[Budget of the United States Government]
[VI. Investing in the Common Good: Program Performance in Federal Functions]
[22. Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
22. EDUCATION, TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT, AND SOCIAL SERVICES
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Table 22-1. FEDERAL RESOURCES IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT, AND SOCIAL SERVICES
(In millions of dollars)
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Estimate
Function 500 1998 -----------------------------------------------------------
Actual 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
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Spending:
Discretionary Budget Authority.......... 46,700 46,595 52,138 54,152 54,160 54,108 54,025
Mandatory Outlays:
Existing law.......................... 12,418 14,031 14,876 13,905 13,090 15,113 16,088
Proposed legislation.................. ........ -9 -1,716 -101 -342 -636 -397
Credit Activity:
Direct loan disbursements............... 12,145 16,118 16,015 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Guaranteed loans........................ 21,966 23,171 24,557 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Tax Expenditures:
Existing law............................ 29,885 37,580 40,035 42,025 43,975 45,885 49,035
Proposed legislation.................... ........ 165 1,577 3,656 2,674 2,527 2,550
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N/A = Not available
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A wide variety of Federal programs assist States and localities in
providing essential education, training, employment and social services.
These programs educate young people; offer training and employment
services to all Americans, especially the low-skilled and jobless;
assist youth and adults to overcome financial barriers to postsecondary
education and training; provide essential assistance to poor Americans;
and work with employers and employees to maintain safe and stable
workplaces.
The Government spends over $65 billion a year on: grants to States and
localities; grants, loans, and scholarships to individuals; direct
Federal program administration; and subsidies leveraging nearly $41
billion in loans to individuals. It also allocates about $42 billion a
year in tax incentives for individuals.
Education Department
Elementary and Secondary Education: Federal spending for elementary
and secondary education targets important national needs, such as equal
opportunity and the use of challenging academic standards to improve
student achievement. Most low-performing children in high priority
schools receive extra educational assistance through Title I-Education
for the Disadvantaged. Other programs provide related support for
children with disabilities and limited English proficient children;
support teacher and administrator training; help finance and encourage
State, school, and system reforms; help reduce class size; and support
research and technical assistance. The Administration's long-term goal
is to help all children, especially low-income and minority children,
make steady educational achievement gains over time.
The Federal focus began to change in 1994 from supporting individual
programs to emphasizing school-wide and school system reforms, through
the President's Goals 2000 Educate America Act and his Improving
America's Schools Act, of which Title I is a part. These laws support
State and local standards-based reform efforts and speed the expansion
of the use of technology in education
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to help raise learning gains. These new approaches freed States and
schools from unnecessary Federal process restrictions, providing greater
flexibility while requiring more accountability for results. Early
results show that the new approaches are having a significant impact:
for example, in the 1997-98 school year, all but one State had content
standards in at least reading and math. About seven percent of schools
based reading and math curricula on challenging academic standards, and
17 States had tests tied to challenging academic standards. Before Goals
2000, only a handful of States had challenging academic standards and
tests in place. Minority students have made substantial gains in
science, math, and reading since the 1970s, narrowing the gap between
minority and Caucasian student achievement by about a third.
Title I: Citing Title I, as well as Head Start and child nutrition
programs, a 1994 RAND study found that ``the most plausible'' way to
explain big education gains of low-income and minority children in the
past 30 years is ``some combination of increased public investment in
education and social programs and changed social policies aimed at
equalizing educational opportunities.'' The budget provides $8.78
billion for Title I including $8 billion for grants to local education
agencies.
As described in Chapter 3, ``Investing in Education and Training,''
the 1994 reauthorization of Title I set in motion a series of new
requirements on States for improving educational results for
disadvantaged children, as a condition for receipt of Title I funds.
Implementation has been uneven. For 2000, the Administration proposes a
stronger emphasis on accountability for improved education results in
Title I, financed with $200 million for a new Accountability Fund and
will reinforce this approach with its 1999 reauthorization proposal for
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. States and districts will
identify their worst performing schools (establishing a baseline for
measurement), and take specific actions to improve those schools, while
providing immediate extra educational assistance to the children in
those schools.
In 2000, Title I grants to school districts will provide
educational services to over 12 million students in high
poverty communities, 500,000 more children than in 1999.
