates, which have dropped to 3.37 percent, the lowest in nearly 35 years, saving money for millions of borrowers.

This paper traces the development of methods for determining students' qualifications for the baccalaureate. In the 1700s and into the 1800s, students stood comprehensive examinations, which were often oral and public. Later in the 1800s, comprehensive examinations were written and reviewed by faculty, without involving public review. At the end…

The Bright Futures Scholarship testing program in Florida currently requires all scholarship recipients to make at least five acceleration attempts. The program can produce savings, but only if students pass the tests and use the credits earned to graduate more quickly from college. However, students graduating from Florida public universities in…

This guide, the 27th edition, provides a record of transfer agreements for Alberta postsecondary institutions for the 2002-2003 academic year. Section 1 is an introduction that explains the activities of the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer. Section 2 contains institutional statements on admission policies and related information for…

A preliminary report from the National Commission on the High School Senior Year confirms that the senior year of high school is a time of little significant academic engagement for many U.S. students. This wasted year affects both high and low achievers. Those who have gained early admission to college may not work much the rest of the year, and…

This lesson plan is intended to teach students about the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) law which provides "credit" or "refund" to low income families. The lesson can fit into any of five specific basal texts. Students should work in cooperative groups, with each group member having a specific responsibility (e.g., leader,…

This lesson plan is intended to teach students about the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) law that provides "credit" or "refund" to low income families. The lesson can fit into any of four specific basal texts. Seven stages in the lesson are outlined (warm-up and review, introduction, presentation, practice of new skills and…

An Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax reduction and a wage supplement for low- and moderate-income working families. The federal government administers an EITC through the income tax, as do some states. States that enact EITCs can reduce child poverty, support welfare-to-work efforts, and cut taxes for families struggling to make ends meet.…

This report is a compilation of data on department enrollments by campus, total enrollment by campus, and enrollment by campus and school in fall terms 1994-1998 for City College of San Francisco. On Castro-Valencia campus, enrollment rate for credit courses in music increased from 18 in fall 1994 to 59 in fall 1998, an increase of 227.8%. On John…

This paper reviews the economics of tuition tax credits (TTCs). TTCs can be described in terms of "finance" and "regulation." They allow individuals to spend money on education services and to offset at least a portion of that expenditure against their tax liability. There are few economic studies of tax credits, but they stress two questions:…

This report provides basic information about some 140 federal programs and tax provisions affecting children and their families. It contains brief descriptions of each program/tax rule, participation and funding information (to the extent available), and table summaries of selected program characteristics, such as how benefits and services are…

The City University of New York (CUNY) measures teaching workload according to credit hours taught by faculty. This information, as well as other personnel and faculty workload data, are recorded in CUNY's central administration's computerized City University Personnel System (CUPS). Each campus is required to submit electronically data on faculty…

Describes the Holmesburg Prison - Community College of Philadelphia program for prisoner education. (MB)