Background: This study compared the workforce participation levels of mothers with and without dependent children with disabilities to provide recent data that could be considered representative of the range of families with dependent children with disabilities. Method: Secondary cross-sectional data from a representative Australian household…

This paper compares the personal background characteristics and voting behavior of Wisconsin state legislators in two legislative sessions separated by 40 years (1965-1966 and 2005-2006). The study uses cluster analysis to graphically display the differences in the voting patterns of the two sessions, an indicator that can be used in this and…

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) within a large representative population sample: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Cases of ASD were identified from the clinical notes of children in the ALSPAC with a suspected developmental disorder and from the Pupil Level…

In this report, the author presents the results of the Heritage Foundation's 2007 parental choice survey of Members of Congress, conducted to determine the percentage of Members of Congress that practice private school choice. It was found that the percentage of Members of the 110th Congress who practice private school choice is disproportionate…

In 2005, the "Kappan" published a report of the authors' research on student achievement in public and private schools, based on an analysis of the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Most people assumed that the higher average scores in private schools meant that private schools were more effective--an assumption that…

Current psychiatric nosology depicts posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a discrete diagnostic category. However, only one study has examined the latent structure of PTSD, and this study suggested that PTSD may be more accurately conceptualized as an extreme reaction to traumatic life events rather than a discrete clinical syndrome. To build…

Transformational leadership is widely recognised as being central to the implementation of educational reform. In this paper I draw on selected educational speeches made by New Labour politicians in order to locate shifting discourses of leadership within the broader accountability framework through which the terms of the relationship between…

Depicts advocates and lobbyists at work from Capitol Hill to college campus. Includes employment and earnings data. (JOW)

Monitoring the Future is a long-term program of research being conducted at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research under a series of investigator-initiated research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Now in its 32nd year, the study is comprised of several ongoing series of annual surveys of nationally…

Examined role of misperceptions in a Congressional debate about policies for the aging. Found that misperceptions about the elderly, in the guise of compassionate stereotypes, were frequently expressed. Legislators voicing such stereotypes were the most likely to speak and vote against proposals to reduce Social Security benefits. Found some…

Concludes that journalists and sources share notions about what aspects of a bureaucratic process are worth their attention and that journalists select information in a patterned way, with that pattern determined by the frames of reference of the sources. (FL)

Surveys legislators in Minnesota about their attitudes toward family policy and related activities. Findings indicate a need for broad public discussion about family policy so that family policy maps of legislators may be more clearly drawn and prospects of coherent family policy more likely. (Author/BEF)

Investigates national media attention to Democratic and Republican women congressional candidates in 1990 and 1992. Finds media attention related to whether the candidates are running for the Senate or House, incumbency, and state population. Shows that party is a statistically significant factor associated with media attention, and that ethnic…

Like most States, New Mexico's legislature grants not only basic foundation money for public schools but also a small percentage of additional discretionary funds. While the foundation money is almost always dispersed in light of a rigid formula, the discretionary funds present the opportunity for political bargaining. While hardly of as obvious…

Explores how Indiana state legislators use statehouse reporters for information and publicity purposes, identifies characteristics of lawmakers associated with particular motivations for using reporters, and relates these characteristics to how reporters are perceived to influence the policy making process. (FL)