The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) will continue to
be one of the data bases that indicates whether Title I is helping
students catch up with their more advantaged peers. NAEP measures
progress toward achieving the goal that rising percentages of all
students will meet or exceed basic, proficient, and advanced performance
levels in national and State assessments of reading, math, and other
core subjects, and the goal that students in high-poverty schools will
show improvement gains comparable to those for all students.
Improving Accountability: The budget provides $200 million to help
accelerate States' implementation of accountability provisions in the
Title I program.
In 2000, States will identify their lowest performing
schools, begin intervening with effective strategies to
improve student outcomes, and begin periodic reporting on
their results.
21st Century Community Learning Centers/Ending Social Promotion: The
budget proposes to triple this program to $600 million, as part of a
comprehensive approach to fix failing schools and help end social
promotion the way successful schools do it--without harming the
children. School districts will have a competitive advantage for these
new funds if they combine before and after school and summer school
programs with other resources that support State and school commitments
to high educational standards, more qualified teachers, smaller classes
that enhance learning, and accept accountability for increased student
achievement.
In 2000, 7,500 schools will receive 21st Century Community
Learning Center grants. Most of these districts will have made
commitments to use these funds as part of a comprehensive
effort to improve learning in low performing schools. In
future years, grantees will report their progress and receive
continuation grants if they meet program terms.
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America Reads: A student's most basic skill to master is reading.
Although reading problems are particularly severe for disadvantaged
students, students with reading difficulties represent a cross-section
of American children. In 1994, only 30 percent of 4th graders scored at
the proficient level in reading on NAEP, while only 59 percent scored at
basic level. In 1998, the President launched the America Reads Challenge
to provide extra help to meet the goal that every child will read well
and independently by the end of the third grade, and obtained enactment
of new legislation that will begin funding local programs on July 1,
1999. The budget provides $286 million for America Reads.
In 2000, America Reads will continue to help increase the
percentages of fourth-graders who meet basic, proficient, and
advanced levels in reading on the 4th grade NAEP (administered
in 1998 and every two years thereafter).
By 2002, 68 percent of fourth grade public school students
will score at or above the basic level of proficiency on the
NAEP.
Education Technology: The Administration's education technology
programs serve to make modern computers and technologies accessible to
all students; connect classrooms to one another and to the outside
world; make high-quality educational software an integral part of the
curriculum; and enable teachers to effectively integrate technology into
their instruction. The budget provides $801 million for education
technology.
The percentage of public schools with access to the Internet
will increase to 95 percent by 2000, compared to 65 percent in
1996.
In Fall 1996, 20 percent of public school teachers used
advanced telecommunications for teaching. In 1994, 40 percent
of the fourth graders and 17 percent of the eighth graders had
teachers reporting use of computers to teach reading. In 1996,
about 75 percent of fourth grade students and 46 percent of
eighth grade students had teachers reporting use of computers
for math instruction. In 2000, a higher percentage of teachers
will integrate high-quality technology-based instruction into
their curriculum.
Special Education: Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA), the Education Department works with States to ensure that
children with disabilities benefit from the Act's requirement for a
``free appropriate public education'' and are part of all accountability
systems. As of July 1, 1998, all States were required to have
performance goals and strategies in place for children with disabilities
aged three to 21, and will report their progress toward meeting those
goals on a biennial basis. The budget provides $5.45 billion for IDEA.
In 2000, all States will include children with disabilities
in State and district-wide regular assessments or provide
alternate assessments to measure educational performance.
Bilingual Education: Federal funds help children and adults learn
English while progressing in school, and help States train teachers to
educate individuals who are limited English proficient. The budget
provides $415 million for Bilingual Education with special emphasis on
expanding teacher training.
In 1999, Federal funds supported the training of 4,000
teachers. In 2000, funds will support training of 6,000
teachers to specialize in teaching limited English-proficient
children.
Class Size Reduction: The budget proposes $4.1 billion, an increase of
$200 million over 1999, as the second installment of the President's
plan to help schools recruit, hire, and train 100,000 new teachers by
2005 and reduce class size in the early grades.
States will annually reduce the average class size in grades
one through three so that by 2005, the average class size
nationally in the targeted grades is 18 students per
classroom. In 1993-94, the average number of students in a
grade one to three classroom was 22.
