Education and Employment Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years 1995-96 (Letter
Report, 09/01/95, GAO/IAP-95-32).

GAO presented its Education and Employment issue area plan for fiscal
years 1995 and 1996.

GAO plans to: (1) identify the factors influencing the efforts to
improve instruction and school climate; (2) assess whether schools have
the infrastructure to support education in the 21st century; (3)
identify ways to consolidate overlapping programs; (4) identify ways the
Department of Education can better provide financial aid to eligible
students; (5) assess how Education information systems can better aid
programs and minimize fraud and abuse; (6) identify ways for schools to
better prepare students for work; (7) identify the effectiveness of
employment training assistance for disadvantaged adults; (8) encourage
private sector involvement in providing employment training assistance;
(9) assess the federal role in providing employment assistance; (10)
identify overlapping workplace regulations; and (11) identify options
for reforming equal employment opportunity law enforcement.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  IAP-95-32
     TITLE:  Education and Employment Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years 
             1995-96
      DATE:  09/01/95
   SUBJECT:  Aid for education
             Employment or training programs
             Student loans
             Fair employment programs
             Cost control
             Vocational education
             Public schools
             Higher education
             Educational programs
IDENTIFIER:  Goals 2000
             National Direct Student Loan Program
             Guaranteed Student Loan Program
             
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Cover
================================================================ COVER


Health, Education, and Human Services Division

September 1995

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT ISSUE
AREA PLAN

FISCAL YEARS 1995-96

GAO/IAP-95-32



Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV


FOREWORD
============================================================ Chapter 0

As the investigative arm of Congress and the nation's auditor, the
General Accounting Office is charged with following the federal
dollar wherever it goes.  Reflecting stringent standards of
objectivity and independence, GAO's audits, evaluations, and
investigations promote a more efficient and cost-effective
government; expose waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in federal
programs; provide information to help Congress target budget
reductions; improve accountability by assessing financial and
information management; and alert Congress to developing trends that
may have significant fiscal or budgetary consequences.  In fulfilling
its responsibilities, GAO performs original research and uses
hundreds of databases, including those it creates when information is
unavailable elsewhere. 

To ensure that GAO's resources are directed toward the most important
issues facing Congress, each of GAO's 35 issue areas develops a
strategic plan that describes the significance of the issues it
addresses, its objectives, and the focus of its work.  Each issue
area relies heavily on input from congressional committees, agency
officials, and subject-matter experts in developing its strategic
plan. 

Our issue area's work in education focuses on matters relating to
children's early development and their preparation for higher
education and work.  These issues are especially significant as
Congress assesses the effectiveness of current federal education
programs and reconsiders the extent of federal involvement.  We will
continue to focus on federal activities supporting state and local
governments' efforts to address (1) children's readiness to learn and
(2) the adequacy of school resources and instruction.  In higher
education, our focus is on the federal role in ensuring access to
quality education while containing costs for both students and the
federal government.  In school-to-work transition, our focus is on
(1) the skills students need to successfully move from school to work
and (2) linking those skills with the skills businesses need in
future employees to remain competitive in the world economy.  Our
emphasis will be on (1) a federal role that is less directive and
more guiding and supportive and (2) the multiple federal funding
streams supporting state school-to-work initiatives. 

Our employment work focuses on the development of a well-trained,
competitive workforce and on workplace conditions.  Specifically, we
examine the federal role in helping (1) workers acquire the skills
they need to be fully employed and (2) employers locate qualified
workers.  Under the workplace quality issue, our work focuses on
federal regulation of the workplace, especially the impact of such
regulation on ensuring worker protections without unduly burdening
employers and on employer compliance.  In the pages that follow, we
describe our key planned work on these issues. 

Because events may significantly affect the best of plans, our
planning process allows for updating the plan and responding quickly
to emerging issues.  If you have any questions or suggestions about
this plan, please call me at (202) 512-7014. 

Linda G.  Morra
Director
Education and Employment Issues


CONTENTS
============================================================ Chapter 1


   FOREWORD
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1

1


   TABLE I:  KEY ISSUES
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2

4


   TABLE II:  PLANNED MAJOR WORK
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3

8


   TABLE III:  GAO CONTACTS
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:4

9


TABLE I:  KEY ISSUES
============================================================ Chapter 2

Issue                    Significance
-----------------------  -------------------------------------------------------
Preparatory education:   The U.S. Department of Education will spend about $15
Is the federal           billion this fiscal year to ensure that American
government using its     children and youth have access to a quality preparatory
education resources      education and to the services they need to achieve
effectively to support   academic excellence. Despite the passage of major
and encourage state and  education legislation (Improving America's Schools Act,
local efforts to         Goals 2000) in the 103rd Congress and a decade of
provide education        education reform efforts, many schools still need major
programs that will       fixes. Diminishing resources for education and
enable all youth to      significant consolidation, downsizing, and streamlining
obtain skilled jobs in   at all levels of government require better strategies
the economy of the 21st  to ensure that education reform continues. In addition,
century and to be        during this planning period, Congress will be
active and informed      considering legislation that affects special education
citizens?                programs.











