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Learning, Education and Training

Federal agencies support education programs for students at all levels. Head Start was created 35 years ago to prepare preschool age children from disadvantaged backgrounds for academic success in elementary and secondary school by laying the foundations for learning.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Education is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans. To accomplish that goal, the department works with states and school districts around the country, supporting them with funding, research and technical assistance for programs that serve students in elementary, middle and high schools around the country. To address the needs of students to build quality relationships with adults, the department’s Partnership for Family Involvement in Education brings together businesses and organizations that represent families, community groups, schools and religious communities to support the needs of children and encouraging them to achieve to high standards of learning.

To increase student access to higher education, the department also provides financial and other assistance to families seeking ways to pay for college, graduate school and other post secondary education opportunities through is Student Financial Assistance Programs.

In partnership with the education department and its Adult and Vocational Education programs, the Department of Labor will be enhancing the educational opportunities offered through its job training programs, such as Job Corps, that provide important skills to at risk youth and adults.

Research on the condition of education and trends in student performance is available from the National Center for Education Statistics, which also produces an annual Digest of Education Statistics with facts and figures about students at all levels and from around the country. Other useful research on effective teaching methods and student performance can be obtained thorough the National Science Foundation, the National Reading Panel and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

ERIC (Education Resource Information Clearinghouse) is an index database of journalism education. AskERIC is among the most popular sources of information in Education. In addition, you can use its e-mail inquiry service or ERIC/AE Test Locator, which can be used to help locate psychological and educational tests including standards and test selection tips. The test locator provides a searchable database of test descriptions (10,000 entries), addresses of test publishers, and tables of contents for the Buros Mental Measurements Yearbook and Pro-Ed Test Reviews.

FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence) is an Internet resource hosted by the Department of Education that allows teachers and parents to access the resources of several federal agencies to create lesson plans and other learning opportunities for children.

In addition to FREE, the Department of Defense Education Gateway lists educational programs available through the Department of Defense. Many other government agencies offer similar programs. The NASA Educational Resources site helps support accelerated learning programs in education. The site also provides pointers to a vast array of online resources for students and educators, as well as to projects that address these goals. The U.S. Geological Survey Learning Web program offers a collection of educational resources that can be used in the classroom to teach and investigate earth science concepts. Also, the National Institute for Literacy executes the responsibilities enumerated in the National Literacy Act through the creation of systems that will enable every adult with literacy needs to receive services of the highest quality.

In addition to the federal resources available to you, School Districts around the country have web sites, as do State Education Agencies. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) maintains a useful Index of Colleges and Universities.