A more realistic understanding of political processes is suggested as a way of improving government instruction in the schools. (JD)

Examines the legislator's role as education policy expert in the legislative policymaking process. In a study of Louisiana state legislators, analysis of variance was used to determine expert legislators' degree of influence in formulating educational policy, given differences in policy types, information sources, and legislators' work roles.…

Federal appropriations for fiscal 1991 for projects involving specific colleges and universities has set an all-time record for such spending. Actual totals are probably even higher. Spending is for research facilities and varied projects. The increases may reflect lawmakers' impatience for an administration policy on promoting technology. (MSE)

State legislators who consistently challenge higher education on one or more issues are seen as both allies, for bringing issues to the forefront, and as foes, for their sometimes strident criticism. Many such legislative critics focus on accountability vs. autonomy. (MSE)

In a number of states, legislatures are successfully opposing governors on budget cuts that would adversely affect colleges and universities, even in states where relations between academics and politicians have been strained recently. (MSE)

Describes a research project conducted by twelfth grade students in American government classes. States that the project's objectives are to have students become aware of the approachability of legislators and to realize that input from informed citizens is central to the democratic process. (RDS)

The views of state legislators and agencies that govern higher education must be considered along with institutional perspectives on approaches to assessment of student learning outcomes. This chapter provides a review of performance indicators from twenty-nine recent state reports and discusses their implications for the assessment of student…

Debates over Congressional involvement in foreign military engagements trace back to America's founding. However, a basic point still remains unresolved: does Congress have the Constitutional right to constrain presidents from unilaterally exercising force abroad? If so, is directly adhering to the Constitution a government responsibility? In…

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…

A case study of Nebraska early childhood legislation, passed unanimously in 2005, shows the role of science in effective policymaking. By combining citizen advocacy, skillful work by legislators, and testimony by local experts as well as national scientists, Nebraska succeeded in producing bipartisan consensus on the importance of early childhood…

The purpose of this guidebook is to give Minnesota legislators an overview of all laws affecting young people in order to have a reference aid on current state policies toward youth. State statutes and cases that provide rights, responsibilities, and protections for young people under age 18 are described. Part 1 of this guide, "The…

A study aimed to examine how reading assessment information is understood and used by two powerful groups: federal legislators and members of the news media. Attempts were made to contact federal legislators on educational subcommittees to discuss how they used reading assessment information to make legislative policy decisions and to vote on…

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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the late 1980s appeared to pursue its own agenda of broadcast deregulation, notwithstanding congressional pressures. The apparent power shift is evident in a case study of the interactions between Congress and the FCC on the subject of children's television. In the early 1970s, the FCC tended to…

Findings from a study that explored the motivations of legislators to oversee and control program implementation are presented in this paper. Implementation is viewed as a contract between the legislative and executive branches with legislators acting as monitors who use oversight to control the agencies contracted to implement policy. A total of…