Guidelines are presented for the various levels of the government relations effort, minimum programs, staff responsibilities, and the role of associations. Advice on the politics of transition--as higher education moves to a lower priority in the political process--is also given. (Author/MSE)

Provides a description of communication in legislative hearings. Categorizes members' comments by type, purpose, valence, time focus, problem/solution orientation, audience, and topic. Indicates that the most important function of the hearings appears to be marshalling evidence for later debate. (JMF)

David L. Boren, former governor and Senator, has become the most powerful president in the University of Oklahoma's history. Boren wants to give the university the feel of a small private college. His stature gives him flexibility to act decisively and quickly. However, some faculty feel his priorities are wrong and others feel he's moving too…

Provides information about the 106th and 107th U.S. Congress sessions. Includes early bills in the Senate for the 107th Congress and information about low versus high bill numbers. Presents two activity ideas that accompany this information. (CMK)

Surveys 82 Alabama legislators and finds officials' views of the press as adversary or agent of consensus relates to perceived value of media for job-relevant information. Suggests a dysfunction of the "watch-dog" role because those believing the consensus model found the press more useful than those seeing the press as an adversary. (MG)

Describes what is involved in the Congressional policy-making process, and describes the Capitol Hill community. Discusses the human element that is inherent in understanding and representing constituencies and in attempting to translate the constituents' concerns into policy. Considers what role psychologists might play in this policy-making…

Means by which state legislatures practice evaluation are examined by analyzing oversight strategies for monitoring recent educational reforms in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Focus is on the inextricable link between politics and oversight; the oversight strategy and methods for policy evaluation are largely…

Minority politicians who believe that colleges have ignored them in the past are winning political posts that are crucial for higher education and are using their new power. The ethnic composition of the faculty at the University of New Mexico has been the target of legislators in the last year. (MLW)

Includes "A Capital Connection: In Washington State Educators and Legislators Find Common Ground" (Lozada); "Changing Voters' Minds in Cincinnati" (Ciancio); and "In California, Businesses and Schools Recognize Their Interdependence." (SK)

Examines the five progressive stages of Michael Parson's model for understanding aesthetic development: (1) favoritism; (2) beauty and realism; (3) expressiveness; (4) style and form; and (5) autonomy. Argues that the model can be applied to all ages. Uses Parsons' model to show how a congresswoman's level of aesthetic development can influence…

School board members can influence legislation by conveying accurate information, building coalitions and grassroots support, and understanding legislators and their political climate. Offers suggestions from experts on how to lobby more effectively. Lists seven resources, and contains a brief glossary of legislative terms and a brief primer of…

Practical lessons in lobbying at the state level include the following: practice friendly persuasion and good timing; accentuate the positive; and be consistently accurate and honest. Lists 19 do's and don'ts of lobbying. (MLF)

An education lobbyist reviews trends in governmental relations by higher education organizations since the 1960s, notes problems during the Reagan administration, the tendency toward decentralization and fragmentation of the higher education message, and current needs for leadership among higher education interests. (MLW)

Interviews with 11 Colorado state legislators about their views on local control reveal they have no fear of pushing the constitutional envelope when it comes to legislating school policy. School board members must get involved in the legislative process, whether by lobbying legislators on behalf of important education issues or testifying as…

This article identifies some of the underlying emotions of our school administrators, congressional leaders, and communities that result in the neglect of students who are in dire need of special education and related services. The systematic underestimation and underidentification of students with emotional or behavioral disorders are…