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To reach this national education goal, one of six set by the President and the nation's governors in 1989, we must change both how and what we teach American children. To help do this, OERI recently initiated several mathematics and science initiatives.
At the heart of these is the development of voluntary world class standards that will spell out what we should expect our children to learn and our teachers to teach. The National Academy of Sciences, with a grant from OERI, is developing science standards which should be completed by 1994. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has already developed math standards which are in use around the country.
To help states define what, when, and how to teach using the new standards, OERI recently awarded six Eisenhower grants totaling $1.7 million to develop K-12 curriculum frameworks in mathematics and science. The frameworks will be developed by Florida, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington, DC, and will serve as guidelines for other states. Grantees also will develop model guidelines for teacher education and criteria for teacher certification in mathematics and science.
In September OERI awarded nearly $3.5 million to establish the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education at Ohio State University. The Clearinghouse will identify, catalog, and disseminate information about teaching materials and programs in mathematics and science. It will make its database available to teachers nationwide and coordinate its services with those of 10 consortia associated with OERI's regional educational laboratories.
The office awarded $12 million to set up these regional consortia--or resource networks--to help schools adopt mathematics and science curricula, materials, and assessment tools and to provide guidance on effective teaching and inservice professional development.
The office also is sponsoring a series of conferences for policymakers on improving mathematics and science education. The first conference spotlighted state curriculum and ways to improve teaching toward world class standards. (To order the conference report, Improving the Math and Science Curriculum, see PUBLICATIONS). The second conference, held in October 1992, focused on how to improve teacher development and instructional materials in mathematics and science. Both conferences featured leading researchers and practitioners--as well as state leaders experienced in developing state strategies for school improvement. OERI is planning a third conference, which will focus on math and science assessment.
We believe that explicit standards can promote both equity and excellence. We believe that they can provide the basis for improving the education of our children. With clear content standards, everyone will know what is needed for success in school; for the first time, educators will have the consensus needed to improve and align teacher certification, textbooks, assessments, teacher education, and staff development. This is our vision. We call it standards-based reform. We think that it can make a difference for children by integrating all the different parts of the education system in support of explicit goals for student achievement. This will be the work of many years, and bringing it to fruition will take focus, commitment, and steadiness of purpose.
OERI can also take pride in the excellent publications called "Helping Your Child. . ." These may be the best parent education materials ever produced by the U.S. Department of Education. In terms of graphics and design, they set new, high standards for government publications.
Another highlight of these past 18 months has been the extraordinary collaborative work that produced the concept we call SMARTLINE (Sources of Materials and Research about Teaching and Learning for Improving Nationwide Education). A talented team, expert in technology and dissemination, has laid the groundwork for developing an interactive computer-based electronic network that will connect schools, homes, libraries, and research agencies with rich databases about teaching and learning.
There is much that remains to be done. Our nation cannot afford to neglect the knowledge base about education indefinitely. When the agency is reauthorized, it should have the discretion and authority needed to exercise leadership in research, development, statistics, dissemination, technology, assessment, and a host of other education improvement activities, including continuing support of the national standards projects.
Problem number one: OERI has never had the appropriations to support a good research program; a report from the National Academy of Sciences noted that federal funding for education research has declined by 88 percent in constant dollars over the past 20 years. It recommended an increase of $267 million each year for five years, in contrast to current funding in OERI of some $58 million.
Problem number two: The agency does not have enough first-rate researchers inside the agency. There is presently a small cadre of able researchers in OERI, but their numbers are too few, and many are burdened with administrative responsibilities. This has had a deleterious impact on OERI's ability to carry out its research mission.
The OERI research team should analyze, synthesize, and explain education research to practitioners and the public. The research staff should integrate the data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics--including student assessments and longitudinal studies--with the studies generated by the national research centers, regional laboratories, and independent scholars. But these important expectations are currently beyond reach because of the small number of researchers on OERI's staff. Strengthening dissemination without strengthening the agency's internal capacity to gather and synthesize research findings would be a futile exercise.
I leave OERI with deep affection for the people with whom I worked. I know the constraints under which they work. They will always have my admiration.
It has been an amazing 18 months. I have learned more about federal policymaking and the politics of education research than I ever learned in years of study in graduate school, and I thank everyone who contributed to my education. I leave with the sense that public service is a high calling, and I will be eternally grateful to have had this opportunity to serve my country.
