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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR 1992 BUDGET FOR THE OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT MAY 1991 Assessment, Statistics, Research, and Improvement........... $260.8 million Library Programs............................................ $ 35.0 million Total.......................................................$295.8 million OVERVIEW FY 1992 Budget Request for OERI programs ($ in millions) FY 92 Change from Request FY 91 Appropriation Assessment, Statistics, Research and Improvement .............. 260.8 .................. + 32.2 Library Programs........... 35.0.................... -107.2 Total, OERI Programs............. 295.8................... - 75.0 Establishing national education goals has energized this country. We are now focused on the right issues: improving educational performance by setting high standards and changing, in whatever ways necessary to meet these standards, how we go about teaching and learning. Improved results for all students is our aim. The Governors said in 1986 that it is "Time for Results." We, as a Nation, are now embarked on a course to make that time now. One of those Governors is now our Secretary. Lamar Alexander stated the case plainly at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee last February 6th: "Our mission is to see if we can get the train moving down the track toward these goals and make room on the train for every American." The programs are underway. The work of OERI is an essential part of the Department of Education's contribution to moving us toward the goals. A year ago, in presenting our FY 1991 plan, I described it as "the first step of a multi-year strategy to reverse the growing disparity between the supply and demand for a more accessible and practical Federal R&D system." Congress responded to this call by providing a substantial increase in appropriations designed to meet this demand. Our FY 1992 proposal takes the next steps. We are on the right track. In this document, the details and particular highlights of our program are set forth. In this overview, I will speak to the continuing need for education R&D and how we in OERI are going about the job of helping to provide it. A RISING DEMAND FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The demand for solid information about how to improve education is increasing. That is very good news. The American people, and especially those most directly concerned with education, have accepted the challenge the President and the Governors placed before us. Reaching the education goals requires reliable information about how we are progressing and about what works to improve student performance. Doing more of the same in education simply will not get the job done. Americans want-and they deserve-better education. And we know that to become better we must become smarter in what we do. That is where education R&D comes in. The importance of education R&D and the significance of the Federal role in this arena, emphasized by the President and Governors, have recently been underscored. The Research and Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development, in its just released report, The Unfinished Agenda: A New Vision for Child Development and Education, declares: Data collection and research at the federal level are crucial for continued innovation in education and children's programs, particularly in such areas as measurement and testing, pedagogy, technology use and access, and programs targeted to the disadvantaged. Education R&D is an investment in the future of our country. Our economic health depends on well-educated individuals, capable of full participation in the advanced economy of America and the world. Such individuals create the ideas and produce the goods and services that make for economic and social vitality. Through education a person makes for himself or herself a better life. Through education we sustain our free, democratic institutions. The improvement of education, therefore, must be high on our agenda. The aim of education R&D is to provide the knowledge to make the improvement. We have begun to increase our investment. But by no means is the Federal government the sole agent in this enterprise. States and even some school districts have expanded their efforts in research. Organizations such as the Southern Regional Education Board are now major contributors to education R&D. Institutions of higher education, the business community, and private organizations actively engage in and support research. The Federal government should be the leader of this national effort. Through OERI's national assessment and statistics programs we are addressing this role. Our direction and support of the National Education Research and Development Centers, the Regional Educational Laboratories, the ERIC system, and the National Diffusion Network advance and promote this endeavor. Improvement activities, such as the Fund for Innovation in Education, the National Programs under the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Act, and the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, give direction to needed improvements. Focusing Library Programs' support on literacy improvement is another step to help America achieve its education goals. In this regard, I would like to mention the major study of educational research, now underway, conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. As you know, the National Academy is able to bring substantial expertise and insight into questions we want asked and answered about education R&D. The Academy conducted a vastly influential and constructive study of education statistics that led to the revitalization of the National Center for Education Statistics. It is our hope that we can learn enough from this new study to improve substantially our role in supporting and promoting research that will make a difference in education. An interim report from the study is due this fall. OERI'S CONTINUING PROGRAM In the meantime we will not stand still. We in the