In this research brief we present the results of a recent needs assessment evaluating the advocacy-based needs for Kentuckians with developmental disabilities and their families. Results highlight the different levels and types of supports needed to build self-advocacy capacity and to inform effective planning and services and the individual,…

This manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read…

This manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read…

The economic meltdown has hit U.S. college campuses, and higher education is on the chopping block in state budgets, with cuts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars already approved and hundreds of millions in more cuts on the way. As veteran legislators, the authors have seen this story play out before in previous recessions. The mindset on…

In 2004, the State of Florida imposed the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK). This legislation provides free prekindergarten services to all four-year-old children in the State of Florida (Agency for Workforce Innovation [AWI], 2005a). The legislation outlines the requirements of the VPK schools. This outline addresses specifications for…

A stratified random sample of 1,500 state legislators from 12 states was surveyed regarding their perceptions and knowledge of issues in reading instruction. The states were selected to provide a balanced mix of state sizes, state budget sizes, and geographic regions. Within states, legislators were selected to balance districts. Both mail surveys…

The Winning Grants Workshop, sponsored by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and held in July 2005, underscored the value of having constituents articulate their own needs and desires instead of grant writers assuming constituent needs. As a means of responding to the "needs" section of the PEP grant application, the…

Stresses the need for creating a constituency in Congress, identifying issues such as dissemination of educational research and communication between researchers and politicians, and generating vocal support for educational research throughout the country. (AM)

The fragmentation of educational lobbies, the loosening of party control, lawmakers' growing knowledge of educational issues, and their willingness to listen to their constituents--all these trends enhance the possibility of the principal's making his voice heard. Now is the time to influence state educational policy making. (Editor)

This compilation of seven briefs is intended to help citizens lobby United States senators, representatives, and their staff members on issues of importance to the Hispanic American community. Each brief synopsizes an issue, reviews current proposals for addressing the issue, and suggests the appropriate action that the member of congress should…

In observance of National Children's Day, this House of Representatives' joint hearing was concerned with children's health, education, and welfare issues. Its purpose was to discuss the first National Children's Day Report Card, which provides information about changes that need to be made in government spending and in the treatment of children…

The report summarizes the activities of a seminar designed and conducted by the Career Education Policy Project (CEPP) of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) and attended by 27 career educators. The seminar provided an insight into lobbying for education, with bureaucrats, congressional members and staff aides, lobbyists, education…

Purpose of Michigan State University's Project 90 Priority Assessment was to extract, synthesize, and delineate a series of potential initiatives for public higher education in Michigan that reflect the key proposals of recent state and national studies. The study sought to compare the priorities of state legislators and officials with those of…

A survey of state legislators was conducted in 1981 by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the National Center for Research in Vocational Education to determine state legislators' views about vocational education and its outcomes; their views of what vocational education should be doing and how it could be improved; and their…

Representatives of strategic stakeholder groups who make decisions affecting continuing higher education (CHE) were surveyed to determine their perceptions regarding the role and impact of CHE. These types of institutions participated: two state universities, five community/technical colleges, two branch/regional campuses, and one private college.…