Diane Ravitch
Since the release of RAISING STANDARDS FOR AMERICAN EDUCATION, the report of the National Council on Education Standards and Testing, OERI has awarded grants supporting standards-setting in science, history, the arts, civics, geography, English, and foreign languages (mathematics standards already have been developed).
In November representatives from the standards organizations met at an OERI-sponsored conference to discuss their progress to date. Some have developed prototype standards, and several expect to have drafts ready for distribution by this spring. The standards projects and groups developing them are described in a free brochure, WORLD CLASS STANDARDS FOR AMERICAN EDUCATION (see PUBLICATIONS for ordering information.)
To ensure that all students have an opportunity to meet standards in challenging subject matter, OERI is helping states to implement systemic reform. Systemic reform includes developing state curriculum frameworks based on standards, and using these frameworks to improve teacher education, certification, professional development, and re- certification, as well as student assessment and classroom instructional materials.
In FY 92, the agency awarded six grants to states to support curriculum framework development and systemic reform in science and mathematics (see FOCUSING ON MATH AND SCIENCE). The office also has announced new FY 93 grant competitions to support efforts by states to implement systemic reform based on the new standards. States with successful applications will receive grants to develop curriculum frameworks and to use them to reform teacher education, certification, professional development, and recertification in mathematics, science, history, the arts, civics, geography, and English. OERI also will propose a grant competition for states interested in developing improved student assessments tied to their curriculum frameworks.
For information on the standards projects or state systemic reform efforts, write to Theodor Rebarber, OERI, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Room 602A, Washington, DC 20208-5530.
Since planning for SMARTLINE began in 1991, OERI has awarded contracts for a requirements analysis, prototype database development, and a pilot test on OERI's Institutional Communications Network (INet). As part of the planning, OERI met with representatives of the library community, state educational computer networks, teachers and educators, parents, other ED offices, and other federal agencies. All confirmed the need for on-line access to ED research and best practice. The agency also has collaborated with the Federal Networking Council, the High Performance Computing and Communications Information Technology Subcommittee, the National Science Foundation, and the Consortium for School Networking.
The prototype SMARTLINE databases will be available on INet to the test group this May and to a wider pilot group by mid-fall.
Aside from its role as SMARTLINE pilot platform, INet is designed to facilitate information sharing between OERI and the major education research, development, and dissemination institutions it supports. The system should be available by February. INet will establish OERI as an Internet node and will provide a broad range of capabilities.
For information about SMARTLINE, contact James A. Mitchell, 202-219- 2050. For INet, contact Keith M. Stubbs, 202-219-1547.
The Tucson (AZ) Public Library is presenting the Spanish book to parents at special programs at branches in predominately Hispanic neighborhoods. The book arrived in time to help the Los Angeles County (CA) Public Library launch a new program, "Begin at the Beginning with Books." The library also makes the translation available at local well-baby clinics. The Queens Borough (NY) Public Library is distributing the book to parents at bilingual story hours.
For further information about the English or Spanish edition of HELPING YOUR CHILD USE THE LIBRARY, contact the AMERICA 2000 Library Partnership Office at 202-208-0969; fax: 202-219-1725.
All information regarding deadlines for competitions is tentative and should be verified with the contact given below or through the Federal Register or Commerce Business Daily. Grant competitions reference the appropriate Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers.
January 8
Applications available for the Fund for Innovation in Education (FIE): Innovation in Education, Curriculum Frameworks Competition (CFDA #84.215G). Deadline: 2/26/93. Tentative award date: 6/28/93. Seresa Simpson, 219-1496.
January 25 (Tentative)
Applications available for the FIE: Computer-Based Instruction Program Competition (CFDA #84.215D). Deadline: To Be Announced. Tentative award date: 8/30/93. Jaymie Lewis, 219-1496.
January 26
OERI's regional education laboratory rural program coordinators will hold their quarterly meeting at the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development in San Francisco. Joyce D. Stern, 219-2095.
January 28
The National Assessment of Vocational Education Advisory Panel will meet in Washington, DC. David Boesel, 219-1598.