Public School Choice: The budget includes several initiatives to
expand the availability of choice in public schools, including funding
for private sector and school partnerships to create ``Worksite
Schools'' in the more inte
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grated setting of the workplace, and funding for inter-district Magnet
Schools. The largest public school choice program is Charter Schools.
Charter schools introduce innovation and choice into public schools.
In 1992, there was one charter school in operation, funded locally. In
1998, approximately 1,000 charter schools are operating around the
nation, of which about 950 received Federal funding. The budget provides
$130 million for charter schools.
In 2000, nearly 2,000 charter schools will be operating,
continuing progress toward the President's goal of 3,000
charter schools by 2002.
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities: Since 1993, this program
has provided a total of $3.7 billion to help 97 percent of all school
districts implement anti-drug and anti-violence programs. The budget
proposes $591 million, including $90 million in competitive grants for
projects that use proven program designs in high-need areas; $50 million
for the newly established School Drug Prevention Coordinators program to
ensure that half of all middle schools have a director of drug and
violence prevention programs to monitor local programs and link school-
based programs to community-based programs; and $12 million for SERVE, a
resource for responding to school violence incidents. In 1997, rates of
alcohol use in schools were five percent for 8th graders and eight
percent for 10th and 12th graders; 1997 rates of marijuana use in school
were five percent, 11 percent and 10 percent for eighth, 10th and 12th
graders respectively.
By 2001, rates of annual alcohol use in schools will decline
to four percent for eighth graders and seven percent for 10th
and 12th graders; rates of annual marijuana use in school for
the same time period will decline to three percent, 10 percent
and nine percent for eighth, 10th, and 12th graders
respectively.
Title VI Education Block Grant: This program provides general
resources for education. It does not have clear, measurable goals and is
not designed in law to produce specific results in terms of student
achievement gains. Evaluations of the program show that school districts
generally use the funds for routine activities that do not necessarily
improve teaching and learning. As a result, the budget eliminates
funding for this program in order to support other programs, such as
Title I, for which there are stronger indicators of results in terms of
student achievement gains.
Postsecondary Education: The economic returns to a college education
are dramatic. Males working full time who are over 25 years old and have
at least a bachelor's degree earned 89 percent more in 1993 than
comparable workers with just a high school degree. Moreover, the
benefits of college extend beyond the college graduates themselves. The
resulting higher socioeconomic status of parents with college degrees
leads to greater educational achievement by their children.
Since the GI Bill was enacted following World War II, the Federal
Government has played a growing role in helping Americans go to college.
From 1964 to 1993, Federal postsecondary programs have helped nearly
triple college enrollment, increasing by a third the share of high
school graduates who attended college, and raise college enrollment
rates for minority high school graduates by nearly two-thirds.
In 2000, the Education Department will provide financial aid
to an estimated nine million students.
Hope Scholarships and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits: These tax
benefits for postsecondary education were proposed by President Clinton
in 1996 and enacted in 1997. They have helped make college more
affordable for many American families.
In 2000, 5.5 million students will receive over $4 billion in
Hope tax credits, and 7.2 million students will receive almost
$3 billion in Lifetime Learning tax credits.
College Completion Challenge Grants: This initiative will award $35
million in 2000 to colleges that submit high quality applications
demonstrating how they will close the difference in the rates at which
disadvantaged and other students complete college. Grants will be used
to strengthen counseling, mentoring and related services, increase grant
aid, or help finance summer programs. The gap between the persistence
rates of low-income and
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at-risk students receiving services under this program and of students
who do not receive need-based aid will decrease at school receiving
grants.
Pell Grants: When President Clinton took office in 1993, the Pell
Grant maximum award was $2,300--the same as it was when President Bush
took office in 1989. Over the next five years, from 1994 to 1999, the
maximum award increased 36 percent to $3,125. Currently 76 percent of
Pell Grant funds go to students below 150 percent of the poverty level.
The budget provides $7.5 billion for Pell Grants.
An estimated 3.9 million needy students will receive Pell
Grants in 2000, for which the budget proposes a maximum award
of $3,250, an increase of $125 over 1999.
Work-Study: The Work-Study program helps needy undergraduate and
graduate students finance postsecondary education through part-time
employment. In 1996, the President set a goal of supporting one million
work-study students each year by 2000. The budget includes $934 million,
an increase of $64 million over 1999.
