The 103rd Congress will decide whether to reauthorize most of the federal programs for elementary and secondary education. The Congress may wish to consider making major changes in the role of federal government in education. This study describes the efforts by states to improve their schools, examines trends and current conditions in education, and analyzes various options for changing the federal role.

The 103rd Congress will consider reauthorizing most of the major federal programs that support elementary and secondary education in the United States. These programs, which funding of about $9.5 billion in 1993, finance a variety of activities including educational services for disadvantaged students, school improvement, magnet (or special program) schools in desegregating school districts, assistance to schools in federally affected areas (also known as Impact Aid), bilingual education, Indian education, mathematics and science education, and drug-free schools and communities.