January 28-29
The OERI Urban Superintendents' Network will meet in Washington, DC, to discuss mayoral and city government involvement in local education initiatives. Mary Campbell, 219-2130.
January 29
Proposals due for the ERIC clearinghouse competition (RFP 93-016). Tentative award date: 6/2/93. Robert Stonehill, 219-2088.
February 4
Applications available for the Library Services to Indian Tribes Program, Special Projects Grants, LSCA Title IV (CFDA #84.163B). Tentative Deadline: 4/5/93. Tentative award date: 8/2/93. Beth Fine, 219-1315.
February 7-9
The Drug-Free School Recognition Program will hold an orientation for site visitors for the 1992-93 program in Washington, DC. Jim Better, 219-2144.
February 9
Applications available for the National Diffusion Network Developer Demonstrator Competition (CFDA #84.073A). Tentative Deadline: 4/9/93. Tentative award date: 7/22/93. Elizabeth Farquhar, 219-2134.
February 11-13
The National Assessment of Education Progress Design and Analysis Committee will meet in Washington, DC. Steve Gorman, 219-1937.
February 12-13
OERI's National Reading Research Center will sponsor a conference in Athens, GA, on developing engaged readers in home and school communities. Anne Sweet, 219-2043.
February 14-17
National Diffusion Network state facilitators, developer demonstrators, and dissemination process directors will meet in Washington, DC. Elizabeth Farquhar, 219-2134.
February 19
Applications due for the Foreign Language Materials Acquisition Grants Program, LSCA Title V (CFDA #84.239A). Tentative award date: 7/15/93. Nancy Cavanaugh, 219-1315.
February 20-22
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program will hold an orientation for site visitors in Washington, DC. Stephen O'Brien, 219-2141.
February 24
Applications due for the Library Education and Human Resource Development Institutes, HEA Title II-B (CFDA #84.036A). Tentative award date: 6/15/93. Louise Sutherland, 219-1315.
Late February
Applications available for the Demonstration of Online and Dial-in Access to a Statewide Multitype Library Database Grant Program (CFDA #84.039C). Tentative Deadline: 5/28/93. Tentative award date: 9/16/93. Louise Sutherland, 219-1315.
March 15
Applications available for the National Diffusion Network Dissemination Process competition (CFDA #84.073E). Tentative Deadline: 5/21/93. Tentative award date: 8/20/93. Elizabeth Farquhar, 219-2134.
April 12 (Tentative)
Applications available for FIE: Innovation in Education Program competition for Demonstrations of New or Improved Assessments of K-12 Student Performance (CFDA #84.215H). Deadline: To Be Announced. Tentative award date: 9/30/93. Sherrin Marshall, 219-1496.
April 23
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program will hold an orientation for state liaisons for the 1993-94 program in Washington, DC. Stephen O'Brien, 219-2141.
April 25-28
The Drug-Free School Recognition Program will hold its second 1992-93 review panel meeting in Washington, DC. Jim Better, 219-2144.
IPEDS Workshops
NCES is holding a series of workshops to explain how institutions can use information in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for planning and evaluation. Workshops will be held:
DATE OF WORKSHOP LOCATION February 1 and 2 Dallas February 4 and 5 Denver February 10 and 11 Kansas City, MO February 16 Newark, NJ February 23 San Francisco February 25 and 26 Los Angeles March 3 and 4 Boston March 9 and 10 Chicago March 12 Novi, MI
For further information, contact Rosa Fernandez, 202-219-1358.