Department and in OERI are embarked on important programs to provide leadership and direction to education R&D. We are committed to cooperation with the States and local communities. To do so, we are supporting the efforts of the National Education Goals Panel, the National Governors' Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National School Boards Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Organization, and other organizations representing States, parents, schools, school professionals, and businesses. Conducting assessments, collecting data, directing research on education issues and practices, and sponsoring innovations in educational practices are parts of a whole. Our programs as a whole are focused on the improvement of teaching and learning. While we conduct a great many particular programs, they are not a mere collection of discrete activities. Instead, these activities constitute what now is our best effort to provide a coherent, systematic approach to our mission. We have placed special emphasis on cooperative and collaborative efforts among our programs and with others■in the Department, other Federal agencies, the States and local communities, and among the professional organizations. As you know, we have restructured the account to include improvement activities we have administered in the past but which had appeared under the School Improvement account. The budget documents reflect these changes and provide comparable figures for the prior year as if the account were structured then as it is now. Library Programs remain a distinct appropriation, but we view that activity as an essential part of our improvement programs. This is not a mere accounting or cosmetic change. It expresses our renewed commitment to fulfill a fundamental role of the Federal government in education. That role is to report on the condition of education and how the performance of all students can be improved. The explicit combination of programs in assessment, statistics, research, and improvement reflects the distinctive mission of OERI. THE IMPORTANCE OF DISSEMINATION Leading the efforts in education R&D is not simply a matter of directing and supporting programs in assessment, statistics, research, and improvement. We must make certain that the information and knowledge gained from these programs is made available to those who need and can use it to improve education programs. It is also a central responsibility of the Federal government to ensure that the products of education R&D are available for ready use wherever they are needed. For this reason, we have launched several major initiatives this year. For example, we will be starting a new National Research and Development Center on the Dissemination and Use of Knowledge. Special emphasis is now being put on developing better dissemination of the products from the Centers and Labs, as well as increasing the cooperation in their activities. The development of an electronic network among all the components of OERI has begun. We have also initiated two major efforts to bring the results of education R&D to teachers and policy makers and to help them use these results: the Campaign to Support America's Teachers and Challenge 2000. The proposal for FY 1992 builds upon these activities. As can be seen in the descriptions in this document, our program addresses central issues in assessment, statistics, research, and improvement vital to enhanced student performance. This program is a major step forward in fulfilling the Federal role in improving education for all of America's students. We in OERI want to find out what works in education and to make this knowledge available to those responsible for teaching the children of America and for promoting learning throughout our society. Our responsibility is to see that the best that education R&D has to offer is put to use in the homes and classrooms of our country, in the communities and workplaces of America-everywhere children and adults seek to develop and improve their knowledge and skills. Christopher T. Cross Assistant Secretary Office of Educational Research and Improvement ASSESSMENT, STATISTICS, RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT Assessment, Statistics, Research and Improvement ($ in Millions; Rounded) FY 92 Change from Request FY 91 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES):.................................... 80.1 ......... +16.6 (NAEP)...................................... 28.1 ......... + 8.9 (Statistics)................................ 52.0 ......... + 7.7 Office of Research (OR):.................... 42.3 ......... + 4.1 (Centers)................................... 26.5 ......... + 4.5 (Field-Initiated Research).................. 2.0 ......... + 1.0 (ERIC)...................................... 7.2 ......... + 0.5 (Other)...................................... 5.1 ......... - 1.9 (Javits Gifted & Talented - Center).......... 1.5 ......... --- Programs for the Improvement of Practice (PIP):...................................... 72.3 ......... - 3.5 (Laboratories)............................... 30.9 ......... + 6.1 (Other)...................................... 1.7 ......... - 0.7 (National Diffusion Network)................. 14.2 ......... --- (Blue Ribbon Schools)........................ 0.9 ......... --- (Javits Gifted & Talented Program)........... 8.2 ......... --- (Star Schools)............................... 10.0 ......... - 4.4 (Educational Partnerships)................... 4.2 ......... --- (Territorial Teacher Training)............... 1.8 ......... --- (Leadership in Educational Administration-LEAD)0.4 ......... - 3.5 (Midcareer Teacher Training).................. 0.0 ......... - 1.0 Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching Office (FIRST):............................. 45.2 ......... - 3.1 (FIRST)...................................... 2.8 ......... - 6.1 (FIE)........................................ 27.7 ......... --- (Eisenhower Math & Science National Program). 14.7 ......... + 3.0 Other:...................................... 1.0 .......... - 1.9 (Dissemination/Printing/Technology Systems).. 