Background: It is widely recognised that policymakers use research deemed relevant, yet little is understood about ways to enhance perceived relevance of research evidence. Observing policymakers' access of research online provides a pragmatic way to investigate predictors of relevance. Aims and objectives: This study investigates a range of…

Poised at a bifurcation, the educator preparation community in Vermont faced either the adoption of a generic product for the assessment of initial educator licensure candidates or the comprehensive revision of a longstanding state-based assessment portfolio. Using a case study approach and narrative methods, specifically the Narrative Policy…

This study investigated policymaker dependence on evidence in education decision making in Oyo State Ministry of Education. The study was conducted under a descriptive survey design, 44 out of the 290 policymakers of the Ministry and Board of Education across the State were purposively selected for the study. Descriptive statistics of frequency…

In this article, Kelley and Mead consider changes in the policymaking process in Wisconsin before the election of Governor Walker, in the early years following his election, and in the months preceding passage of the 2015-17 biennial budget. Kelley and Mead argue that in Wisconsin, serious and significant attacks to public education motivated by…

For most of U.S. history, local communities were the primary arbiters of school quality. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, states began assuming more and more control over school standards and outcomes. The question we seek to answer is whether and the extent to which a particular kind of local voice--the voice of education practitioners--is…

Drawing on interview data from reading policy actors in California, Michigan, and Texas, this study applied Kingdon's (1984, 1995) multiple streams model to explain how the issue of reading became prominent on the agenda of state governments during the latter half of the 1990s. A combination of factors influenced the status of a state's reading…

Despite the scholarly attention on the effects of merit aid on college access and choice, particularly on the significant effect that states' varied eligibility criteria play, no studies have examined the policy process through which merit aid criteria are determined. This is surprising given the recent attention to state-level policy dynamics and…

This report provides basic information about the responsibilities and roles of governors in relation to education. Information was derived from published sources and supplemented by a questionnaire sent to all governors' offices. The information is concerned primarily with structural and legal arrangements that shape the governor's formal role in…

The ability of a state education agency (SEA) to respond to the challenges of tomorrow may well depend on the type of governing structure established by the state for the administration of the state's educational policies. The governing structure of an SEA is defined as the composite of the state board of education (SBE), the chief state school…

This treatment of State governance models is one of two major reports prepared by the Educational Governance Project. In addition, there are twelve case study reports, each devoted to policymaking for the public schools in a particular State. This report is designed to serve as a point of beginning for any person or group of persons in a State…

In 1993, the State Legislative Leaders Foundation launched a research project, "State Legislative Leaders: Keys To Effective Legislation for Children and Families." This report documents the findings of the project involving 177 of the most influential Republican and Democratic state legislature leaders from all 50 states. For more than…

This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the influences that shaped an Ohio governor's education reform proposals from a vantage point inside the governor's office, during the late 1980s. Data were obtained through document analysis (of the period from fall 1987 to January 1989), interviews with the governor, and a literature…

Individual members of state legislatures wield the greatest influence in state level policy formation. This was one of the findings of a study that identified the power and influence context of state-level policymaking. Data were gathered from six states (Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois) using an instrument…

The role of governors in higher education was studied through a 1984 survey of 70 former governors from 40 states. Attention was directed to issues such as: how often and when governors get involved in university issues, the influence of various higher education constituencies on gubernatorial decision making, gubernatorial views on private higher…

Policy issues concerning foreign students that affect decision makers of U.S. colleges and universities were studied, along with the views of institutional representatives concerning the presence of foreign students, problems areas they perceive, and the formation and implementation of policy regarding these students. Attention was focused on…