Legislative professionalism is central to the politico-institutional context of postsecondary policy adoption in state governments. The core argument in existing research is that as legislative professionalism increases, structural capacity for decision-making increases. Evidence for this argument is mixed, exclusively quantitative, and assumes a…

"Getting poor kids out of failing schools" sounds like an altruistic cause most Americans support. However, one policy mechanism utilized to achieve that result, parental choice vouchers, has a checkered past. This descriptive analysis explores the policy-bubble created when state legislators eschewed their constitutional responsibility…

Since the 1970s, American governors have become increasingly active in education politics. Where they once told state education chiefs to "make me the best education governor ever," they now demand control of state boards of education, push for state control of school funding, and urge statewide standards for teacher evaluation. This…

Adult and Organizational Learning and Policy Development in Environments of Gray The purpose of this study was to describe, analyze and provide an understanding of the values that influence state legislators' decision-making as it relates to appropriations, tuition and fees, and financial aid for public postsecondary education in Idaho. The study…

The 2008 state legislative season launches this month under a fiscal cloud in a number of states, where ambitious education initiatives--including expanded pre-K programs, college- or career-preparation efforts, and improved teacher pay--may end up being balanced against gloomy revenue projections. A revenue slowdown--foreshadowed last month in…

Performance funding in higher education ties state funding directly to institutional performance on specific indicators, such as rates of retention, graduation, and job placement. One of the great puzzles about performance funding is that it has been both popular and unstable. Between 1979 and 2007, 26 states enacted it, but 14 of those states…

Of all the states in the U.S., Maine is the only one that has American Indian tribal rePresentation in its legislature. The earliest records of Maine Indian representation are 1823 (Penobscot) and 1842 (Passamaquoddy), but Massachusetts' records indicate that Indian representation had probably been going on since or before the Revolution. Due to…

Highlights from a study that will document how state and local governments have improved their ability to respond to the needs of their citizens. (Author/MLF)

Higher education must tell legislatures how the state should raise the money the colleges want to spend--even if it means higher taxes--and then lobby on behalf of those proposals. This also means addressing new and potentially controversial issues about the role of colleges in state politics. (MLW)

In this article, the authors explore this new level of tribal political sophistication and how the tribes sought to pressure state legislators by pursuing a public relation campaign centered on issues of economic interest and sovereignty. Though they have been unsuccessful in recent legislative sessions, there is evidence of a growing…

This paper examines ways in which the state of Florida addressed and resolved pressures to respond to continuous demands for reform by using new and different reform paths. Florida had committed itself in 1991 to a standards-based reform strategy. This commitment was analyzed during the 1996 election year. For the study, a content analysis of all…

The activities of a University of Miami lobbying team at the state legislature's annual 60-day session are described. Each of the three team members has specific area and bill responsibilities, but their coordination and teamwork are seen as essential to success in promoting the university's interests. (MSE)

The issue of sex equity in college athletics was brought to a head in 1987 in a decision by Washington state's Supreme Court in a case brought against Washington State University by former female athletes and coaches. To add two women's programs, the university asked the Legislature for additional money. (MLW)

The nation faces a youth citizenry that is disengaged and lacks the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions to participate in and carry out their civic duties. This ECS Policy Brief summarizes the state-level goals and accomplishments of the Youth Legislative Engagement project and is intended for state policymakers, education leaders and…

An overview of energy emergency legislation in the fifty states, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico is given in this report. Descriptions of specific provisions of state legislation are included to illustrate the many methods by which authority to deal with an energy emergency may be incorporated into the general body of state law. The information…