Over the past decade and a half, state governments have assumed greater responsibility over demand-side management (DSM) operations. Whereas DSM programs formerly were initiated primarily by utilities or state public utility commissions, they are now becoming increasingly state-initiated and incentivized through funding mechanisms or…

This article offers an analysis of the origins, evolution, and impact of the Obama administration's Race to the Top (RTTT) competitive grant program and places it in the broader context of the debate over the No Child Left Behind Act and the shifting intergovernmental relations around education. RTTT is fundamentally about two things: creating…

The purpose of this document is to determine whether revocation of parental consent is currently posing a challenge for states and to describe how states are responding to this new provision. Although parental consent has always played a central role in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the new provision allowing revocation of parental…

Local educational agencies (of which there are more than 14,000) have the primary responsibility for governance of public vocational education and training (VET) in the United States. Local agencies operate within a framework of state legislation and regulations that are heavily influenced by federal legislation. The federal government offers…

Just as it has every June since 2006, the U.S. Department of Education last month delivered a rating to each state and territory based on the performance of its special education programs. The ratings, intended to fulfill the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's requirement that "measurable" and "rigorous" targets be…

The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 brought about major changes in how accounting firms conduct audits of publicly traded companies. Corporate officials have additional responsibilities in the areas of internal controls and financial reports. In addition there is a new organization responsible for established auditing standards for publicly traded…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Congress Begins Budget Debate: House and Senate Budget Plans Accommodate President Obama's Education Proposals; (2)…

In comments on the proposed federal guidelines for stimulus funds, some researchers say there's no evidence for the policies touted. Among education researchers, one complaint about the U.S. Department of Education under former President George W. Bush was that it relentlessly promoted "scientific research in education," while at the…

Like most issues in higher education, the accreditation paradigm in the United States is defined in large measure by the legal and political climate in which the academy finds itself. In the case of accreditation in particular, the legal substrate is of particular importance given the central role of accreditation in a college's ability to receive…

The Employ American Workers Act was added to the stimulus bill in February by U.S. Senators Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and Bernard Sanders, an Independent from Vermont. It prohibits financial institutions that receive federal bailout money from hiring foreign workers if they have recently laid off American workers in similar jobs or…

The complexity of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Fafsa) has been well documented and exhaustively discussed: At six pages and 120 questions, it is longer than even the 1040 tax form, with its two pages and 76 questions (not including schedules). The Fafsa's length and unfamiliar language--terms like "emancipated minor" and…

Regulation refers to governmental restrictions over enterprise in order to protect public interest. Research on governmental regulation in China primarily focuses on public utility, and inadequate attention has been paid to regulating college tuition. Currently, although the educational administrative agencies have successfully kept college…

The objective of this research was to use technology to develop an on-line orientation manual for clinical research coordinators. Many clinical research coordinators begin their careers as staff nurses and have little knowledge related to clinical research. As such, when they transition to a career in clinical research they lack the knowledge…

The Secretary amends the regulations regarding the production of information pursuant to demands in judicial or administrative proceedings. The changes are intended to promote consistency in the Department's assertion of privileges and objections, and thereby prevent harm that may result from inappropriate disclosure of confidential information or…

One of the goals of this study was to pose the engineering role in a way that allows engineers to understand the impact that professional requirements have on their career. For engineers making medical devices, requirements come from three principal sources, professional engineering, regulatory agencies, and their own organization. Engineering…