Star Schools Program. FY 92 funds totaling almost $18.4 million were awarded under this program, which uses technology to provide quality instructional programming for students and innovative staff development activities for teachers in isolated areas and major cities. The funds support 11 grants and one contract to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. PIP
Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and Science Education. FY 92 grants totaling $12 million were awarded to establish 10 new regional math and science education consortia (see FOCUSING ON MATH AND SCIENCE). PIP
Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and Science Education, Curriculum Frameworks. FY 92 grants of close to $1.7 million were awarded to 5 states and DC (see FOCUSING ON MATH AND SCIENCE). PIP
Drug-Free School Recognition Program. An FY 92 contract of $843,332 was awarded to Henderson Associates, Inc. (Washington, DC) to provide technical and logistical support to this program. PIP
Javits Gifted and Talented Students Program. Twenty-four projects received FY 92 grants totaling $4,907,070 to help meet the special education needs of gifted and talented students who are economically disadvantaged, have limited English skills, or have disabilities. PIP
Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) Publishing Center. An FY 92 contract of $469,023 was awarded to the Education Development Center, Inc. (Newton, MA) to provide technical assistance to WEEA grantees and to publish and disseminate products developed by them. PIP
Blue Ribbon Schools Program. An FY 92 contract of $864,159 was awarded to Research and Evaluation Associates, Inc. (Washington, DC) to support activities associated with this program. PIP
Researcher Training Project. An FY 92 grant of $199,686 was awarded to the Southwest Regional Educational Laboratory (Long Beach, CA) to increase the number of minorities in research and development by recruiting graduate students for paid, mentored internships that include part-time employment at the SWRL. PIP
National Diffusion Network (NDN). FY 92 grants totaling almost $14 million were awarded to increase the outreach of the NDN by supporting state facilitators and developer demonstrators. PIP
NDN State Facilitator Project. The Ohio Department of Education (Columbus) was awarded an FY 93 grant of $199,768 to serve as a link between NDN Developer Demonstrator Projects and teachers, administrators, parents, and others interested in implementing NDN projects. PIP
Library Research and Demonstration Program (HEA II-B). An FY 92 contract of $264,894 was awarded to the University of Wisconsin- Madison to train state library personnel to plan and conduct evaluations of federally funded state and local library programs. LP
Public Library State Grant Awards. FY 93 state-administered grants totaling $55.1 million were awarded to 36 state library administrative agencies to fund new public library service projects, public library construction and technology projects, and interlibrary cooperative projects. LP
Teaching Standards Program. An FY 93 grant of $4.7 million was awarded to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (Detroit) to develop voluntary standards for what elementary and secondary teachers should know and be able to do, and to certify teachers who meet these standards. OR
Educational Partnerships Program. Four FY 92 grants totaling $1,313,270 and four FY 93 grants totaling $1,075,042 were awarded to create alliances between public elementary and secondary schools or institutions of higher education and the private sector to work on school improvement. PIP
Fund for Innovation in Education. An FY 93 grant of $4,345,952 was awarded to the Center for Civic Education (Calabasas, CA) to administer a national program designed to educate students about the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution and to foster civic competence and civil responsibility. FIRST
ED Board
The Education Department now has ED Board, a new computer bulletin board with information about ED grants and contracts, including those from OERI. Anyone can use ED Board; no preregistration is required and there are no charges (other than long distance charges). ED Board is on-line 24 hours a day and is accessible only by phone line. Users create IDs and passwords when logging on. The ED Board phone number is 202-260-9950. You must have a computer and modem (setting 8N1) to use this number.
Further information is available from ED Board, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, ROB3, Room 3616, Washington, DC 20202, or phone 202-708-8773.
Elementary/ Secondary
Dropout Rates in the United States: 1991 - Presents data on high school dropout and retention rates, examines high school completion and graduation rates, and discusses new dropout data collection efforts by NCES. $10 from GPO; #065-000-00519-1.
Education Research Consumer Guides: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT discusses a form of testing that requires students to perform a task rather than select an answer from a ready-made list. Free from OERI; #OR 92-3056. READING RECOVERY discusses an early intervention program to help low achieving 6-year-olds learn to read. Free from OERI; #OR 93-3058.
Education Research Report: Parental Satisfaction With Schools and the Need for Standards explores why, despite clear indications that student achievement is low, most parents express satisfaction with their children's achievement and schools. Free from OERI; #OR 92-3070.
Filling the Gaps: An Overview of Data on Education in Grades K Through 12 reviews what NCES can and cannot say about education in this country. $4.25 from GPO; #065-000-00540-9.
Improving the Math and Science Curriculum: Choices for State Policymakers is a report on the first Secretary's Conference on Improving Mathematics and Science Education held in December 1991. It discusses vital education issues, key policy questions, and concrete ideas state leaders can use to reform curricula in their states. $2.25 from GPO; #065-000-00547-6.
Sticking Together - summarizes a national policy forum on strengthening linkages and the transition between early childhood education and early elementary school. $5 from GPO; #065-000-00537-9.
World Class Standards describes OERI's efforts in this area. Free from OERI; #OAS 92-602. Bulk orders are accepted.
