In view of the trend at the national level for vocational education to be handled by non-educational agencies, the author recommends a stronger concreted effort for many State Manpower Development Training Act and vocational education laws that ensure people-centered programs rather than politically-centered programs. (Author/EA)

Discusses the possibility of a federal collective bargaining law governing all State, county, and local government employees and the likely effects of such a law on public education. (JG)

In 1985, Washington State Legislature passed a law mandating that each Washington school conduct a self-study by 1990-91 and every seven years thereafter. The intent is to enhance education through school improvement. This manual illustrates a model self-study process and provides a "tool kit" of implementation aids. The first section…

The vast majority of mentally ill offenders are not violent, although their illness necessarily manifests itself in ways that society often finds unacceptable. The number of mentally ill offenders is growing because needed mental health care is not available to those who are no longer hospitalized due to the deinstitutionalization movement and the…

The performance-based principal evaluation (PBPE), passed as a section of the 1985 Missouri Educational Reform Act, is a process for professional development of principals through the identification and documentation of job-related expectations and school goals. Additionally, evaluations provide an opportunity to refine those goals and to improve…

The late 1980s' resurgent appeal to public interest standards entails a misunderstanding of the real meaning of "public interest" and, whatever the merits of the critique of the deficiencies during the recent regulatory period, the standard still contains within it the seeds of its own compromise, if not destruction. Even among its…

This report examines recent school choice developments in four broad areas: (1) the public's interest in public school choice; (2) state and federal government responses to this growing interest; (3) new research on existing programs permitting choice; and (4) prospects for expanding state efforts to promote public school choice. After providing…

Part of a series of classroom aids designed for real estate instructors, this instructional packet was developed to help real estate students understand the different types of wills recognized in Texas, their preparation, provisions, and execution. First, information about wills is presented, including definitions of relevant terms and a…

A large and complicated body of law deals primarily with required parental involvement in health care decisions concerning adolescent children. Addressing that body of legislation, Part 1 of this two-part background paper focuses on a survey of laws requiring parental consent to health services for minors or parental notification of a minor's…

Information on the technology, use, and cost of teleconferencing is provided in this users' guide, which is updated annually. Intended to assist state government agencies in setting up their own teleconferences and teleconference policies, this booklet provides information on: (1) what teleconferencing is; (2) media available for teleconferencing;…

Most of what may be construed as political science has always proceeded through induction, which depends heavily on the insight, intuition, and personal brilliance of the particular author. Another approach that is closely associated with the early induction through examples is the expert system. The outcomes of this approach are not measures of…

This paper traces the evolution of the statutory reforms passed by the Illinois General Assembly to upgrade the quality of those entering the teaching force in Illinois. Part one briefly examines the national trends in testing for admission into teacher education programs prior to certification. Part two focuses on the Illinois movement to test…

This paper first discusses similarities between the medical profession and the present status of the education profession. Discussion centers on changes in education in New Mexico generated by external agencies to which colleges are having to respond, as did medical schools in the past. The New Mexico State Department of Education developed the…

The problem of mentally ill offenders is discussed in this report. Mentally ill offenders are described as generally not violent, with their behavior resulting in charges such as shoplifting, vagrancy, and trespassing. Factors increasing the number of mentally ill offenders are discussed, including the inability of families and communities to…

The mirror state counterplan is a straightforward form of negative refutation used in debate in which the negative team proposes that each state enact a miniature version of the affirmative plan that was to be adopted on the federal level. For example, the 1981-82 national debate proposition resolved that the federal government should…