During the past decade, Connecticut has implemented major changes in the public education system. To assess these changes, Mazzoni's revised arena model was used to analyze the state's educational policy development since 1980. The results of this research are reported here. The paper outlines the theoretical framework of the model and how it can…

The Best Practices Project of the Family Resource Coalition of American (FRCA) began in 1991 with the aim of meeting the need for better definition and articulation of what constitutes best practice in family support programs. This monograph, the third in a series of four, reports on some of the ideas about cultural democracy which have generated…

A study explored the changes in the federal role in education prior to and after the May 1980 Implementation Plan for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The documents related to the creation of ED determine if any change in the federal role in education was expressed through program components included in the new ED, and those programs not…

A small federal program piloting tax credit bonds to support school construction, the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB), has existed since 1997--providing evidence of how tax credit bonds could work. This paper analyzes the results of QZABs to date in order to inform policymakers, advance the debate over federal school construction aid, and…

This paper uses the charter-school legislation of three states-Arizona, California, and Michigan--as a lens to understand the policy values embodied in school--choice reforms. It questions the prevailing rubrics of the Center for Education Reform and the American Federation of Teachers. Briefly stated, the former ranks laws as either…

This issue paper focuses on School Choice (the option to transfer to another public school when a school is identified for "improvement") and how it may affect children with disabilities. It begins with a brief discussion of when school choice kicks in under NCLB, followed by a detailed discussion of the legal requirements that apply…

Homelessness has a devastating impact on children. School provides stability and a sense of continuity during an otherwise chaotic time, as well as access to other comprehensive services, both inside and outside the school, such as meals, health care, counseling, and recreation. But despite their desperate need, homeless children face high, often…

This issue paper is the first in a series commissioned by the Education Commission of the States on issues relating to superintendent and school-board leadership. The study from which this paper derives builds on earlier studies that focused on characteristics and demographics of the superintendency, and on the status of relations and functions of…

One of four being published on a five-state project on the dynamics of child care subsidy use, this report provides a detailed look at families receiving child care subsidies in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas, and the factors associated with length of subsidy receipt and provider stability. Data were collected and analyzed by…

This manual is intended as a do it yourself tool for helping organizations develop an approach that will enhance the quality of career counseling services. It is aimed at demystifying evaluation planning and presents a framework so that the evaluation process leads to continuous improvement in meeting client expectations. It also helps validate…

This book examines why most charter schools will fail. It opens with a historical overview, describing the fate and significance of the precursor to charter schools: President Nixon's Experimental Schools Program. It then turns to the author's personal experiences in educational theory and practice, presenting and discussing the essential features…

This paper asks where and how women and women's styles of leadership are situated in Easton's Model of Policy Process. The Easton Model provides a means of understanding policy development from a micropolitical perspective and offers analysis of environmental influences on policy decision making and implementation, allowing the model to…

The California Postsecondary Education Commission's purpose is integrating fiscal, programmatic, and policy analysis across the various systems of higher education. With a citizen board appointed by multiple entities, the Commission provides independent, nonpartisan analysis and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature. The Commission is a…

Asserts the United States is entering a period of social policy devolution, funding cuts for social benefits and services and a major philosophical shift in the premises underlying social policy. Discusses the implications of these policy trends on social work. Stresses the importance of social workers becoming informed about such developments to…

Examines the new brand of federalism and of welfare reform. Looks at policy initiatives that will affect children, research priorities for the future, and ways to counter the spread of the conservative social agenda. Claims that welfare reform research must be disseminated so as to promote children's well-being. (RJM)