As postsecondary education has become increasingly important to California's economy and quality of life, the state has been considering how best to meet student and workforce needs over the long term. State leaders recognize that coordination across educational sectors is crucial to addressing these needs. The now-defunct California Postsecondary…

One of a series of papers resulting from a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) project to improve evaluation and planning in community colleges, this working paper presents the results of interviews with community college policymakers conducted to assess their views on matters such as non-governmental accreditation,…

This monograph reports an exploratory study of legislative behavior in the field of education. The study sampled a large number of legislators' rollcall votes involving educational policy under various conditions of partisanship. The specific objectives of the study were to (1) determine the changes that occur in patterns of rollcall voting on…

Characteristics of evaluative studies used by California state legislators are discussed: specificity in addressing particular policy decisions; factors which contribute to or hinder the accomplishment of educational objectives; balanced studies with a range of indicators; and attention to local concerns, and to fiscal and legal issues. (MH)

Individual members of state legislatures wield the greatest influence in state level policy formation. This was one of the findings of a study that identified the power and influence context of state-level policymaking. Data were gathered from six states (Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois) using an instrument…

After several lengthy evaluations of California's Early Childhood Education (ECE) program proved inadequate, unhappy legislators and educators finally found satisfaction in a brief, mimeographed report. Several factors were responsible for the success of this new evaluation, the "Interim Report on the Special Study of Selected ECE Schools…

This monograph and its companion, "Legislative Education Leadership in the States," portray the contemporary role of state legislators and map the structure of education leadership in terms of both the characteristics of influential legislators and staff and the nature of influence structures in state legislatures. This volume reports…

Conflict over authority between the California Legislature and the University of California is examined. While the University of California has broad constitutional autonomy over academic matters, organization, and governance, the legislature has certain authority over the university under its own constitutional and budgetary powers. Attention is…