Higher education: How    The Department of Education is concurrently operating
can the federal          the new direct student loan program and the existing
government ensure that   guaranteed loan program. The Department faces the
eligible students have   challenge of efficiently and effectively implementing
access to quality        both programs along with other student aid programs.
higher education while   The demand for federal financial aid resources has
encouraging cost         grown as increased tuition at both public and private
containment and          schools has placed an increased financial burden on
preventing fraud and     students and their families. Between 1980 and 1990, the
abuse with respect to    cost to attend a public or private school rose by 109
federal resources?       percent and 146 percent, respectively. In addition,
                         during this planning period, Congress will be
                         considering reauthorizing the Higher Education Act.














School-to-work           Because many youths are ill-prepared to enter the
transition: How can the  workforce, states are changing the ways they prepare
United States do a       students for work and are using a myriad of federal
better job of helping    funding sources. Current congressional efforts under
students obtain the      way would consolidate many federal education and
skills necessary to      training programs, including School-to-Work and the
successfully move from   Perkins Act, the main federal vocational education
school into the          program.
workplace and become
productive citizens?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Objectives                    Focus of work
----------------------------  --------------------------------------------------
--Identify the factors        ï¿½Successful education models that emphasize local
influencing the costs and     control and choice
benefits of efforts to        ï¿½Educational achievement and accountability
improve instruction and       ï¿½Quality of education facilities
school climate.               ï¿½Reforms in education financing
                              ï¿½Adequacy of teacher preparation
--Assess whether schools      ï¿½Technology needs of educational institutions
have the infrastructure and   ï¿½Services to disabled students
technology to support         ï¿½Consolidation of federal programs serving youths
quality education in the      ï¿½Options for redefining the federal role in
21st century.                 providing education assistance

--Identify approaches for
reforming education
financing.

--Assess the effectiveness
of federal efforts to ensure
access to quality programs
for the disabled.

--Identify ways to
consolidate overlapping
programs, functions, and
units to eliminate
duplication and unnecessary
costs.


--Identify ways the           ï¿½Operation of the new direct student loan program
Department of Education can   ï¿½Student aid data systems
more effectively and          ï¿½Approval of schools for student aid programs
efficiently provide student   ï¿½Efforts to collect student loans
financial aid to eligible     ï¿½Federal efforts to target aid to needy students
students.                     ï¿½Different funding sources for federal student aid
                              programs
--Assess how Department of    ï¿½Student loan repayment options' effect on debt
Education financial and       burden and defaults
management information        ï¿½Student aid application process simplification
systems can better support    ï¿½Privatization of Sallie Mae and student access to
student aid programs and      loans
minimize potential fraud and  ï¿½Escalating costs of higher education
abuse.

--Identify ways the
Department can improve its
implementation of the direct
student loan program without
detracting from other
student aid programs.

--Identify and suggest
alternatives to minimize the
cost of education to
students and the government,
while ensuring needy
students access to
postsecondary education.


--Identify ways to improve    ï¿½Integration of academic and occupational
schools' preparation of       curricula
youths for work, including    ï¿½Career exploration programs
obtaining necessary academic  ï¿½Business participation in work-based learning
and technical skills and      ï¿½Implementation of School-to-Work Opportunities
making informed career        Act
choices.                      ï¿½Portability of skills credentials


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue                    Significance
-----------------------  -------------------------------------------------------
Workforce skills and     A strong, internationally competitive economy depends,
jobs: How can the        in part, on effectively preparing workers to compete in
United States better     the workforce and efficiently helping employers locate
assist workers in        qualified job candidates. The federal government has
acquiring the skills     invested considerable effort and resources towards this
needed to become         end. However, serious questions have been raised about
productively employed    the efficiency and effectiveness of these efforts.
and help employers
locate qualified job
candidates?












Workplace quality: What  Technological and organizational change, the
changes in workplace     globalization of the economy, and reduced federal
regulatory strategies    resources are calling into question the strategies many
would reduce employers'  federal agencies use to regulate the workplace. To
compliance burden while  maintain the nation's continued world economic
improving the level of   leadership, we need to identify strategies that
worker protection?       effectively combine basic worker protections with
                         autonomous employee participation and enhanced employer
                         flexibility. Ensuring the rights of workers, while
                         reducing the regulatory burden on employers, is a
                         subject of considerable congressional interest.








