Guide to Federal Records

General Records of the Department of Education


(Record Group 441)
1967-94

Overview of Records Locations

Table of Contents

  • 441.1 Administrative History
  • 441.2 Records of the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs 1967-82
  • 441.3 Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Public Affairs 1980-83
  • 441.4 Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1968-76
  • 441.5 Records of the National Council on Education Research 1973-85
  • 441.6 Textual Records (General) 1969-94
  • 441.7 Motion Pictures (General)
  • 441.8 Sound Recordings (General)
  • 441.9 Machine-Readable Records (General) 1967-91

441.1 Administrative History

Established: By the Department of Education Organization Act (93 Stat. 668), October 17, 1979. Became operational, May 4, 1980.

Predecessor Agencies:

  • Department of Education (1867-68)
  • Office of Education (OE), Department of the Interior (DI, 1868- 69)
  • Bureau of Education, DI (1869-1930)
  • OE, DI (1930-39)
  • OE, Federal Security Agency (1939-53)
  • OE, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW, 1953-72)
  • OE, Education Division, HEW (1972-80)
Note: For an administrative history of predecessor agencies, SEE RG 12.

Functions: Establishes policy for, administers, and coordinates most federal assistance to education.

Finding Aids: Preliminary Inventory in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminary inventories.

Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Department of Education in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
Records of the Office of Education, RG 12.
General Records of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, RG 235.

Top of Page

441.2 Records of the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs
1967-82

Textual Records: Records of the International Affairs Staff, consisting of a file of publications and reports on international education conferences, ca. 1967-82; and a miscellaneous file, 1972-82.

Top of Page

441.3 Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Legislation and Public Affairs
1980-83

Textual Records: Correspondence, reports, and reference material concerning the work of the Publications and Audiovisual Advisory Council ("PAVAC," an intradepartmental organization) and its staff, the Publications and Audiovisual Acquisitions Management Staff ("PAVAM"), 1981-83.

Motion Pictures (1 reel): Learning Never Ends, explaining mission and functions of Department of Education, 1980.

Top of Page

441.4 Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1968-76

Machine-Readable Records (4 data sets):Elementary and secondary school civil rights surveys, conducted by the Office of Civil Rights, HEW, containing information on racial and ethnic composition of school districts, schools, and some programs, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, with supporting documentation.

Subject Access Terms: Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Top of Page

441.5 Records of the National Council on Education Research
1973-85

Textual Records: Subject files, 1973-85. Council meeting minutes, 1973-79. Background material for meetings, 1973-82.

Sound Recordings (93 items):Council meetings, 1980-85.

Top of Page

441.6 Textual Records (General)
1969-94

National Assessment of Educational Progress final project reports and background documentation, 1969-83. Records of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services' Federal Interagency Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons, 1979-82. Subject files and meeting minutes for the Commission on the Review of the Federal Impact Aid Program, 1979-81. Correspondence, reports, memorandums, meeting minutes, and related records of the National Advisory Council on the Education of Disadvantaged Children, 1968-81. Records relating to the National Advisory Council on Educational Research and Improvement and its predecessor,the National Council on Educational Research, 1974-94, including meeting agendas, minutes, reports, and related correspondence, 1981-94; annual reports, 1974-94; published and unpublished articles and research papers, 1982-90; chartering documents, 1983-84; and operational files, 1982-88. Office of the Secretary general correspondence and administrative files, 1979-83. Project reports of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement's National Institute of Education, 1977-82. Procedural manuals and related records pertaining to the Basic Educational Office of Postsecondary Education Grants, 1977-83. Division of Educational Technology grant files, 1971-82. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Elementary and Secondary Education Act program records, 1965-83. Records of the Director, Division of Career Education, 1974-83.

Top of Page

441.7 Motion Pictures (General)

SEE UNDER 441.3.

Top of Page

441.8 Sound Recordings (General)

SEE UNDER 441.5.

Top of Page

441.9 Machine-Readable Records (General)
1967-91

Records relating to post-secondary education, including opening fall enrollment, 1967-91 (25 data sets); and residence and migration, 1972-88 (7 data sets). National Assessment of Educational Progress study, Year 16, 1985 (1 data set). Follow Through National Evaluation Cohort III, 1971-1975 (3 data sets).

SEE UNDER 441.4.


Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.

Ordering information

This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.


Top of Page

Guide to Federal Records >

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272