NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Education Funding Approved by Senate

The Senate approved legislation providing nearly $1.5 billion to upgrade education and help the United States deal with an increasingly competitive world economy. By a 92-8 vote, senators passed and sent to the House the Excellence in Education Act, initially submitted to Congress by President Bush last spring. The final passage came after Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) was thwarted in attempts to strike a provision awarding $25 million in federal funds over three years to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.