In 2000, Work-Study will add 56,000 students and reach the
President's goal of supporting one million students.
GEAR-UP: The budget proposes doubling funding for GEAR-UP, the early
intervention program based on the President's High Hopes proposal, to
$240 million in 2000. GEAR-UP provides funds for States and local
partnerships to help students in high-poverty schools prepare for and
attend college.
Program participants will successfully complete college
preparatory curricula at higher rates than comparable non-
participants.
Program participants will enroll in postsecondary education
programs at higher rates than comparable non-participants.
Initial data should be available in 2001.
Teacher Quality: A new teacher recruitment program will provide grants
to partnerships of high-need school districts and institutions of higher
education to provide scholarships to college students who commit to
teaching in high-poverty communities upon graduation. The President
proposes $115 million for teacher quality enhancement grants, including
$35 million for teacher recruitment in 2000.
In districts with grantees, the percentage of individuals who
teach in low-income communities who satisfy all State
licensure requirements will increase each year. Baseline data
will be collected in 2000.
Modernization of the Student Aid Delivery System: The Education
Department manages the delivery of student aid benefits to nearly nine
million students in approximately 6,200 postsecondary schools, and
oversees the direct and guaranteed loan systems affecting 37 million
individuals, 4,100 lenders, and 36 guarantee agencies. The Department
has made modernization of student financial aid management one of its
highest priorities. Through the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the
Administration and Congress authorized the Department to establish the
Government's first ever Performance-Based Organization (PBO). This new
organization will have unprecedented flexibility in procurement,
operations and management of Federal student financial assistance
programs. Major parts of the effort include improving customer service
at lower cost through better contracting practices and using new
information technology. For example, students can now apply for student
financial aid electronically and access their direct student loan
information over the Internet. The PBO is one of the Vice President's
High Impact Agencies (see Section IV, ``Improving Performance Through
Better Management''). Among its goals are:
By October 2000, increase the annual number of students
applying for Federal aid electronically to three million, up
from 1.9 million in 1997 and 2.3 million in 1998.
By October 2000, enable students and families applying for
Federal aid electronically to have their eligibility
determined in four days, cutting in half the current
processing time;
By December 1999, make the Department's website the most
comprehensive and efficient source of information on Federal
student aid and program require
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ments, reducing hard copies of materials that now must be
printed and mailed by at least a third;
By July 2000, test a multi-year promissory note for student
loans to streamline application procedures, minimize delays in
receiving funds, and provide better consumer information for
borrowers; and
By December 1999, establish, with its partners in the
financial aid community, mutually agreed upon industry-wide
standards for data exchanges needed in administering student
aid.
Student Loan Defaults: In recent years, the Education Department has
made great progress in reducing defaults and increasing collections from
defaulters. The national student loan cohort default rate used for
institutional eligibility dropped for the sixth straight year to 9.6
percent for 1996, down from 10.4 percent for 1995 and from 22.4 percent
in 1990. This dramatic reduction is due, in large part, to the Education
Department's improved institutional oversight that has led to the
removal of 1700 schools from all student aid programs and 300 additional
schools from only the loan programs. In addition, the department has
implemented rigorous recertification standards for institutions to
participate in the student aid programs. As a result, it has rejected
about a third of initial applications to participate in the student aid
programs over the last three years--twice the rate in 1990.
In 2000, the default rate will remain below 10 percent.
Student Aid Income Verification: In 1999, in accordance with the
Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the Secretary of Education and the
Secretary of Treasury will begin development of methods by which
Education can reduce fraud and improve eligibility determinations
through access to IRS data. In addition, the 2000 budget proposes a new
debt collection initiative through use of the New Hire Data Base (in
HHS) that will increase collections by approximately $1 billion over
five years.
Direct Loan Consolidations: By relying more on performance-based
contracting, the Education Department is ensuring the availability of
this option to borrowers in repayment to consolidate multiple loans into
single loans at lower interest rates and with greatly reduced paperwork.
The Department is also improving the loan consolidation process by
improving the accuracy of its data, strengthening managerial controls
through better tracking and reporting, increasing the number and
expertise of consolidation contractor staff, and speeding up the loan
certification process. As a result of new procedures, the department now
averages just under 60 days to complete a loan consolidation
application.
