A research project that developed methods for describing, organizing, analyzing, and predicting state education policy activity had as its major focus the way that values affect that policy. Data were drawn from six states: Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Arizona, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. They were chosen to represent ranges of political cultures and regions, fiscal stress, and a variety of formal structures. Some of the data were drawn from documents and observation, but most came from interviews with the key policy actors in each state. The book is organized in seven chapters: (1) "A Cultural Framework for Studying State Policy"; (2) "The Subculture of State Education Policy-makers"; (3) "State Policy Mechanisms as Cultural Products"; (4) "Public Values in the Policy Culture"; (5) "Political Culture and Policy Patterns among the States"; (6) "Cultural Values Embedded in Statutes"; and (7) "Understanding Cultural Influences on Educational Policy." Appendices describe the research design and methodology, interview protocol, seven major policy domains for K-12 education policy, and interview forms. An index is appended. (142 references, 32 tables, 20 figures) (MLF)