Political science offers rich explanations for how different types of organizations that are focused on public policy decisions (e.g., boundary organizations, interest groups, policy networks (or communities), and think tanks) influence public policy processes (Cash, Clark, Alcock, Dickson, Eckley, Guston, Jager, and Mitchell 2003; Guston 2001;…

The 61st edition of the "Texas Almanac" has a reputation as the definitive source for Texas information since 1857. It contains details of the Census 2000 official population count, including statewide, county and town counts, plus an analysis of the numbers by experts at Texas's State Data Center. It includes information about politics,…

Information from local records can be used in a variety of ways to strengthen and add interesting detail to undergraduate history courses on slavery in the United States. Specifically, the author describes the use of county records to teach about slavery in Texas before the Civil War. Four sources of records can be consulted: (1) United States…

A project was undertaken to establish plans for a network through which postsecondary vocational home economics institutions in Texas could exchange instructional materials. After reviewing current literature on the idea of an instructional materials exchange, project staff mailed letters to the Board of Education in each of the 50 states…