In 2000, the average time to complete a loan consolidation
application will continue to be no more than 60 days.
In 2000, surveys of borrowers will show that the majority of
applicants for loan consolidation are highly satisfied with
the timeliness and accuracy of the loan consolidation process.
In 1998, 60 percent of applicants were highly satisfied.
Adult Education: Federal adult education programs assist adults to
become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to attain
employment and self-sufficiency, to be better parents, and to complete
their secondary education. The new Adult Education and Family Literacy
Act places a strong emphasis on performance and accountability, and
States must now establish annual performance targets for the educational
achievement of participating adults. States that meet or exceed their
targets in adult education and other Federal workforce development
programs are eligible to receive special incentive grants. The budget
proposes $575 million for adult education, an increase of $190 million
over 1999.
By 2000, 40 percent of the adults in beginning level adult
basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a
second language (ESL) programs will achieve basic skill
proficiency, earn a diploma or General Educational Development
(GED) credential, or achieve basic English proficiency. In
1998, 28 percent of the adults in basic education, 38 percent
of those in secondary education, and 27 percent of those in
ESL programs achieved basic skill proficiency, earned a
diploma or GED, or achieved basic English proficiency.
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By 2000, 300,000 participating adults will enroll in further
academic education and/or vocational training compared with
175,000 in 1998. Also by 2000, 300,000 participating adults
will get a job or retain or advance in their current job,
compared with 268,000 in 1998.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services: The Vocational Rehabilitation
program provides funds to States to help individuals with disabilities
prepare for and obtain gainful employment. In 1997, the program helped
to rehabilitate 211,520 individuals with disabilities. The program has
not had consistent performance goals and measures of progress. The
budget includes $2.7 billion for Vocational Rehabilitation. Starting in
1999, as a result of the program's reauthorization in 1998, all States
will develop challenging State-specific goals based on a comprehensive
assessment of the vocational rehabilitation needs of individuals with
disabilities in the State, describe the strategies it will use to
address those needs, and report on progress made towards those goals.
State agencies will begin reporting progress toward achieving those
goals in 2000.
In 2000, about 750,000 individuals will be served,
approximately the same number as in 1999.
Labor Department
Elementary, secondary, and postsecondary investments enable Americans
to acquire the skills to get good jobs in an increasingly competitive
global economy. In addition, most workers acquire more skills on the job
or through billions of dollars that employers spend each year to enhance
worker skills and productivity. However, some workers also need special,
targeted assistance. In addition to Pell Grants, student loans, and tax
credits, the Federal Government spends nearly $7 billion a year through
Department of Labor (DOL) programs that finance job training and related
services. Workers who want to learn about job openings can use the State
Employment Service and One-Stop Career Center System and DOL's popular
America's Job Bank (AJB) website, which lists over 900,000 job vacancies
every day and has over six million job searches each month.
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998: The WIA takes full effect
on July 1, 2000 as the Job Training Partnership Act is repealed and all
States will be implementing the requirements of the WIA. The WIA
reflects the principles the President sought in his GI Bill for
America's Workers proposal including: the streamlining of services;
empowering individuals with the information and resources they need to
choose the training that is right for them; providing universal access
to a core set of employment services such as job search assistance;
increasing accountability; ensuring a strong role for the private sector
and the local boards who develop and over-see programs; facilitating
State and local flexibility; and improving the quality of youth job
training services.
DOL has launched several longitudinal evaluations of its job training
programs over the past two decades, including major impact evaluations
of the Job Corps and Dislocated Worker Assistance programs. Past studies
have found mixed, but generally positive results.
While impact evaluations are the best measure of program
effectiveness, DOL also sets annual performance goals for its major job
training programs. Performance goals for 2000 will continue to emphasize
placement in unsubsidized employment, employment retention, and earnings
levels.
Reemployment Services: This budget includes funding for new
initiatives to ensure that (1) every displaced worker would receive
training he or she want and need; (2) every person who lost his or her
job due to no fault of his or her own could get the re-employment
services; and (3) every American would have access to One-Stop Career
Centers.
WIA's Dislocated Worker Employment and Training Activities: This
program will provide training and employment services to about 840,000
displaced workers in 2000. The budget proposes $1.6 billion for
dislocated workers, an increase of $190 million over 1999.
