A study was conducted to compare the priorities of college administrators with those of strategic external constituencies regarding the activities of the Maricopa Community Colleges and Central Arizona College. The strategic constituencies for the colleges were defined as all 90 state legislators, 21 state board members and staff, and a sample of…

This research report describes an analysis of the ways state legislative policy makers in Arizona, California, and Oregon engage in the process of turning political interests and pressures into public policies. The purpose is to provide insights into the overall processes of social science utilization within state legislatures, using a behavioral…

Communication between Congressmen and their constituents could be improved by the use of advanced telecommunications. Interviews with representatives and senior staff from a sample of 40 House offices show concern that the current communication systems are either too narrow--letters, telephone calls, physical conferences--or too broad--television,…

This booklet is one of a series of reports addressing the most critical issues confronting state boards of education throughout the United States. Each report attempts to present a concise, informative review and analysis of the best and most current information available on one of these critical topics. This booklet focuses on improving…

Description of a course involving students in the Michigan state political process. The students investigated a legislative bill intended to reduce throwaway drink containers by summarizing relevant literature, conducting consumer surveys, and performing self-initiated projects. Journal available from Faculty of Modern Studies, Oxford Polytechnic,…

Child care policymakers in Ontario and Michigan were compared in a study of provincial and state political processes and structures that affect child welfare. The two regions were selected due to similarities in their demographic characteristics, economic structures, and Anglo-American cultural commitments. The rationale for the study was that an…

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…

Certain aspects of the Guaranteed Student Loan, National Direct Student Loan, College Work-Study, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants programs are reviewed and evaluated. The rules and regulations OE provides to educational and lending institutions for administering the federally sponsored student financial aid programs are found to be…

An analysis of structured interviews conducted in 1973, 1979, and 1984 with state legislators and school lobbyists and 14 case studies that investigated issues in Minnesota state school policymaking reveal that influence relationships do not correspond to the bureaucratic model. Political leaders influence policymaking far more than do…

Twenty-six congressional staff members dealing with educational legislation were surveyed concerning their sources of information and the relative importance and value of educational inquiry in various stages of the policy process. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations regarding improvement of the process were made. (MH)

Purpose of Michigan State University's Project 90 Priority Assessment was to extract, synthesize, and delineate a series of potential initiatives for public higher education in Michigan that reflect the key proposals of recent state and national studies. The study sought to compare the priorities of state legislators and officials with those of…

This report for the National Academy of Engineering's Office of Public Awareness represents the second phase of an examination of public opinion about engineering and technology. This document presents an analysis of six qualitative, focused group discussions or focus groups. Five of these groups were college educated Americans and one was…

The attitudes of current and former Alabama legislators and educators toward higher education were surveyed. Attention was directed to current attitudes about higher education and changes in attitudes in the last 10 years, along with views on the influence of information sources. Questionnaire respondents were asked how accurate and responsive…

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…