The higher education community can now produce statistical data with which to support its demands to Washington. The data are compiled by the Policy Analysis Service (PAS) of the American Council on Education. Implications of this data availability are examined. (LBH)

A congressional staff member explains why Congress has difficulty controlling the federal role in higher education and suggests ways the higher education community can help make the federal government a more effective and responsive partner, e.g. assessment of the impact of federal programs by a coalition of nongovernment organizations. (JT)

The ascendancy of Jimmy Carter may herald a new direction in American education, suggests a former secretary of HEW, who explains what that direction should be. (Editor/LBH)

Jimmy Carter's conception of the role of education, his approach to the process of reform, and his method of policy formation are discussed in the light of the status of education in Georgia. (LBH)

The debate over the nature of the relationship between politics and education is continued by a United States senator and the president of the University of Massachusetts. (LBH)

Recent policy changes and conflicts within Australian higher education hold some lessons for other countries. States are encouraged to take an active and early role in planning to avoid confusion, especially by beginning planning before budget cuts are taken. (MSE)

Criticising human capital analysis as it has been applied to public policy (e.g. seeing educational institutions as means to greater personal and national income and substituting capital for labor, which causes competition for students' borrowed money), the author argues for a negative income tax and an endowment funding for institutions of higher…

Three opinions are offered: (1) The federal government should be seeking ways of strengthening state, local, and institutional leadership by placing federal resources at the service of state and local agencies. (2) Social policy should not be handled by the states. (3) Keeping a proper balance between local and federal administration requires…

In a reaction to an article by Chester E. Finn, Jr., it is contended that federal dollars have provided the essential margin that makes for quality and gives institutions more independence. Loss of federal dollars would not be taken up by the states or the private sector. (MLW)

Ronald Reagan's effect on higher education as governor of California and what effect he might have on U.S. colleges and universities if elected president are described. Three points are discussed: deep conservatism of Reagan, his passivity, and Reagan's relative disinterest in higher education. (MLW)

The National Academy of Education is described as a loose federation of prominent educational and social science researchers, which has never pretended to be a think tank or a lobbying organization. Its influence is indirectly felt through the prestige and quality research of its members. (MLW)

A discussion of the influence of Britain's prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, on higher education looks at the relationship between the administrator's 10 years in office and the fiscal, educational, and public policy issues currently under debate. (MSE)

In a response to an article by Chester Finn, it is agreed that a revolution is at hand in domestic social policy. Higher education institutions need flexibility and adaptability to meet shifting needs. Federal student aid programs are seen as having been extended too far. (MLW)

The relationship between the federal government and higher education is examined with focus on federal aid and especially federal regulations. Justifications for the federal regulatory role and suggestions for improving the relationship by both higher education and the government are offered. (JMD)

The new Department of Education, the nation's first secretary of education, Shirley Mount Hufstedler, and some of her newly appointed assistant secretaries are profiled. The creation of the new department, the transition problems involved, and the budget for education are discussed. (MLW)