In 2000, about 74 percent of those who receive services will
be working three months after leaving the program, earning an
average hourly wage that represents
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93 percent of the wage in their previous job.
Employment Service/One-Stop Career Centers: The Employment Service
provides a free labor exchange for all workers and job seekers, and is
growing more effective through implementation of One-Stop Career
Centers. The budget proposes $1.048 billion for these activities.
In 2000, continue to expand the One-Stop Career Center System
to include 60 percent of all local employment service and WIA
offices, compared to 16 percent in 1997, and to increase the
number of employers listing jobs with the American Job Bank
(AJB) website by 19 percent over the 1998 level while
expanding the basic One-Stop concept. The new concept for 2000
will include access through a toll-free number, access to AJB
for the blind, mobile One-Stops, and on-line job information
made available at Community-Based Organizations.
Work Incentive Assistance Grants: In order to enhance the prospects of
employment for individuals with disabilities, the budget includes $50
million for competitive grants to partnerships or consortia in each
State to provide new services and information sources for people with
disabilities who want to return to work. These partnerships would work
with the One-Stop system to augment its capabilities to provide timely
and accurate information that people with disabilities need to get jobs
and to learn about the benefits available to them when they return to
work. In addition, the partnerships would help improve local service
delivery by coordinating the various State and local agencies and
disability organizations which help ensure persons with disabilities are
prepared to enter or reenter the workforce. Performance goals and
measures will be developed with the grantees.
WIA's Adult Employment and Training Activities: This program currently
helps about 380,000 low-income individuals get training, support
services, and job placement assistance. The budget proposes $955 million
for adult programs.
In 2000, about 64.8 percent of those who receive services
will be working three months after leaving the program, with
weekly earnings averaging $361.
Right Track Partnership: The budget includes $100 million for this new
initiative designed to prevent youth from dropping out of school and
encourage those who already have to return to school and complete their
high school education.
In 2000, the Right Track Partnership program will provide
grants to serve 100,000 economically disadvantaged and Limited
English Proficiency youth ages 14-21. From baseline data
developed for each grantee, RTP will increase the rate at
which these youth reenter, complete, and excel in high school
through integrated Federal, State, local, public and private
sector efforts.
Youth Opportunity Grants: The Youth Opportunity Grants initiative
addresses the special problems of out-of-school youth, especially in
inner-cities and other areas where unemployment rates are high. The
budget provides $250 million for this program.
The Department will develop with each successful applicant a
goal for a substantial increase in the rate of employment for
youth in the program area, as well as improvement in the rate
at which participants return to high school, go on to college,
receive vocational training that leads to a good job, or go in
to the military.
Job Corps: The Corps provides skill training, academic and social
education, and support services in a structured, residential setting to
approximately 70,000 very disadvantaged youth a year at 121 centers:
In 2000, about 85 percent of graduates will get jobs or
pursue further education. This compares with 75 percent in
1999. In addition, 70 percent of those students will still
have a job or will be pursuing education 90 days after their
initial placement date.
School-to-Work: All States are implementing school-to-work systems,
using the five-year Federal venture capital grants to devise new
collaborations between schools and the private sector. By June 1997,
over 805,000 students
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in 2,200 high schools throughout the nation, as well as 200,000
employers, participated in School-to-Work systems.
In 2000, the final year of school-to-work funding, all States
will have completed the portion of their Statewide systems
financed with Federal funds. Two million youth will be
actively engaged in school-to-work activities, 500,000 more
than in 1999, and 40 percent of high schools will offer key
school-to-work components, an increase of five percent over
1999.
Workplace Protections: DOL regulates compliance with various laws that
give workers certain workplace protections--a minimum wage for virtually
all workers, prevailing wages and equal employment opportunity for
workers on government contracts, overtime pay, restrictions on child
labor, and time off for family illness or childbirth. In these areas,
the Federal Government is working to increase industry's compliance with
labor protections through voluntary compliance initiatives (coupled with
continued strong enforcement), outreach to new and small business, and
targeted enforcement in specific industries, with specific measurable
goals.
In 2000, increase compliance by five percent (compared to
baseline) among employers who were previously violators and
the subject of repeat investigations in targeted health care,
garment, and identified agricultural commodities.