1.0 .......... + 0.1 (National Council on Educational Goals)...... 0.0 .......... - 2.0 Special Initiative:..........................20.0 .......... +20.0 (Partnerships for Innovative Teacher Education) TOTAL, Assessment, Statistics, Research and Improvement.................................260.8 ...........+32.2 NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS Emerson J. Elliott Acting Commissioner FY 1992 Request ($ in millions) National Assessment of Educational Progress.................................... $28.1 Statistics.............................................. $52.0 Total................................................... $80.1 The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects, analyzes, and reports statistics on education in the United States, conducts studies on international comparisons of education statistics, and provides leadership in developing and promoting the use of standardized terminology and definitions for the collection of those statistics. The FY 1992 budget request for assessment and statistics is $80.1 million, which represents an increase of $16.6 million (or 26 percent) over the FY 1991 level. The increase is being sought to cover the costs of the Center's ongoing data-gathering, analysis, and dissemination activities as well as the initiatives started in 1989 pursuant to mandates in the Hawkins-Stafford Amendments. These additional funds will also be used for post-summit activities related to the national education goals. The request for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is $28.1 million, an increase of $8.9 million (46 percent) over the FY 1991 level. Funds will be used to carry out the 1992 assessment■which will include State-level assessments of mathematics in grades 4 and 8 and reading in grade 4--and for further analyses of the 1990 assessment data. Also included in this request are the expenses of the National Assessment Governing Board and the costs of conducting legislatively mandated evaluation and validity studies. The request for statistics is $52.0 million, an increase of $7.7 million (17 percent) over the FY 1991 level. At the elementary/secondary level, funds will support: o analysis and reporting of data from the 1991 Schools and Staffing Surveys (SASS), a field test of the 1993 SASS, and the first follow-up survey of teachers in the 1991 SASS; o continuing efforts to improve the comprehensiveness and comparability of data collected for the Common Core of Data, including full field data collection for a combined NCES/Census Bureau finance survey; o continued expansion of the National Cooperative Education Statistics System, including training in the implementation of a new dropout component of the Common Core of Data collections and development of statewide automated data collection systems; and, o full-scale data collection for the second follow-up of students in the National Education Longitudinal Study of the eighth grade class of 1988. At the postsecondary level, funds will support: o field tests for the 1993 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty; o full-scale data collections on two components of the Center's postsecondary longitudinal study■the High School and Beyond 4th Follow-up and the Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey■as well as a postsecondary transcript study of the High School and Beyond 10th grade cohort; o continuation and upgrading of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which is now fully implemented; and o development of methodologies for assessment of postsecondary students and for collecting data on postsecondary graduation rates. Remaining funds will support other outcome statistics, special analyses, and Center publications. Included are: o design of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study in conjunction with the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA); analysis of the IEA reading data; and continued development and implementation of international education indicators in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); o the full-scale survey for the Adult Literacy Assessment to collect literacy assessment data on a sample of adults including those over age 64; o reporting of residential data from the 1990 Decennial Census by school district boundaries; and o collection of data on school, academic, and public libraries. Also, included in the request is support for special analyses and the Center's two major publications, the CONDITION OF EDUCATION and THE DIGEST OF EDUCATION STATISTICS. OFFICE OF RESEARCH Milton Goldberg Director FY 1992 Request ($ in millions) National Educational Research and Development Centers................................ $26.5 National Center on Gifted and Talented Education (Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Program)...................................... $ 1.5 Field-Initiated Studies................................. $ 2.0 Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC).............................. $ 7.2 Other Research Activities............................... $ 5.1 Total................................................... $ 42.3 The Office of Research (OR) FY 1992 budget request of $42.3 million will support a wide range of activities designed to advance public understanding of education practice and policy and to solve, alleviate, or illuminate education problems. The Office serves students, teachers, administrators, and policymakers at local, State, and Federal levels by funding basic and applied research, evaluations, and analyses of policies and practices. It also supports the collection and dissemination of information to a variety of audiences. The FY 1992 request represents an increase of $4.1 million (11 percent) over FY 1991. Approximately $26.5 million of OR's FY 1992 budget will support the work of the 23 National Educational Research and Development Centers. Based in universities across the country, the centers have three primary responsibilities: o conducting research and development in areas of national concern; o coordinating their work