Students, teachers, administrators, community members, and policymakers are collectively responsible for ensuring that the literacy learning required to earn a living and lead a well-rounded life is available to all. To meet that responsibility, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) urges legislators to practice civil discourse by…

Recounts Congressional concerns and progress in the area of vocational education. Discusses the struggles and successes since the Vocational Education Act of 1963. (JOW)

The contributions of Senator J. William Fulbright to public policy in the United States are examined, focusing on a lifetime of public service and the global view that he brought to American policy formation. Cultural tolerance and international cooperation are seen as the major themes dominating his public life. Excerpts of personal comments of a…

Former Senator S.I. Hayakawa discusses his constitutional amendment that would establish English as the official national language of the United States. He discusses his concerns over bilingual education, stressing a belief that it should be chosen freely by local school authorities and that bilingual programs must be transitional, transfering…

The author, a United States senator, provides background on the problem of unemployment and outlines his plan to guarantee work for everyone who wants it. (CH)

Interview with Nancy Landon Kassebaum, third-term Senator from Kansas. Discusses the Head Start program, particularly funding and how it fits into welfare reform. Shares some of her home state's efforts with regard to the national education goals; family issues such as job training, literacy, safe child care, and preventive health care; and…

Seven politicians who have spent some time in the college classroom as professors or lecturers comment on the influence of their teaching experience on their approaches to law-making. The legislators are: Senator Phil Gramm, Senator Paul Simon, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett, Representative Bob Filner, Representative…

Consists of background information on and an interview with United States Representative William D. Ford, a Democrat from Michigan. Topics discussed include private technical schools, public funding of training, high-risk students, the student loan default rate issue, and accountability. (CH)

Significant progress has been made in recent years, largely on the part of professional organizations, toward formation of a coherent national language policy. However, much remains to be done, and educators must take an active part in forming and lobbying for such policy and related legislation. (MSE)

Educational institutions should mount sophisticated lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, say three members of Congress (Senators Harrison Schmitt and Dennis DeConcini and Congressman Morris Udall). Lobbying in the legislative process, effective lobbyists, political action committees, and effective lobbying from nonprofit groups are discussed.…

The first session of the 100th Congress has been transitional for national research and development policies because of the emergence of competitiveness as a major theme in American politics, the formation of a broad-based university-corporate alliance for lobbying, and growing public awareness of the potential commercialization of technology.…

Prospects for improving social policy affecting families are brighter now than they have been in several years. For psychologists to contribute significantly in this area, they must form a broader coalition of children's groups as well as a lobby encompassing both political parties and representing the interests of all children and families. (GC)

Perspectives on the legislative process in Virginia and the relationship between the higher education community and the legislature are presented by a state senator. Virginia's legislature operates on a 60-day calendar basis, has an executive budget, and the governor has item veto power. The budget process requires that constituencies needing…

A case study illustrating the political influences on higher education in a hypothetical state is presented. Higher education became a target for reform by the state's governor, who expressed interest in the sharing of resources between institutions in close geographic proximity; supported the more extensive use of management tools as a means of…

Most research efforts concerning minority politics have focused on descriptive representation, which emphasizes (1) counting the minority or female persons in office, and (2) explaining representative levels on the basis of political, social and economic determinants. Descriptive representation, however, is passive and focuses on "being something"…