International Child Labor: The budget proposes $52 million in
additional funding to continue the Administration's commitment
increasing opportunity to improving work conditions for children and
raising international labor standards.
Increase the implementation of core labor standards in five
countries in 2000.
Welfare-to-Work: Moving people from welfare to work is a primary goal
of Federal welfare policy. In addition to the $16.5 billion per year
provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Children Program,
the President obtained $3 billion to help achieve this goal through
Welfare-to-Work (WtW) grants in fiscal years 1998 and 1999. These grants
provide welfare recipients with the job placement services, transitional
employment, and job retention and support services they need to achieve
economic self-sufficiency. The budget includes $1 billion to extend WtW
in 2000.
In 2000, an estimated 56 percent of participants will be
placed in unsubsidized employment.
Department of Health and Human Services
Head Start: Head Start gives low-income children a comprehensive
approach to child development, stressing language and cognitive
development, health, nutrition, and social competency. Head Start is
administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in
the Department of Health and Human Services. ACF is one of the Vice
President's High Impact Agencies (see Section IV). The 2000 budget
provides $5.3 billion for Head Start, a $607 million increase over the
1999 level.
In 2000, Head Start will serve an additional 42,000 children,
for a total of 877,000 children. The Head Start program goal
established by the President is to serve one million children
annually by 2002.
Within the overall total of children served, in 2000 an
additional 7,000 children under age three will participate in
the Early Head Start component, for a total of nearly 45,000.
The President established the goal of doubling the number of
children below age three served in Head Start by 2002, within
the goal of one million total children.
National evaluation studies of both the regular Head Start program and
the Early Head Start component are under way to increase outcomes for
Head Start families, including child growth and development. Preliminary
results are expected in late 1999 for the regular Head Start program and
in 2001 for the early Head Start component.
Foster Care and Adoption Assistance: The Administration for Children
and Families (ACF), a high impact agency (see Section IV), administers a
number of programs that focus on preventing maltreatment of children,
protecting children from abuse and neglect, and finding permanent
placements for children who cannot safely return to their homes. The
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budget proposes a $265 million initiative to support the transition from
foster care to independent living in addition to the new Foster Care
Medical benefits described in Chapter 3. As part of the comprehensive
effort to develop performance measures for the child welfare system, ACF
is developing specific performance goals for the Independent Living
Program that will establish goals for increasing the proportion of
children that have graduated from high school, or received a GED within
one year of aging out of foster care.
In 2000, the Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Independent
Living Programs will support over 600,000 youth monthly at an
annual cost of $5.5 billion.
Aging Services Programs: The Administration on Aging (AoA) administers
information and assistance, home and community-based support services
for older people and support programs that protect the rights of
vulnerable, at-risk older people. In 2000, the budget proposes $1
billion for AoA programs. The budget includes $125 million for a new
state grant program that will assist families who are caring for frail
elderly relatives. The goal of this National Family Care Giver Support
Program is to help sustain the efforts of family care givers by
providing information, education and counseling, and respite services.
AoA will develop performance measures for activities supported through
the program's formula and competitive grants. The budget includes $147
million, an increase of $35 million, 30 percent, for the Home-Delivered
Meals Program.
In 2000, AoA will increase the number of meals served under
the Home-Delivered Meals Program to 146 million, compared to
119 million meals in 1996.
National Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service supports programs
providing service opportunities Nation-wide for Americans of all ages
and backgrounds. Through Corporation-supported projects, over 1.5
million participants work to address the Nation's unmet, critical needs.
The Corporation organizes its programs into three streams of service,
with various annual performance goals.
AmeriCorps: In 1999, there were 53,000 participants in AmeriCorps.
In 2000, AmeriCorps will engage 69,000 Americans of all ages
and backgrounds in community service, and provide education
awards in return for such service with a goal of 100,000
participants in AmeriCorps by 2002.
In 2000, AmeriCorps participants will recruit and organize
53,000 community volunteers to serve in elementary school
reading programs.
Learn and Serve America: This program provides opportunities for
students to improve their academic learning while participating in
service-learning projects in schools, universities, and communities.
In 2000, 20,000 high school students who have provided
outstanding community service will receive Presidential
Service Scholarships--compared with 15,000 students in 1999.
