This paper examines ways in which the state of Florida addressed and resolved pressures to respond to continuous demands for reform by using new and different reform paths. Florida had committed itself in 1991 to a standards-based reform strategy. This commitment was analyzed during the 1996 election year. For the study, a content analysis of all…

A survey was conducted to ascertain the reactions of viewers and legislators to a public television series, "Today in the Legislature," which presented videotaped segments of a nine-week session of both the Florida House of Representatives and Senate. The results showed that viewers felt the program was informative, that their…

A 1996 survey of state policymakers and public college representatives in states with performance funding (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee) is presented. Although differences exist across states in a number of areas, findings challenge the assumption of an irreconcilable gap between…

A report based on a conference on the impact of cost information on statewide budgeting and planning is presented. The conference was organized around case-study reports on the use of cost information in higher education budgeting in Florida, Indiana, Washington, and Wisconsin. Rather than publishing convention proceedings, the case studies were…

A study of leading state-level policy actors in Florida's higher education identified a hierarchy of power and influence. Policy elites were legislators and key legislative staff consultants, the university system chancellor, and the state board of regents. Least influential in policy formation were faculty and student interest groups and…