and collaborating with regional laboratories, ERIC Clearinghouses and other interested parties on topics of mutual interest; and o disseminating their findings to those audiences who will benefit most from the information. A total of $2 million will support Field-Initiated Studies grants to provide funding opportunities for individuals and groups to conduct promising research on fresh ideas relevant to the OERI mission. By doubling funding from the FY 1991 level of $1 million, OR can expand the program's scope to encompass larger, multi-year awards beyond the current typical award of $65,000 covering 12 to 18 months. Researchers, in turn, will be able to propose more complicated, longer-term projects and thus increase their potential contribution to the solution of education problems. In FY 1991, the closing date for submission of proposals was February 6, 1991, and OR expects to make approximately 15 awards this summer. The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system, which collects, indexes, abstracts, synthesizes, and disseminates information on education, will receive a total of $7.2 million in FY 1992. ERIC's products and services include databases, abstracts of journal articles and other documents, microfiche, computer searches, document reproduction, and numerous publications. In addition, dissemination of information is fostered through development of new media products (e.g., CD-ROM), and the production and distribution of special tabulations, data tapes and computer diskettes. The FY 1992 request for ERIC, which reflects a $.5 million increase over FY 1991, will meet the continuation costs of the 16 subject-specialized ERIC Clearinghouses and of those ancillary services which provide centralized processing and technical support to the Clearinghouses. It will also support ACCESS ERIC, which serves as the national contact point for ERIC resources, information, and products. In FY 1992, OR will launch a competition for new, five-year Clearinghouse contracts which will be awarded in FY 1993. Approximately $5.1 million will support other research activities aimed at achieving the national education goals. These activities include the Evaluation of Education Reform program which will identify projects at approximately 12 school sites to research and document the changes taking place in schools and classrooms as a result of reforms now underway. The lessons learned will be disseminated to those implementing similar reforms and enable them to benefit from others' experiences. OR is also continuing the Campaign to Support the American Teacher, an activity begun in FY 91 to develop research-based materials and strategies that teachers and others involved in the day-to-day work of schools can use to improve practice. Other activities will include research on early childhood education and school readiness, student learning and performance, teaching, programs for at-risk children, literacy, and the organization and restructuring of schools. This work could be carried out through awards to LEAs, SEAs, educational organizations, private non-profit organizations, university-related research agencies, and other groups willing and able to engage in important research related to improving the quality of education throughout the country. An additional $5.0 million is requested under the Adult Education account for the Institute for Literacy Research and Practice, within OERI. The Institute will support applied research, development, demonstration, dissemination, evaluation, and related activities which will contribute to the improvement and expansion of adult education in the nation. PROGRAMS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF PRACTICE Nelson Smith Director FY 92 Request ($ in millions) Regional Laboratory Program ............................ $30.9 Other PIP Activities.................................... $ 1.7 National Diffusion Network.............................. $14.2 Blue Ribbon Schools..................................... $ 0.9 Leadership in Educational Administration Development............................. $ 0.4 Territorial Teacher Training Assistance Program..................................... $ 1.8 Star Schools............................................ $10.0 Gifted and Talented..................................... $ 8.2 Educational Partnerships................................ $ 4.2 Total................................................... $72.3 Programs for the Improvement of Practice (PIP) aims to narrow the gap between what is known and what is done in American education. The mission of PIP is to ensure that education data, research findings, and exemplary practices are easily accessible to teachers, school administrators, and others seeking to improve American education. To accomplish this goal in FY 1992, PIP is requesting a total of $72.3 million, a decrease of $3.5 million (5 percent) from FY 91.(1) Of this amount, $30.9 million will be used to support 10 Regional Educational Laboratories. The labs are responsible for working with state and local educators to determine education research and development needs in a specified region of the country and for helping to meet those needs through applied research, development, dissemination, collaboration, and technical assistance. In addition to the $30.9 million, $0.25 million will be used for an evaluation study of the Laboratory program, and $0.20 million will support the continuation of a multi-year pilot program to prepare minorities for careers in educational research and development. An additional $0.8 million will be used to continue the activities of the Challenge 2000 project. Begun in FY 91, this major initiative responds to state requests for assistance in meeting the national education goals. Challenge 2000 builds upon OERI's existing programs in four general areas: forming networks or consortia of states working in similar areas; producing syntheses of research and policy issues; enhancing access to the institutions and findings of the national R&D system; and facilitating access to sound programs and schools already recognized