National Senior Service Corps: The Corps, comprising over 500,000
people age 55 and older, encourages seniors to use their experience,
skills and talents while serving as Foster Grandparents, Senior
Companions, and the Retired and Senior Volunteers.
In 2000, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions will serve
160,000 special needs youth and frail elderly, while 9,375
retired senior volunteers and volunteer leaders will work in
furtherance of the goals of America's Promise and the America
Reads Challenge.
Cultural Agencies
The Smithsonian Institution and other Cultural Agencies: The
Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
all have advancement of knowledge and sharing that knowledge with the
American public as part of their mission. In order to accomplish their
missions, each institution must maintain its physical infrastructure and
provide access to its unique assets.
In 2000, each agency will provide new and updated exhibits
and performances, in
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cluding the conservation of the Star Spangled Banner in a
special laboratory at the Smithsonian's National Museum of
American History; the National Gallery of Art's exhibit
entitled ``Art Nouveau: Sources and Cities, 1890-1914''; the
implementation of a state-of-the-art memorial interpretation
program at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Center; and the ``Flight
and Rescue'' exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In 2000, each agency will protect its unique assets through
implementing its comprehensive plans for repair and
renovation, including continuation of capital renovation at
the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History; analysis
and preliminary design work to repair or replace the National
Gallery of Art's mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems;
a building-wide sprinkler system and new fire alarm system at
the JFK Center; and completion of the security bollards
project at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the
Humanities: The budget proposes $150 million, each, for the National
Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to
provide support for important cultural, educational and artistic
programs for communities across America. The budget also proposes $188.5
million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to
support museums and libraries. In 2000, the Endowments and IMLS will
fund education and life-long learning as well as projects designed to
increase public access to performances, exhibitions, and our Nation's
cultural treasures held by museums, libraries, archives, and historical
organizations. Special attention will be afforded underserved areas and
to the use of the arts and humanities to strengthen community and family
life.
In 2000, NEA, through its new Challenge America program, will
award more than 1,200 grants through direct grants or in
partnerships with the States, to communities across America to
address Arts Education, Access to the Arts, Youth-at-Risk,
Cultural Heritage and Preservation, and Community Arts
Partnerships.
In 2000, NEH will help improve the quality of humanities
education offered to hundreds of thousands of American school
children and college students; provide opportunities for
citizens from all walks of life to engage in a lifetime of
learning about the Nation's history and culture; preserve and
democratize access to millions of brittle books and other
important cultural and intellectual resources; and
dramatically expand access to humanities programming for
millions of citizens in rural areas, communities, and cities
across America.
In 2000, IMLS will promote access to learning and information
resources held by museums and libraries through electronic
linkages, helping all 55 State library agencies expand
materials available electronically and increase Internet
access. IMLS will help museums develop and support regional
electronic networks, providing technical support to thousands
of museums in putting collection information on-line, and
supporting after-school programs located in museums.
Tax Incentives
The Federal Government helps individuals, families, and employers (on
behalf of their employees) plan for and buy education and training
through numerous tax benefits, which will cost an estimated $42 billion
in 2000. Along with the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax
credits for college costs, the tax code provides other ways to pay for
education and training. State and local governments, for instance, can
issue tax-exempt debt to finance student loans or to build the
facilities of non-profit educational institutions. Interest from certain
U.S. Savings Bonds is tax-free if the bonds go solely to pay for
education. Many employers provide education benefits that do not count
as income. Starting in 1998, many taxpayers can deduct the interest on
student loans. Finally, the tax code gives employers a Work Opportunity
Tax Credit and a Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit, letting them claim a tax
credit for part of the wages they pay to certain hard-to-employ people
who work for them for a minimum period.
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New tax provisions for education in the President's budget include
proposals to modify the current exclusion for employer-provided
educational assistance by extending it for another year and including
graduate as well as undergraduate courses; to eliminate the 60-month
limit on the student loan interest deduction to provide longer-term
relief to low-and middle-income taxpayers with large educational debt;
to eliminate the tax owed when certain student loans are forgiven after
25 years of repayment; and to provide a tax credit for employer-provided
workplace literacy and basic education programs. In addition, the budget
proposes exclusion from income for repayment or cancellation of a
student loan under the AmeriCorps Education Award Program.