The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) started at Western Illinois University in 1989. An outgrowth of the population declines and economic stagnation during the early 1980s, it provides a comprehensive program of applied research, technical assistance, policy evaluation, and educational outreach to community leaders and residents in…

This article tells the story of policies relevant to education, ageism and older adults between 1999 and 2005. It follows an article published in a previous "New Zealand Journal of Adult Learning" that described and critiqued policy developments between the 1980s and 2001. The story is located in the context of ongoing historical…

The aim of this paper is to describe and critique key policies and policy documents relevant to older adults' learning and education from the 1980s to 2001. It describes relevant aspects of the historical struggles between competing discourses and ideologies which took place during the period. It then examines the impact of these struggles on the…

Impact of introducing service-learning in a Providence College (Rhode Island) public policy course was measured in terms of student attitude and value change and student learning. Results indicate no significant impact on student attitudes, despite perceptions of both instructor and students that instructional quality was enhanced. Possible…

Analyzes the history of public concern regarding children's rights in the 20th century. Details the political process leading to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ratification of the Convention, and its political effects, and presents hypotheses regarding determinants of the Convention's worldwide impact. Notes areas where…

Summarizes findings of a graduate school study on community networks (electronic townhalls) and their involvement with local public libraries. Representatives of 24 networks participated, answering telephone queries on network services, users, goals, funding, governance, technical design, social benefits, government information provision,…

Argues that the rural development policy for Australia proposed by Jonathan and Katrina Sher in a previous issue of this journal is inadequate because the analysis on which it is based is generally unsubstantiated, supportive arguments have been found invalid, the richness of Australian society is overlooked, and economic arguments are flawed.…

The method used by an elite private university to assess the effects of its student aid policy on enrollment is described. A checklist helps guide preliminary assessment of financing strategies to identify areas of particular concern, by measuring ratios or trends in 10 financial, enrollment, and financial aid indicators. (MSE)

Examines three possible "levers" for changing standards for professional growth for teachers in Jewish schools: state licensing requirements for preschools, state requirements for continuing teacher education, and community incentives for training supplementary school teachers. Presents results based on secondary analysis of data from a survey of…

A survey of one national and three statewide studies (in Tennessee, Texas, and Alabama) of class-size achievement effects revealed no consistent pattern across various subjects and grade levels. However, smaller classes can improve student achievement, particularly in early grades and when teacher quality remains constant. (Contains 36 footnotes.)…

Summarizes prior studies with a focus on untangling how changes in student financial aid policy have influenced changes in opportunity. Also recommends new strategies for lowering student loan debt, increasing federal and state cooperation in providing adequate need-based grant aid, and developing policies that target debt forgiveness for…

Outlines factors that have influenced the approach of fully integrating children and family services into the fabric of their community and culture. Describes how school-based mental health services provide the foundation for the actualization of the interagency systems. States that significantly better outcomes have been noted from this model…

This article stems from the author's personal experience promoting processes in favour of youth and adult education as Secretary General of the Latin American Council for Adult Education. The author draws from the analyses and considerations presented in documents developed over the past seven years that reflect collective thinking and the…

Effective exploration of spatially referenced educational achievement data can help educational researchers and policy analysts accelerate interpretation of datasets to gain valuable insights. This paper illustrates the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze educational achievement gaps in Arkansas. It introduces the Geographic…

Adequacy as a concept or philosophy has recently emerged as part of school finance literature and policy in South Africa. Broadly defined as sufficient input levels to ensure student achievement of learning goals, adequacy has roots in school finance litigation in the United States of America. A review of school finance literature shows different…