Postsecondary
Basic Student Charges at Postsecondary Institutions: Academic Year 1991-92 lists tuition and required fees and room and board charges for academic year 1991-92 at more than 4,700 4-year, 2-year, and public less-than-2-year postsecondary institutions (collegiate and non-collegiate) in the U.S. and its outlying areas. $10 from GPO; #065-000-00544-1.
1991-92 Directory of Postsecondary Institutions: Vol. 1, 4-Year and 2-Year and Vol. 2, Less-Than-2-Year lists the known universe of 10,144 postsecondary institutions in operation in the 50 states, DC, and the outlying areas in academic year 1991-92. Vol. 1, $33 from GPO; #065-000-00533-6; Vol. 2, $22 from GPO; #065-000-0534-4.
High School and Beyond Fourth Follow-Up is a methodology report that documents activities in preparation for the fourth follow-up of the sophomore cohort of the High School and Beyond study in 1992. It describes the development and testing of the data collection systems. Free from OERI; #NCES 92-077.
Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual updates the types and uses of postsecondary institutions' physical facilities and re-establishes current and consistent definitions and classification codes to collect, report, and exchange comparable data on institutional facilities. $9.50 from GPO; #065-000-00539-5.
Postsecondary Student Outcomes: A Feasibility Study determines the current availability and utility of postsecondary student outcomes statistics and considers the desirability and feasibility of institutions reporting various student outcomes. $5.50 from GPO; #065-000-00489-5.
National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: Students at Less-Than-4- Year Institutions describes the characteristics of less-than-4-year postsecondary institutions and the students who attend them. $4.25 from GPO; #065-000-00541-7.
Tourists in Our Own Land: Cultural Literacies and the College Curriculum is the fourth in a series of reports based on the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. It focuses on the cultural literacy of those who earned bachelor's degrees by the time they were 30 or 31 years old. $5 from GPO; #065-000-00535-2.
Revenues and Expenditures in Intercollegiate Athletics: The Feasibility of Collecting National Data by Sport discusses the feasibility of collecting national data on the revenues and expenditures of intercollegiate athletics by sport and provides analyses and references that may be helpful in interpreting data on the finances of intercollegiate athletics. Free from OERI; #OR 92-3030.
Miscellaneous
Directory of Library Research and Demonstration Projects 1976-86: Abstracts of Funded Projects is a chronological and analytical history of the Higher Education Act, Title II-B, Research and Demonstration Program from 1976 through 1986. Free from OERI; #LP 92-4760.
ERIC Review, Fall 1992 discusses partnerships between schools, colleges and universities, businesses, and communities. Free from ACCESS ERIC; #ERIC 92-5024.
Military Cutbacks and the Expanding Role of Education contains 10 essays and studies that examine the effects of the defense drawdown, with particular attention to educational resources and policies available to assist workers making a transition from the military to civilian sectors. $13 from GPO; #065-000-00545-0.
Professional Workers as Learners: The Status, Role, and Accountability of Continuing Professional Education in the 1990s is a series of papers on the state of this segment of adult education, its future prospects, and a report on a research planning conference sponsored by OERI in 1991. $14 from GPO; #065-000-00531-0.
Strengthening Support and Recruitment of Women and Minorities to Positions in Education Administration is a training resource manual that reflects the collective work of the National LEADership Network- sponsored Study Group on Women and Minorities. Activities in this manual are aimed at those who make policies and decisions about the staffing of administrator positions. $13 from GPO; #065-000-00546-8.
The latest edition of this book, the 22nd in a series begun in 1964, projects that enrollment in public and private elementary and secondary schools will increase to 54.2 million students by 2003, an increase of 15 percent from 1991. It also contains projections about earned degrees conferred, classroom teachers, and expenditures. Projections are based on the 1990 Census. $12 from GPO; #065-000- 00543-3.
DIGEST OF EDUCATION STATISTICS 1992
Information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school is included in the newest edition of this series. The book contains data on a variety of subjects, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates; educational attainment; finances; federal funds for education; employment and income of graduates; libraries; and international education. $30 from GPO; #065-000-00532-8.
HOW TO ORDER
OERI does not have publications for sale, so do NOT send money or checks, or order GPO publications from this office. OERI provides single copies of only those publications listed as being free from OERI, on a first-come, first served basis.
