From the viewpoint of a state legislator, discusses ways that educators and legislators can combine their expertise to improve the educational policy-making process and to develop useful information on educational programs that can serve as a basis for constructive, informed legislative action. (JG)

To determine the effect on legislative decision making of five selected influences questionnaires were sent to members of the Virginia General Assembly (139 in 1986, and 140 in 1988). A response rate of more than 50 percent was achieved. On 22 of the 26 education-related bills studied, personal feelings were the most important influence. (seven…

A major challenge facing state policymakers who are demanding a high level of accountability in education is to design an accountability mechanism to track educational reform. The structure and uses of eight exemplary approaches to accountability are examined, resulting in a set of design characteristics for state accountability mechanisms. (TJH)

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…

Seeks to determine the personal characteristics and career backgrounds of state legislators, what they believe about their policy role and about educational issues, to whom they turn for information on the public schools, and which actors, besides themselves, they perceive as influential in deciding school legislation. (Author/IRT)

Events leading to the passage in 1984 of Arizona's bilingual education law are examined using interviews with policy elite and concepts developed by D. E. Mitchell and others (1985) for studying distinctive cultures of state educational policymaking. Passage of a mandatory or more comprehensive law was not likely. (SLD)

This paper isolates four research perspectives that have guided analyses of state legislatures and education policy in the past, and it presents research judgments that it believes will help the Law and Government Program of the National Institute of Education identify promising research directions in the future. While it acknowledges that few…

The Education Commission of the States' annual meeting was characterized by divergent opinions on almost any issue, but there appeared to be less consensus and more impatience on issues relating to higher education than on those concerning public schools. (MSE)

An attitudinal survey of 28 Minnesota legislative and interest-group policy makers in education examined educational groups' fragmentation, linkages, lobbying power, legislators' information resources, and initiation and accommodation between legislators and interest groups. Among the conclusions is that educational lobbyists' power in the…

In order to work within the legislative framework, it is suggested, administrators and trustees must concern themselves with five essentials: key calendar dates, specific committee structures, the chairman's power, the party in control, and the flow of legislation. Administrators must also know the legislators, the issues, and the governor. (MLW)

It is a well-known fact that one way to a better life is through education. Individuals who have a college education will earn significantly higher income that those who only have a high school diploma (McGlynn, 2001). Having a college degree is not only beneficial to an individual, but a community with an educated work force can acquire…

A statement of the AAUP Committee R on Government Relations on the 1988 elections is presented. The committee is concerned about the debt burdens of college students and the graying of the current faculty. Faculty members are urged to work actively in behalf of candidates. (MLW)

Discusses the political battles over federal support of education in the Congress since Reagan's election to the Presidency, including the reaction to the impact of the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education. Contrasts the activities and attitudes of Reagan and Kentucky's late Democratic Congressman Carl Perkins. (PGD)

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)

This report provides an audit of state policies in Ohio affecting access to, and success in, community colleges for students of color and low-income students. It was commissioned by Lumina Foundation for Education as part of a series of policy audits of the states involved in Achieving the Dream. Lumina Foundation is the primary funder of the…