--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives                    Focus of work
----------------------------  --------------------------------------------------
--Identify factors that       ï¿½Exemplary projects assisting the disadvantaged
influence the effectiveness   ï¿½Use of labor market information data
of employment training        ï¿½Use of technology in providing training
assistance for economically   ï¿½Private sector involvement in training
disadvantaged adults.         assistance
                              ï¿½State efforts to consolidate, coordinate, and
--Identify best practices     implement new employment training strategies
for encouraging private       ï¿½Innovative uses of unemployment insurance funds
sector involvement in         to support employment training assistance
providing employment          ï¿½Administration of federal employment grants and
training assistance to        contracts
specific populations, such    ï¿½Department of Labor management information
as dislocated workers and     system
at-risk youths.               ï¿½Internal controls for federal unemployment
                              benefit payments
--Use state experiences to    ï¿½Options for redefining the federal role in
identify best practices to    employment assistance
create a more cohesive
employment training
assistance system.

--Assess the federal role in
providing employment
assistance.


--Identify options for more   ï¿½Framework for setting federal Occupational Safety
collaborative, service-       and Health Administration standards
oriented regulatory           ï¿½Regulatory overlap between federal and state
approaches that will bolster  labor standards
worker protections and        ï¿½Strategies that enhance voluntary compliance with
facilitate better labor-      workplace standards
management cooperation.       ï¿½Options for reforming current civil rights
                              enforcement efforts
--Identify overlap in
workplace regulations to
streamline and improve
regulatory development and
enforcement.

--Identify options for
reforming equal employment
opportunity law enforcement
that will expedite
enforcement and reduce
excessive litigation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TABLE II:  PLANNED MAJOR WORK
============================================================ Chapter 3

Issue               Planned major job starts
------------------  --------------------------------------------------
Preparatory         ï¿½Identify successful education models emphasizing
education           local control and choice.
                    ï¿½Identify data needed to hold programs accountable
                    for educational achievement.
                    ï¿½Link school infrastructure data with staff and
                    student achievement data to determine
                    infrastructure needed to support quality
                    education.
                    ï¿½Assess approaches for reforming education
                    finance.
                    ï¿½Review technology needs of educational
                    institutions.
                    ï¿½Assess adequacy of teacher preparation.
                    ï¿½Evaluate the impact of state and local academic
                    standards.
                    ï¿½Identify ways to consolidate overlapping federal
                    youth programs.
                    ï¿½Assess current administration of education grants
                    and contracts.

Higher education    ï¿½Evaluate the direct student loan program.
                    ï¿½Assess the need for separate student aid data
                    systems.
                    ï¿½Assess the Department of Education's ability to
                    collect student loans.
                    ï¿½Identify better ways to target aid to needy
                    students.
                    ï¿½Assess the future role of campus-based student
                    aid programs.
                    ï¿½Review increases in college tuition and identify
                    best practices in cost containment.

School-to-work      ï¿½Evaluate the extent and quality of integrated
transition          academic and occupational curricula.
                    ï¿½Assess the systems in place to determine the
                    impact of school-to-work programs on workforce
                    quality.
                    ï¿½Assess the extent, relevance, and value of
                    youths' work-based experiences and identify
                    implementation issues.

Workforce skills    ï¿½Review exemplary projects to identify factors
and jobs            that contribute to their success.
                    ï¿½Assess effectiveness of job training programs for
                    disadvantaged youths.
                    ï¿½Assess the availability of useful labor market
                    information data.
                    ï¿½Review current efforts to involve the private
                    sector in employment training activities.
                    ï¿½Identify state initiatives for implementing new
                    employment training strategies.
                    ï¿½Review innovative ways states use unemployment
                    insurance funds to support training assistance.
                    ï¿½Assess current administration of labor grants and
                    contracts.
                    ï¿½Review the internal controls of the unemployment
                    insurance payment system.

Workplace quality   ï¿½Analyze procedural framework for setting federal
                    Occupational Safety and Health Administration
                    standards.
                    ï¿½Determine the extent of the regulatory overlap
                    between federal and state labor standards.
                    ï¿½Assess innovative workplace practices, such as
                    joint labor-management Occupational Safety and
                    Health Administration committees.
                    ï¿½Determine the extent to which employers currently
                    use workplace committees of any type.
                    ï¿½Identify effective practices for improving
                    current civil rights enforcement efforts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

TABLE III:  GAO CONTACTS
============================================================ Chapter 4


      DIRECTOR
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.1

Linda Morra (202) 512-7014


      ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.2

Cornelia Blanchette (202) 512-7014


      ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.3

Catherine Baltzell
Beatrice Birman
Joseph Eglin, Jr.
Lawrence Horinko
Charles A.  Jeszeck
Eleanor L.  Johnson
Sigurd R.  Nilsen
Wayne Upshaw
Fred Yohey

*** End of document. ***