To determine where to send your order (and your check when ordering from GPO) look at the acronym listed at the end of the publication description. The publications listed in this issue are available from:
OERI, Dept. EIB, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20208-5641;
GPO, Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Order Desk: 202-783-3238;
ACCESS ERIC, 1600 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850-3166.
Be sure to include the complete title and order number for each publication you order. The order number is the series of numbers listed at the end of the publication description. If you want publications from different offices, you must place SEPARATE orders.
A STATISTICAL PORTRAIT
In the past, educational historians have had to consult various--and sometimes incompatible--sources to create an historical understanding of the state of education.
Now, OERI's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has compiled all of these data into one volume. 120 YEARS OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: A STATISTICAL PORTRAIT is the most complete collection of historical education statistics published by the Department of Education. Beginning with the first education data collected by the federal government in 1869-70, the volume provides the historical context necessary to understand the deluge of today's education statistics.
With 37 tables and 21 charts, the report examines areas such as enrollment at all levels (including state statistics), expenditures, teachers and faculty, institutions, degrees, and finances. Each section features a descriptive overview that discusses the material. A history of the NCES collection of education statistics also is included.
Organized for easy use, the book contains data from NCES's Digest of Education Statistics, the Census Bureau, and a variety of published and unpublished historical reports. It also includes some data that have never before been published.
The collection of historical statistics about American education provides readers the perspective needed to understand how far the country has come in its national commitment to education and how far it still must go.
For price and ordering information for 120 YEARS OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: A STATISTICAL PORTRAIT, contact the U.S. Government Printing Office order desk at 202-783-3238. The stock number is 065- 000-00551-4.
OERI Assistant Secretary 219-1385 Deputy Assistant Secretary 219-2050 FUND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT & REFORM OF SCHOOLS AND TEACHING (FIRST) Acting Director, Janice K. Anderson 219-1496 Comprehensive School Health Education 219-1556 FIRST Program 219-1496 Network for Drug-Free Colleges & Universities 219-1556 Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education (FIE) 219-1496 LIBRARY PROGRAMS (LP) Director, Ray Fry 219-2293 College Library Technology & Cooperation 219-1315 Education Research Library 219-1884 Foreign Language Materials 219-1315 Interlibrary Cooperation 219-1303 Library Career Training 219-1315 Library Research 219-1315 Literacy Programs 219-1315 Public Library Construction & Technology Enhancement 219-1303 Public Library Services 219-1303 Research Libraries 219-1315 Services to Indian Tribes 219-1315 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS (NCES) Commissioner, Emerson Elliott 219-1828 Common Core of Data 219-1611 Elementary/Secondary Surveys 219-1614 High School & Beyond 219-1774 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Survey 219-1352 Longitudinal Survey 219-1737 National Assessment of Educational Progress 219-1761 National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey 219-1774 Postsecondary Surveys 219-1354 Schools & Staffing Survey 219-1325 OFFICE OF RESEARCH (OR) Acting Director, Joseph Conaty 219-2079 Education & Society 219-2223 Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) 219-2088 Field-Initiated Studies 219-2223 Higher Education & Adult Learning 219-2243 Learning & Instruction 219-2021 Schools & School Professionals 219-2207 Research Centers (General) 219-2079 PROGRAMS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF PRACTICE (PIP) Director, Eve Bither 219-2164 Blue Ribbon Schools 219-2149 Education & Work 219-2093 Drug-Free School Recognition 219-2134 Educational Partnerships 219-2116 Gifted & Talented 219-2187 Leadership in Educational Administration Development 219-2116 Math & Science Program 219-2164 Mid-Career Teacher Training 219-2187 National Diffusion Network 219-2134 Outreach Office 219-1558 Rural Education 219-2095 Regional Educational Laboratories 219-2116 Star Schools 219-2116 Urban Superintendents' Network 219-2116 TOLL-FREE NUMBERS Information Office 1-800-424-1616 In DC 202-219-1513 provides information about OERI research, statistics, publications, and data tapes. Electronic Bulletin Board 1-800-222-4922 provides the above information electronically. For technical questions, call 219-1547. ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC coordinates information in ERIC--the Educational Resources Information Center--the world's largest education database.