by the Department for excellence. An additional $0.4 million in FY 92 funds will enable PIP to pursue a wide range of activities that will track education reforms and synthesize knowledge gained through research and practice. These will result in publications on topics critical to education improvement and helpful to policymakers, teachers, and parents in making sound decisions in education. FY 1992 funds will also be used to provide continued support for an array of important initiatives. For example, PIP is requesting funds to continue the Urban Superintendents' Network, carry on the work of the History-Civics Education Network, and support the National Leadership Collaborative. Funds will also be used to expand OERI's exhibit program. PIP's FY 92 request also includes $14.2 million for the National Diffusion Network Program, $8.2 million for the Javits Gifted and Talented Program, $4.2 million for the Educational Partnerships Program, $1.8 million for the Territorial Teacher Training Assistance Program, $0.9 million for the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, $0.4 million for the Leadership in Educational Administration Development Program, and $10.0 million for the Star Schools Program. The FY 92 funds for Star Schools will be used to develop and deliver educational courses rather than providing equipment as in previous years. (1) In previous years, programs administered by Programs for the Improvement of Practice were funded out of two separate accounts--the School Improvement account and the Research and Statistics account. For FY 1992, OERI-administered activities previously shown in the School Improvement account have been consolidated into the Research and Statistics account under the new title: Assessment, Statistics, Research, and Improvement. FUND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND REFORM OF SCHOOLS AND TEACHING OFFICE Margo Anderson Acting Director FY 1992 Request ($ in millions) Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education........................................... $27.7 Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Math/Science Education.............................................. $14.7 FIRST: Schools and Teachers and Family School Partnership.......................... $ 2.8 Total................................................... $45.2 In FY 1992, the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) Office will administer three programs■the Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education Program, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science National Program, and the FIRST Program. A total of $45.2 million is requested for these programs, a decrease of $3.1 million (7 percent). The Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education (FIE) supports programs and projects that show promise of identifying and disseminating information about innovative educational approaches at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. Grants and contracts may be awarded under this authority. The FIRST Office budget request seeks $27.7 million for FIE--the same amount appropriated for FY 1991. Funds will first be allocated to meet continuation costs for projects funded under FIE in FY 1990 and FY 1991 and then to support three new competitions under the Comprehensive School Health Education Program, the Innovative Alcohol Abuse Education Program (administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education), and the Innovation in Education Program. Under the Innovation in Education Program, applications will be requested for comprehensive school restructuring projects which show promise of improving educational outcomes. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science National Program provides grants to a variety of institutions for nationally significant projects in mathematics and science education. For FY 1992, the request is for $14.7 million, an increase of $3.0 million over the FY 1991 level. This additional money will be used to expand funding for an array of projects designed to demonstrate how we can best reform mathematics and science instruction in ways that will help to make U.S. students the world leaders in these subjects. Currently, the program includes projects directed at systemwide curriculum reform, demonstration projects aimed at sustaining the interest of all students in mathematics and science, teacher training projects to better serve students from groups underrepresented and underserved in mathematics and science, and projects directed at increasing college readiness--especially among students in inner city and rural schools. The Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching consists of two separate programs. The Schools and Teachers Program awards discretionary grants to a variety of institutions--including individual schools--to improve educational opportunities and the performance of elementary and secondary school teachers and students. The Family-School Partnership Program awards demonstration grants to Chapter 1-eligible LEAs for projects that increase parents' involvement in their children's education. In FY 1992, the budget request of $2.8 million will be used only for support of continuation awards. The Department proposes to phase out the FIRST Program by the time its authorization expires in 1993, because there are other vehicles available with which to demonstrate effective school reforms and restructuring strategies. Support for restructuring efforts that include strategies for involving parents will be provided under FIE. OTHER FY 92 Request ($ in millions) National Dissemination Programs......................... $ 0.2 Technology Systems...................................... $ 0.5 Printing................................................ $ 0.3 Total .................................................. $ 1.0 DISSEMINATION, PRINTING, AND TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS: National Dissemination Programs: These programs would include media announcements of OERI reports and products, a product utilization program to provide assistance in the use of OERI-sponsored information, policy seminars, and the repackaging of research and statistics products for wider audiences. Focus groups and other methods of assessing the information of education practitioners will also be utilized. Technology Systems: There will be an electronic network among OERI and its funded institutions--ERIC, labs, centers, NAEP, NDN state coordinators, LEAD directors, and the Urban Superintendents Network. In addition to electronic communication, the system will include an on-line, searchable directory of current R&D funded projects, a products and services database, a database of research results, databases of current education statistics and indicators, a national R&D referral system (for researchers, developers, and demonstrators), and a "needs-sharing" mechanism to gather data from information inquiries. Printing: Funds required for printing and editing of OERI publications. SPECIAL INITIATIVE FY 1992 Request ($ in millions) Partnerships for Innovative Teacher Education...................................... $20.0 Total................................................... $20.0 Included in the total request for assessment, statistics, research, and improvement of practice is $20.0 million for a Partnerships in Innovative Teacher Education program. Legislation will be proposed for this new program. Recognizing that a well trained teaching profession is absolutely essential if we are to reform our system of education and achieve the national goals, the Administration is proposing the creation of a new program to foster collaboration between the postsecondary institutions that train teachers and the elementary and secondary schools where they will practice their profession. Designed to enhance training for both prospective and experienced teachers, the new program would demonstrate strategies to make teacher education programs more rigorous and more responsive to both the research findings on teaching and learning and to practice in the schools. Program goals include the following: o Demonstrate effective strategies for preparing those lacking prior training in education as teachers in our schools; o Demonstrate ways to help teachers grow professionally throughout their careers; and o Create environments that foster inquiry and learning for both students and teachers. Discretionary grants would be awarded to SEAs and LEAs, institutions of higher education, and consortia of such agencies and institutions to plan, establish, and operate innovative teacher education programs. Requested funds would provide seed money to encourage partnerships throughout the country. LIBRARY PROGRAMS Anne J. Mathews Director Library Programs ($ in millions; rounded) FY 92 Request Change from FY 91 Request Appropriation LSCA I Public Library Services *......... 35.0 .......... -48.9 LSCA II Public Library Construction *.... 0.0 .......... -19.2 LSCA III Interlibrary Cooperation*....... 0.0 .......... -19.9 LSCA V Foreign Language Materials........ 0.0 .......... - 1.0 LSCA VI Library Literacy Programs........ 0.0 .......... - 8.2 HEA II-B Research and Demonstration...... 0.0 .......... - 0.3 HEA II-C Research Libraries............... 0.0 .......... - 5.9 HEA II-D College Library Technology....... 0.0 .......... - 3.9 Total, Library Programs...................35.0 .......... -107.2 * LSCA IV (Indian & Hawaiian set-aside) = 2% of LSCA I, II & III LIBRARY PROGRAMS FY 1992 Request ($ in millions) LSCA I Public Library Services......................... $35.0 Total.................................................. $35.0 Anne J. Mathews Director For FY 1992, the Library Programs (LP) budget proposal of $35.0 million is limited to support for Title I, Public Library Services and Title IV, Indian and Native Hawaiian Set-Aside of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA). The proposal narrows the scope of support to literacy activities. This focus is in keeping with the President's commitment to improve literacy levels in the United States and to address the national education goal of every adult American being literate by the year 2000. The $35.0 million will be allocated as follows: $34.3 million to the states and $.7 million (a 2 percent set-aside for LSCA Title IV) to Indian tribes. All funds provided to the Indian tribes would be awarded as basic grants and eligible applicants will receive grants of equal amounts. No funds would be set aside under Title IV for native Hawaiians. The Federal Government has launched a coordinated effort to reduce illiteracy and its adverse social and economic effects. As part of this coordinated effort, the LSCA Title I program will attack illiteracy through a focused approach that requires the increased involvement of libraries. Fortunately, most communities now support public library services, providing the majority of our population with access to a public library or its outreach services. Since public libraries are free, open to the public, and an inviting place for adults to visit, it is logical for them to play a major role in reaching as many adults with limited literacy skills as possible. Public libraries are also in a position to collaborate with other agencies in effectively disseminating literacy services and information. Although there is no agreement as to the exact number of illiterate adults, the Census Bureau's 1982 English Language Proficiency Survey showed that the number of illiterate adults, aged 20 and over, stood between 17 million and 21 million. These individuals are not capable of performing at their full potential because they lack adequate basic skills. Many are unemployed or in dead-end jobs. Information that we have gained from the operation of the LSCA Title I (Public Library Services) and Title VI (Library Literacy) programs points to the efficacy of involving libraries in the eradication of illiteracy. Over the years, literacy programs have reached many special adult populations--among others, the homeless, inmates in correctional institutions, the mentally and physically impaired, immigrants, the unemployed, the elderly, and the homebound.